Craig was born in Seattle and grew up in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. After graduating from Evergreen State College in 1981 he got his first job as an animator for Will Vinton Studios in Portland, Oregon. (Vinton is an Oscar, Emmy and Clio award-winning director and producer of animated films, famous for his use of Claymation.) In 1987, Craig moved to Los Angeles to direct the claymated “Penny” cartoons for “Pee-wee's Playhouse” on CBS. He remained in LA to work as Story Editor and Director on “Rugrats” for the new Nicktoons in 1990/91, which introduced him to the execs at Nickelodeon.

Craig is perhaps best known as the creator of the television and book series “Hey Arnold!” for Nickelodeon. The series played in 80 countries worldwide and was in production continuously from 1995 to 2002, completing over 100 half-hours and “Hey Arnold! The Movie,” released in June 2002. Fifteen years later, Bartlett returned to Nick to create a two-hour TV movie “Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie,” which picked up where the saga had left off. The Jungle Movie premiered Thanksgiving 2017 and received a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

In 2008 Craig created his second television and book series “Dinosaur Train” for PBS. The series is produced by the Jim Henson Company and plays in over 100 countries worldwide. Craig has produced 5 seasons, which takes the series to 100 half-hours, and he wrote and co-directed the movie “Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island,” a Universal production which premiered on April 2021.

In 2015 Craig created his third television series “Ready Jet Go!” for PBS and produced by Wind Dancer Films. 66 episodes have been produced, including an hour-long TV movie “Back to Bortron 7” and a special “One Small Step,” commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The PBS/Universal movie “Ready Jet Go!: Space Camp” premiered July 2023.

Craig continues to live and work in Los Angeles, writing and developing new show ideas while always maintaining a love and interest in his classic properties.