Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545257
2 PROP CULTURE I SUMMER 2026 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS W e have witnessed many firsts over the past several years, beginning with the Property Masters Guild, or as we like to call it, the PMG and its phenomenal growth. The PMG gave us our first true collective voice within the property community, highlighting the artistic contributions of Property Masters while educating its members and future generations, promoting the highest standards of excellence in our craft, and preserving its legacy. Building on this momentum, we launched our own magazine, Prop Culture. We continued to expand our voice through the continued growth of our podcast, Prop Talk, and established a long overdue platform for recognition with the MacGuffin Awards, honoring excellence among Property Masters and their teams across film, television, and commercials. Now as we prepare our summer issue, we mark a truly historic moment for our community, one that we are incredibly proud to celebrate with all of you. For the first time ever, Property Masters and Assistant Property Masters are now eligible to apply for membership in the Television Academy. After nearly 80 years since the Academy's founding in 1946, our craft is finally being recognized at a level that reflects the depth, complexity, and creative impact of the work we bring to every production. This milestone is more than symbolic. It represents a meaningful step forward toward future Emmy eligibility and a long overdue acknowledgment of the essential role our department plays in storytelling. To see that contribution formally acknowledged by an organization as prestigious as the Television Academy is very inspiring. We are also proud to share that we (Theresa and Scott) now serve as members of the Television Academy, and we carry that honor with deep gratitude on behalf of our entire community. We would like to now highly encourage our fellow Property Masters and Assistant Property Masters to contact the Television Academy and request an application. This moment belongs to all of us who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to elevate the art of props to where it stands today. In this issue of Prop Culture, we proudly present a "With Strings Attached" edition as we shine a spotlight on films and television productions that have brought puppets to life in unforgettable ways. From the enduring charm of The Muppets to the bold satire of Team America: World Police, puppetry has occupied a unique and fascinating space within our craft. For Property Masters, puppets provide an assortment of technical challenges, and collaborative creations that live somewhere between object and character. Puppets demand a different level of coordination, engineering, and on-set integration. They require close collaboration with puppeteers, special effects teams, and performers, all while maintaining continuity, durability, and functionality under the pressures of production. The Property Department often finds itself at the center of bringing these characters to life in a way that serves both story and performance. In this issue, Lauren Melody Shell's "Artistry in Motion: Storytelling Through Puppets and Props" takes readers inside the imaginative world of puppet fabrication, stop motion, animatronics, and performance-driven prop design, sharing lessons drawn from projects ranging from handcrafted theatrical creatures to complex film and television productions. Complementing that creative journey, Brad Elliott's "Props for Puppetry" explores the ingenious engineering behind puppet props, examining scale, rigging, weight, mechanics, and the problem-solving required to make even the most complex puppet interactions feel effortless and believable. Together, these two features celebrate the artistry, innovation, and technical wizardry that make puppets not just perform, but truly come alive. Of course, our signature Prop Culture columns once again make their return. In this puppet-themed issue, "Scene Stealers" spotlights a select group with firsthand experience bringing them to life, and even our advice column, "Dear Theresa and Scott," joins in on this special look at props and puppetry. So, we never let it go without it being said, thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing. And thank you for doing what you do. Sincerely, Scott A. Buckwald, PMG and Theresa Corvino, PMG President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Parliamentarian Marketing Director Directors Global Ambassadors Committee Chairs Prop Culture Editors JEFFREY JOHNSON LAUREN SHELL COLIN BACH HEIDI KOLETO EMILY FERRY THERESA CORVINO MARY ARTHURS KURT BRUUN OLIVIA DOM BRAD ELLIOTT CHRIS HANSEN HUNTER NELSON MIKEY TRUDEL KURT BRUUN BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALBERTA, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN MARY ARTHURS ONTARIO REGION BRAD ELLIOTT AWARDS THERESA CORVINO AWARDS LAUREN SHELL AWARDS, HISTORICAL POLA SHREIBER EDUCATION & DIVERSITY MIKEY TRUDEL MEMBERSHIP PAUL WAGNER ELECTION COMMITTEE THERESA CORVINO SCOTT BUCKWALD T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E P R O P E R T Y M A S T E R S G U I L D Prop Culture is published quarterly by the Property Masters Guild. 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