Stephen Hillenburg #1
Stephen Hillenburg #1
Creator of SpongeBob SquarePants
Stephen Hillenburg is the creator and executive producer of SpongeBob SquarePants, one of Nickelodeon's most popular animated series and recipient of 7 Primetime Emmy nominations.
A fan since childhood of Jacques Cousteau films, he earned a degree in natural-resource planning and interpretation, with an emphasis in marine resources from Humboldt State University (Arcata, Calif.) in 1984.
For three years he taught marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute (now known as the Orange County Ocean Institute) in Dana Point, California.
But his passion for drawing and painting couldn't be ignored so he went on to earn a master's degree in experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts.
After he earned a master of fine arts degree, in 1992, he worked on Nickelodeon's cartoon series Rocko's Modern Life, whose title character was a wallaby. During the last of his three years with the show, he was promoted to creative director, in which capacity he helped to oversee pre- and post-production operations. He also wrote for the series and served as its executive story editor.
Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Stephen worked as an exhibit preparer and science educator which led him to see how enamored kids are with undersea life, especially tide pool creatures. By combining this knowledge with his love for animation, he came up with SpongeBob SquarePants which premiered in July 1999.
When he pitched the idea for the cartoon to Nickelodeon, he brought along an aquarium, sculpted figures, artwork, and a theme song, for which he played the ukulele and repeatedly sang the word "SpongeBoy." He chose a sea sponge as the lead character, "because it's a funny animal, a strange one," and he wanted the character to be "a funny, nerdy, squeaky-clean square."
"We want the show to be really funny. But I think in the end the message is: Treat people the way you expect to be treated.
In 2001, he was honored by Heal the Bay (Southern California's premiere environmental public interest group) with the organization's highest honor, the Walk the Talk Award. He received this award for elevating marine life awareness through SpongeBob SquarePants.
In August 2002 the Parents Television Council ranked SpongeBob SquarePants third on its list of best prime-time cable shows, noting that its appeal spanned generations. That same year, the show earned the Television Critics Association award for best children's program, and Hillenburg received the Statue Award in film from the Princess Grace Foundation.
Official SpongeBob SquarePants web site