22
applied and received funding to make the film from the Princess
Grace Foundation-USA, a nonprofit organization that assists emerg-
ing talent in theater, dance, and film arts by awarding grants, scholar-
ships, apprenticeships, and fellowships. “It meant a lot,” Hillenburg
says. “They funded one of the projects I’m most proud of, even with
SpongeBob. It provided me the opportunity just to make a film that
was personal, and what I would call independent, and free of some of
the commercial needs.” He adds, “That was the one time I thought I
could express myself as an individual and a person.”
19
Wormholes
was
shown in several international animation festivals. At the Ottawa In-
ternational Animation Festival in October 1992, it won the award for
Best Concept.
In 1992 Hillenburg graduated from CalArts with his master of
fine arts degree. The exposure of
Wormholes
at international anima-
tion festivals helped him land a job at Nickelodeon, a cable and satel-
lite television network.
