ABSORB THE FEELING—Simi resident Jennie Hammond is a production manager for the uberpopular animated show “SpongeBob Squarepants” on Nickelodeon. Hammond has been busy these days working on the 10th anniversary special, which will air in November. Asked what makes the show so popular, Hammond said, “It’s SpongeBob’s naiveté, and his character is so positive.” Working for an animated television show centered on the dayto-day activities of a sea sponge in a white business shirt, red tie and brown pants, Jennie Hammond admits it’s hard to take her job too seriously.

“It doesn’t even feel like work,” Hammond said. “I laugh every day.”

As a production manager on Nickelodeon’s highest-rated show, “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the 37yearold Simi Valley resident is enjoying both the success—and the inventiveness— that surround the one-of-a-kind hit cartoon.

“I love working in a creative atmosphere,” she said.

“SpongeBob,” which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary on the air, is now broadcast around the world. The series is set in a fictional underwater city called Bikini Bottom and stars a lovable, yet incredibly naïve, sea sponge named SpongeBob Squarepants and his colorful oceanic friends.

Hammond, who began working for Nickelodeon in 1998, said she never really watched cartoons as a kid, and getting the job after college was a fluke.

“Being a business major, this kind of job never crossed my mind before,” she said.

Hammond’s job responsibilities for “SpongeBob” include scheduling writers and artists and helping to move the production staff of 40 along smoothly.

Production for “SpongeBob” is a much more free-form creative process than for most other animated shows, Hammond said. The show works off of a two-page outline in the beginning of animation, as opposed to the 12-page script most cartoons use.

The board directors later turn the outline into a 240-page flip book and transform it into an 11minute episode. After it is recorded with voice-overs, the work is sent to Korea for animation and the final touches.

“It is absolutely rare to do it this way,” said Hammond, explaining that this freedom contributes to show’s success because the writers and artists can think further outside the box.

But it’s certainly not all work and no play for the SpongeBob production team.

Hammond and the rest of the staff enjoy impromptu pingpong games and Wii tournaments as perks to their jobs. Mark Taylor, senior VP and general manager for Nickelodeon animation studio, encourages such activities to alleviate stress and stimulate minds.

Even the studio itself seems to inspire creativity and childlike innocence.

Cubicles and flooring are purple, green and black, reflecting Nickelodeon’s signature colors. SpongeBob décor is everywhere— an enlarged cardboard cutout of SpongeBob is a favorite of kids who visit the show on field trips.

Hammond believes the show’s success can be attributed to the main character himself, who more resembles a kitchen sponge than an underwater creature.

“It’s SpongeBob’s naiveté, and his character is so positive,” she said.

Thanks to the show’s “brilliant” writers, SpongeBob fans range in age from pre-adolescents to adults, Hammond said. She’s amazed that parents, children and college kids all tell her how much they enjoy it.

“My nieces are eight years apart, and both love the show,” said Hammond, who also has a 1year-old son who enjoys the show.

Production is now focused on the 10th anniversary special, which, at 1½ hours long, will take much more time and energy than a regular episode.

The special will air in November and the plot will be the “SpongeBob” characters celebrating their own 10th anniversary.

Hammond said to expect catchy new songs, celebrity guests, and many references to past episodes.

“It will be absolutely hilarious,” she said.