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Thomas Olan Rogers (born June 11, 1987) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker,[1] and YouTuber.[2] He is the creator of the animated television series Final Space as well as the voice of Gary Goodspeed, Mooncake, and various others.
Career
Rogers started his career on Myspace and YouTube alongside two Collierville High School and University of Memphis friends (Thomas Gore & Joshua Pursley) in the comedy trio BalloonShop,[3] known for their comedic sketches and shorts.[4] After transitioning to his solo channel, Rogers uploaded videos of his own sketches as well as humorous stories of his life, short films, and even several animated shorts.[5]
In 2015, after lamenting his inability to meet with fans as often as he liked,[6] Rogers opened a lounge called "The Soda Parlor" in Nashville, which offered arcade games and various desserts.[7][8] The Parlor was later hit by a tornado in March 2020, and then looted in the aftermath.[9]
His channel reached 1,000,000 subscribers on March 26, 2019, but entered long periods of inactivity, which Olan later explained was a result of coming to terms with numerous personal troubles, including the destruction of the Parlor, and the death of his cat, Starscream.[10]
Final Space
In 2016, he created a pilot that became the animated television show, Final Space. The series followed a rogue astronaut named Gary, and his sidekick, a planet-destroying alien named Mooncake, both of whom Rogers voiced. 10 episodes were released between February and April 2018 on TBS. The series was later added to Netflix overseas.[11] A second season was released in 2019 on Adult Swim.[12] Season 3 premiered on March 20, 2021.[13] Rogers ran the social media accounts for the show, including the official Twitter account, calling it a "good opportunity" to connect with fans.[14]
However, in September of 2022, Rogers revealed that Final Space would be leaving Netflix internationally in 2023, as part of a group of properties being written off by Warner Bros. Discovery for tax purposes.[15] Due to this, Season 3 would not be receiving physical copies, and all mention of the show would be erased from the platform. Nevertheless, Olan promised that he would continue fighting for the show to get a proper ending, under the hashtag "#renewfinalspace".[16][17] This eventually led to WB offering Olan a one-time license to publish a physical graphic novel for Final Space's ending.[18]
Godspeed and future plans
In June 2022, Rogers uploaded a trailer for his next project, an animation titled Godspeed, turning to Kickstarter to help fund it. The campaign was funded in just two hours, hitting 580% of its original goal.[19][20][21] The official Godspeed website later clarified that after various fees and cuts, the KS money could not fund a full length film, so it would be a single episode instead.[22] Production on Godspeed began on January 9, 2023.[23]
The final product featured voice actors such as Troy Baker, Claudia Black, Coty Galloway, and Rogers himself, described positively as having "some potential" and showing "another example of the appetite for independent adult animation."[24][25] It premiered on YouTube on December 15.[26] Additionally, the Final Space graphic novel, which concludes his previous series, was also confirmed to release in 2024.[27][28]
Following a rising trend of YouTube's older content creators stepping back from the platform in 2024, Rogers himself announced in February[29] that he would be moving on to other passions outside his usual content range. Rogers' new ventures include a stand-up special in collaboration with Patreon, and a ghost-hunting series called Haunt Hounds with his longtime friend and BalloonShop co-creator Thomas Gore, as well as Brett Driver and Seth Jackson.
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | New Prime | Valavingee / Ferris / Daniels / Zak McSleuthburger / Bob | Also director, writer, producer, executive producer |
| 2016 | The Matchbreaker | Mitchell |
Other media
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2010 | Hazard/BalloonShop | Himself | Also director |
| 2008 | "In a Cave" (Tokyo Police Club) | Himself | Music video; also director |
| 2011 | Annoying Orange | Meteortron | 1 episode only |
| 2014 | As Dreamers Do | Walt Disney | |
| 2015 | Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures | Box Death | |
| 2016–2017 | Mr. Student Body President | Mr. Bayblock | |
| 2017 | Ear Biscuits | Himself | 1 episode only |
| 2018 | Conan | Himself | 1 episode only |
| 2018–2021 | Final Space | Gary Goodspeed / Mooncake / Tribore Menendez / Biskit / Additional Voices | Also creator, director, executive producer |
| 2023 | Godspeed | Bowie | Also creator, writer |
| 2024 | Haunt Hounds | Himself | Also creator, director, executive producer |
| TBA | Untitled project with Disney+ | ||
| TBA | Untitled project with Amazon Prime Video |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Final Space: The Rescue | Gary Goodspeed / Mooncake / Tribore Menendez |
References list
External links
- ↑ Olan Rogers
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- ↑ https://twitter.com/OlanRogers/status/1573686640094191617 Template:Bare URL inline
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