Josh Horowitz, John Earle and Ben Yonda, Nickelodeon Brand Image Group

Finalists: Motion Graphics/Designers

By Joshua Ostroff

JUST THE FACTS: St. Louis-native Earle (28) studied animation/design at Missouri-Columbia U, and digital imaging at NYU. Horowitz (28) from Rochester, NY studied drawing and painting at Nazareth College and digital imaging and design at NYU. Newark native Yonda (23) studied new media design at Rochester Institute of Technology. They all joined Nickelodeon between Aug. 2005 and Jan. 2005.

FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: "We're not necessarily selling products so we have the freedom to be more creative," says Yonda.

BEST WORK: "Still Life" for Nickelodeon. Designed by Horowitz and Yonda, these brief and adorably absurd bumpers reveal what might be happening inside still life photographs. "The [goal] is that when kids think of Nickelodeon, they're not just thinking of the shows but also these fantastic worlds," says lead animator Earle.

THE SECRET OF THEIR SUCCESS: "We each have our own niche that we fill, don't step on each other's toes and play well off each other," explains Horowitz. "There's no hierarchy so it's just fun hanging out with friends."

WHAT Earle's 10-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW THINKS: "I was visiting a couple weeks ago and a couple of my things came on. He's like, 'uh, OK, cool.' He's more interested if Spongebob is in the building."

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