The X-Files Official Magazine: Congratulations on 16 Emmy Award Nominations.

Spotnitz: All of us were really pleased and honored. It sounds trite, but it really is an honor. To get so many nominations in the fifth year of a television series is really gratifying and surprising.

The X-Files Official Magazine: Did that help generate a positive atmosphere for the beginning of Season Six?

Spotnitz: It sure did. The timing really could not have been better. The Emmy nominations were announced, and the very next day we had our first production meeting with our new crew in Los Angeles. It was just a great tone set for the beginning of the new year. they’d heard from us all along how much they had to live up to because we all love the crew we had in Vancouver so much. It was a confirmation to them how important the work is that they do.

The X-Files Official Magazine: Are you settling into the L.A. Set?

Spotnitz: We’ve met the challenge of being here head on. We’re not pretending we’re somewhere else. We’re writing, at least in the beginning, to this part of the country. It’s been a little startling. There’ve been some shots where it’s like, “My God, sunlight!” We’re making it part of the story and part of what’s scary about the story. I think it’s been successful so far. I must say it’s been nice having David and Gillian and Bill Davis and all the other actors a stone’s throw away. Walking over to the set, we’ve been able to talk to them about stories and actors and things like that.

The X-Files Official Magazine: Is there a different sort of atmosphere than in Vancouver?

Spotnitz: I think so. When you work with a crew closely, they become a second family. It really was a family in Vancouver. We were all sort of the little engine that could up there because we were in Vancouver and because The X-Files started from nothing and grew into what it is now. Everybody felt like we’d built this together and we had. Here, we’re coming in a well established hit and a mature series in its sixth yea, but everyone that got here had to beat out a lot of competition to be here. We had the finest talent in Hollywood vying to work on this show, so they feel like they’ve made the cut. They’re very motivated, very excited. [They] recognize what great work was done in Vancouver the last five years, and they’re determined to meet or exceed those standards. So far there have been very few growing pains.

The X-Files Official Magazine: It sounds like Season Six is going to be even more diverse than Season Five was?

Spotnitz: I think it is. All of us keep thinking, “How strange can we get?” It keeps it interesting.