For the most part, yeah, I think everyone involved with the show sets
aside ego to do what's best for the show itself. When there are department
meetings, no idea is ever scrubbed saying "That's dumb." There are frank and
often blunt conversations, but because everyone is free to be equally blunt,
and we all know everyone respects one another, we don't tend to have real
problems. Now obviously you're going to have small conflicts when you dump a
whole lot of creative people in a room and have them attack a problem. But
they're generally *about the problem*, not about each other.

You *can't* bring your ego with you to work and expect to get anything
worthwhile done. And you can't play Untouchable Boss. Anybody who has a
question or a criticism about a script can come to me about it, whether it's
mine or somebody else's. Doesn't matter if it's a grip, or a stunt double, or
somebody from craft services; a valid point is a valid point. I may not agree
with it, and I reserve the right to do it as written if I don't agree, but
I'll *listen*, and if the person's got a point, I'll address it.

There are several people here who've been in the B5 offices on many
occasions, and they can chime in if I'm lying...but honest, the one sound you
hear the most in the hallways of the B5 production office is that of laughter.
We try to keep stress out of the workplace as much as possible, to make it a
pleasant place to work.

Everybody eats together out behind the stage at lunchtime -- writers,
producers, directors, cast, crew, production staff, groups of crew go out
together for dinner, or drinks after shooting, they go off on vacation in
groups (a bunch of them were off at Mammoth when the quake hit last year), the
actors are free to come into my office and hang out, ask questions, same with
anyone else...there's always a birthday cake somewhere in the studio it
seems...it's just A Nice Place To Work. Which helps tremendously when it
comes time to actually work together.

For Christmas, btw, we purchased for the crew, production staff and
others Swiss Army Watches with the B5 logo engraved on the back, with 1994-
1995 beneath it, for those who've been on the show for two years. For those
serving here as their first year, they got the nifty B5 leather jackets that
all the first timers got last year.

Life's too short not to enjoy where you work...especially on Barbeque
Day at the studio, or Funny Hat Day.....

jms