Stephen Hillenburg
Birth Name:
Stephen Daniel Hillenburg
Birth Place:
Lawton, Oklahoma, United States
Profession
Soundtrack, Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, Art department, Animation department, Music department
Fast Facts
- Studied natural-resource planning at Humboldt State University and experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts
- Before a career in animation, Hillenburg worked as a marine biologist and teacher
- Quote: "Our characters act silly, even totally ridiculous at times, and most of our jokes don't come out of pop culture references․ It seems like we're aiming at a child audience, but everyone can laugh at the basic human traits that are funny․ It's playful, the humor is playful, the world is playful․ You can kind of let go․"
- Quote: "Working as a marine science educator, I had the chance to see how enamored kids are with the undersea life, especially tide pool creature․ By combining this knowledge with my love of animation, I came up with Spongebob Squarepants․"
- Cites Jacques Cousteau and Max Fleischer as inspirations
- Named the "Spongebob Squarepants" character Karen after his wife
- Enjoys surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling during his free time
Awards
- 1995CableACE - Animated Programming Special or Series:Nominated
- 2002Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Children's Program:Nominated
- 2003Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour):Nominated
- 2004Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour):Nominated
- 2005Annie - Directing in an Animated Feature Production:Nominated
- 2005Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour):Nominated
- 2007Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour):Nominated
- 2008Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour):Nominated
- 2009Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Special Class - Short-Format Animated Programs:Nominated
- 2010Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Special Class Animated Program:Winner
- 2011ASCAP Award - Top TV Series:Winner
- 2011Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program:Nominated
- 2012ASCAP Award - Top Television Series:Winner
- 2012Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Children's Animated Program:Nominated
- 2013ASCAP Award - Top Television Series:Winner
- 2016Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Short Form Animated Program:Nominated
- 2018Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Children's Animated Series:Winner
- 2019BAFTA Children's Award - International Animation:Nominated
- 2019Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Short Form Animated Program:Nominated