Drawn to the business: Mark Taylor, Head of Nickelodeon Animation Studios, says the creative atmosphere at the Burbank-based facility has made the Viacom unit a leader in the industry with such children's favorites as Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer.

MARK Taylor has the job any kid would envy--only he is an adult, with an MBA from UCLA to boot.

As general manager of Burbank-based Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Taylor oversees daily operations of the hand-drawn animation house that has produced such kid favorites as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Fairly Odd Parents and a host of others. The ideas for the shows and initial drawings are created at the studio, while most of the drawings are done overseas.

The studio's facilities were designed to foster creativity. On premises is a large outdoor area with a ping-pong table where employees can relax. There is a snack shop complete with a cappuccino machine and freshly restocked bagels every morning in the lobby. All are designed to create the kind of environment where employees--most of them creative types--can do their job.

Perhaps the environment has had something to do with the studio's success. The animation house, owned by Viacom, has consistently produced hit shows, and has plans to increase the number of cartoons it develops. Also, there are plans to add more employees.

Q: Did you ever think you would wind up heading an animation studio?

A: When I was in junior high school, myself and a couple of other kids started our own radio station--that's what I was going to go into. When I got to Northridge, I thought I was going to be a Radio-TV major but that didn't work out. I found geography--it was an arbitrary pick--because I wanted to graduate from college. I went into the restaurant business, had my own restaurant when I was in my late 20s early 30s. Then, I decided I wanted to get into business, so I started as a bookkeeper, worked my way up to controller and then VP of finance for a toy development company. Then, going further, I realized I wanted to get my MBA. That led to a more well-rounded business background and I think better prepared me for a job with Nickelodeon, where I don't only oversee production, I oversee HR, facilities and other parts.

Q: When did you come to Nickelodeon?

A: I came aboard in May 1997. I had been at Sony for a year, when this job became available. I worked at Sony's animation division as VP of production.

Q: What's your average day like?

A: I come here at 7:15 a.m. I start off the day with answering e-mails and conversations with New York (where Viacom's headquarters are). Another thing is the financial side. A lot of what I have to do is juggle numbers, look at financials and analyze spreadsheets.