Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546176
10 PROP CULTURE I FALL 2026 or is it simply the way you've always worked? APRIL BLAIR: I think it's just what I've learned from the people I've worked with. I've been lucky. Gavin Polone. Greg Berlanti. Al Gough and Miles Millar. They all hire people they trust. People with good taste. People who collaborate well. People who don't have bad attitudes. When you find those people, you hold onto them. You empower them. I'm much more hands-on in the beginning. Then, once everyone understands the world, it's "They've got it." That's when people begin collaborating on their own. I don't know if it's a superpower. It's just how I like to work. I like working with nice people. PROP CULTURE: It sounds like once you've built the world, you stop worrying about whose idea something is and simply focus on making the show better. the motel room outrageous. Let's do something fun." Rich immediately started throwing out ideas. I just told him, "Go for it." PROP CULTURE: So, it isn't about giving people complete freedom. It's about giving them a clear direction, then trusting them to build on it. APRIL BLAIR: Exactly. I'm never saying, "Everybody just go do whatever you want." I'm very clear about what the world is. We paint that picture together. Then at a certain point, everyone clicks into it. That's the gift. You realize they've got it. PROP CULTURE: Earlier you said, "Best idea wins." That sounds simple, but it's surprisingly difficult to put into practice. APRIL BLAIR: I really believe that. I'm generous in victory and selfish in defeat. If something goes wrong ... it's my fault. Always. If something succeeds ... I'm always saying it was because of someone else. I learned that from the people I worked for. When you've been fortunate enough to work with people who trust you, you want to pass that along. PROP CULTURE: It seems that once everyone understands the world you're creating, you're just as excited to be surprised by their ideas as they are to bring them to you. APRIL BLAIR: Yes. I remember when I got married. I went to the florist, and he kept asking what I wanted. Finally, I said, "Why don't you just do what you want?" He looked at me like I was crazy. I gave him the feeling I wanted. The vibe. I wasn't trying to micromanage him. He was so excited because he said most people come in with a list of exactly what they want. Instead, he got to create. The flowers were the most beautiful I'd ever seen. Production is very much the same. When anyone else brings something in, it's an unexpected surprise. I think we do enough foundational work at the beginning that people understand the world. Then they get to create inside it. PROP CULTURE: Is your willingness to say "no" just as important as your willingness to say "yes." When people know you mean both, it creates APRIL BLAIR: Anytime someone has a suggestion that opens things up, I'm always open. I'm not territorial. That's true from the writers' room all the way through the crew. Best idea wins! PROP CULTURE: One of the things I've always found fascinating about creative leadership is knowing when to step in and when to step back. The best collaborations seem to happen when talented people are trusted to build on an idea rather than simply execute it. Has that always been the way you've approached running a show? APRIL BLAIR: Exactly. Take the motel room. When Keith Neely the production designer and Rich Devine the set decorator first presented it, it looked very Ransom Canyon. Wood walls. I said, "Let's do something different." I felt like we'd seen that before. I said, "Let's make INTO THE BADLANDS INTO THE BADLANDS