 When the film was completed , Hillenburg intended for it to be the series finale , " so [ the show ] wouldn 't jump the shark . " However , Nickelodeon wanted more episodes , so Hillenburg appointed Paul Tibbitt , who previously served on the show as a writer , director , and storyboard artist , to take over his role as showrunner and produce further seasons . Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show 's crew , and " totally trusted him " . Tibbitt still holds the showrunner position , and has also functioned as a supervising producer since 2005 and an executive producer since 2008 . 
