Meleah Maynard

Meleah began her collision course with nerdiness on the day she was born. Combing gem shows for geodes with her dad, playing the part of the mad scientist in a spectacular interpretation of "Monster Mash" for a sixth-grade talent show, reading so much that her parents demanded she get her butt outside and play like a normal kid. Somehow, it didn't surprise them when she announced she wanted to be a writer. Though she has worked consistently as a writer, Meleah spent several years as a mental health counselor teaching things like creative writing, cooking and Spanish to schizophrenics at a Minneapolis day treatment center. She also bakes to-die-for cherry pies.

Mike Hoium

Mike didn’t set out to make his living on a computer. He was an art major at the University of Minnesota who, perhaps, may have wound up making sculpture or neon signs to pay the mortgage. But shortly before he graduated, professors asked him to try something new – using a computer to make art. It all sounds very primitive now. But back then, working in a classroom equipped with five Macintosh SE30s running Photoshop 1.0, Illustrator 88 and Director 1.0 was nothing short of amazing. Sixteen years later, Mike’s creations are pretty much all in the realm of 3D and motion graphics, and we like that because they take up so much less space in the garage.

Long before we adopted Lyle, we named our company Slow Dog Studios. We just liked the name. But as our shy, rescued beagle blossomed into the bossy little guy we love, it seemed only fitting to make him our official mascot (much to our cats’ annoyance). Lyle smells a bit. But we adore him.