Street cred and a strong underground following are nothing new to Shilo co-founders/creative directors Andre Stringer and Jose Gomez. They've got a combined 23-year track record in the hip-hop and boarding worlds, having worked with everyone from Sony and Arista to Tony Hawk. Still, a chat about their recent Emmy win for Outstanding Title Design for Showtime's drama series "Huff" has the normally not-so-quiet pair in unfamiliar territory. When questioned about the honor, Gomez gets a little tongue-tied before offering, "We're so extremely honored, we haven't fully realized its extent yet."

Part of this humility comes from the fact that, according to Gomez, at Shilo the work experience is more important than accolades. "We're tight-knit. So much of our effort is due to a sheer love of the medium." Though the company employs a lean 15 people across its New York and San Diego offices, Stringer adds that the Shilo collective has a wealth of talent readily available. "Our work is the sum total of a lot of people; we have a sense of community and a network of friends who love to work together."

This closeness also comes from a shared entrepreneurial spirit and resumes that embody a host of creative endeavors. Gomez has built brands for action sports manufacturer Giant Distribution and created campaigns for music heavies Arista and Sony with Urbanistics. He's also created the sports company Rhythm and designed the acclaimed footwear brand, Adio.

Stringer's background in action sports filmmaking led him to form Staticopy, best known for its underground hip-hop doc Open Transport, and the reinvigoration of BET's branding. It also brought the pair together as Gomez met Stringer on the set of a skateboard video that he was producing, starring Bam Margera and Tony Hawk and featuring Gomez's Adio line of shoes. Stringer moved on to work as a creative director for Digital Kitchen where he met Tracy Chandler, now a key player with Shilo.

While Stringer and Gomez have such deep roots in sport and music, change is the only constant in Shilo's work. "Once something comes out that's ground-breaking someone copies it, so it's old again. We want to keep getting newer, keep changing and creating," Gomez says.

Still, a look at the company's work showcases a strong aesthetic sense, one that Shilo is energetically pushing forward with work on a feature film and a commitment to avoiding trends.

Shilo> www.shilodesign.com