From YouTube to Final Space: Olan Rogers Mastered The Art of The Pivot
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The term “founder” is typically associated with startups, but I believe the term encompasses more. To me, a founder is someone who who turns their passions and personal missions into a business. From what I’ve learned so far, all entrepreneurs have three things in common: passion, purpose, and positivity. If you’re a self-starter who uses those three traits to bring your ideas to life, then you’re a founder in my book.
It was always my dream for this blog to grow beyond just tech. I wanted to eventually include authors and creators in the founders category. When you think about it, creators literally are their business. Their “product” is themselves, media, and (in most cases) extends into a physical product or service. As an author myself, I know that writing a book is a full time job. From the actual writing, to the marketing, it’s a passion project just like any startup.
So, to kick of the creator category, this week I am featuring Olan Rogers. Olan is a comedian, creator, and filmmaker who got his start on YouTube. To me, he’s the perfect example of how founders always see an opportunity and master the art of pivoting. You’ll see as he consistently perseveres through challenges and finds creative ways to keep his project going.
I’ve been a fan of Rogers since the early 2000’s with his breakout YouTube video, “Ghost in The Stalls.” It’s still my favorite YouTube video today, and I highly recommend watching it for a good laugh. In 2016, he created the pilot for an animated series called Final Space. Final Space tells the story of an astronaut named Gary Goodspeed and his super powerful (and super cute) alien friend, Mooncake. They go on a series of adventures through space in order to unlock the mystery of where the universe actually ends, and if it actually exists. If you like AdventureTime or Steven Universe, then you would love Final Space. After the first ten episodes aired on TBS in 2018, Final Space amassed an insanely loyal following and received contracts with Adult Swim to air the second and third seasons.
Despite the success, Rogers notes that only the first season was made during “normal circumstances.” In a YouTube video, he points out that the second season was made in the middle of a merger between HBO Max and Adult Swim, and the third season was made during the pandemic. Nonetheless, Rogers and his team found a way to still deliver the show.
I actually discovered Final Space during the pandemic and became part of the obsessed fanbase. I felt that the show just kept getting better season after season, and when I learned that it faced all these challenges during production, I was shocked because the quality never suffered as a result. After I finished the third season, I immediately hit Google to check when the next season would air, and I found this YouTube video posted in September 2021.
[embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=bFg3ljZF2kA[/embed]
I suggest watching this video, even if you’re not interested in watching Final Space, because you learn a lot about Rogers as a person. I already loved the show from a story perspective, but this video made me a die hard fan because of the guy who made it. For those of you who don’t have the time to watch the video, basically, Rogers tells the fans that Final Space is cancelled. There would be no season four because of another merger.
Final Space is owned by TBS/ Warner Bros. and they were being acquired by Discovery. For tax purposes, the show would be removed completely from Netflix in 2023, and Adult Swim would not air a fourth season. I remember being crushed when I learned the news, especially as I watched Olan become increasingly emotional discussing this development. Instead of taking this moment to talk down the network or his circumstances, he spends six minutes expressing his gratitude to the fans, the crew, and for the entire experience of creating the show.
“The show was about dealing with loss, it was about loneliness, it was about love. And for all of its faults… sometimes you just get bad luck…I’m not gonna cry… I put all of my heart into the show, and maybe that’s why it hurts so much… but it makes me appreciate all the moments.”
You can see the passion, the frustration, but ultimately the love he has for this project as he wipes his tears with his shirt. He says that he thinks about the ending of the show at least once a day, every day. How many founders say the same thing about their projects? All startup founders eat, sleep, and breathe their businesses and watching this video, you see the same spirit in Rogers.
Even after this heartbreak for the Final Space fans, Rogers was undeterred. He announced in June 2022 a trailer for a new project called Godspeed, which will be an animated short. In addition to the short, Godspeed will include a docuseries about how to create your own animated film. In nine episodes, he documents the whole process from storyboarding, to animating, to production, and even pitching for aspiring animators. Rogers took to Kickstarter to fund this project, and after two hours it wasn’t just funded, but it exceeded the original goal by 580%.
The story doesn’t end there.
On April 24, 2023 Rogers released a YouTube video announcing that Final Space would get an ending. Discovery has allowed him a one-time license to write one graphic novel to complete Final Space. This is the happy ending that we all wanted, but it comes with caveats. According to the YouTube video, Rogers, legally, is not allowed to publish through any third party (it has to be self published), he can only release physical copies (nothing digital) through a website he owns (no Amazon), and he cannot use Kickstarter to fund the project. I think most people would be frustrated by the limitations, especially those in the publishing world. But in typical Rogers fashion, he isn’t worried about any of that. He says, “I don’t see the restrictions, I see the possibilities. Sometimes you just have to play the hand you’re dealt, and I’m going to play this hand with a massive smile on my face.”
This is the art of the pivot. Rogers masterfully demonstrates that regardless of struggles, when you believe in your project, you persevere. You find a way to play the hand you’re dealt with grace and excitement. This, is the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit. I am so inspired by Rogers, and if you’re an early founder, take notes. You will face challenges, but what matters is your mission.
Rogers notes, “My hope is that the show sparked at least one person, one person, to go out and make their own story.” He goes on to say making your own product, business, whatever, is the most vulnerable thing you can do. You’re putting a part of yourself out into the world for everyone to comment on. I know I’ve felt that way with my own books, even this blog. Rogers’ advice, “Try your best. And if you think, ‘What if my best isn’t good enough?’ Then I would say, it’s good enough for me.”
If you want to support Rogers or Final Space, you can pre-order a copy of the graphic novel on his website. You know I already did. Also follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
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