Rachel Rogers
Once a precocious YouTube star, Olan Rogers’ eyes have always been on bigger things.
Whether that’s his animated series, Final Space, which debuts its second season on Adult Swim June 24; his East Nashville confectionery and arcade hybrid The Soda Parlor; or his apparel company, Star Cadet; Rogers’s cup, now more than ever, runneth over.
Splitting time between Nashville and Los Angeles isn’t easy for the happily married man (he and his wife celebrated two years in April), but he’s getting by with more than a little help from his wife and friends.
Olan Rogers
Rachel Rogers
Age: 33
On Conan: O’Brien, who has anchored TBS late-night since 2010, lends his voice to multiple characters on Final Space, and his production company, Conaco, was instrumental in finding the show a home network. “Having Conan right there was a big support,” Rogers says. “He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever seen in Hollywood.”
Sophomore Success: “Season one of any show, you’re trying to find its voice,” Rogers says. “The second season, we definitely found it.” After more than a year and a half of writes, and rewrites, and re-rewrites, the result is a funnier, tighter season, even as it jumps from 10 episodes to 13. “We’re working hard,” he says, “but we’re also working smart.”
Praise vs. Criticism: Critics, both professional and armchair, abound, but Rogers took their notes to heart on season one and applied it to the sequel. “It’s fun; it’s wild; it’s adventurous,” he says of it. “But it still has those gut punches and a lot of heart.”
To YouTube or Not: “There’s always going to be sacrifices,” Rogers says. “Unfortunately, YouTube is the thing that I’ve had to sacrifice.” While his posting of new, scripted stories has slowed, it hasn’t stopped, and the shorts provide the same blank canvas as ever, which has its own appeal. Still, the collaborative nature of a show has captured him, and it’s something he prefers.
Shop Local: The Soda Parlor, located a block off Five Points, is celebrating five years, while Rogers’s apparel company, Star Cadet, is continually releasing new designs and styles. How does a man whose life is often in Los Angeles accomplish this feat? “Oh, my wife, hundred percent,” he says. “She’s the backbone of a lot of that.”