I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty busy the past 20 years. After Chaminade, I headed off to Occidental College where I studied acting and started writing plays. I continued doing both at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia where I got my MFA in Acting.
I worked at various actor-friendly jobs (1-800-DENTIST) while trying to break into commercial acting. I also continued performing on stage as a member of a theater company. But I decided to turn my focus away from acting when I got a job as a Production Assistant at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons on a future Cartoon Network show called The Powerpuff Girls.
I started this job just as a play I wrote was being produced in Hollywood. Powerpuff was having problems with their Head Writer and they knew I was a writer, so I started writing freelance for the show. By the end of that year, I was promoted to Head Writer of Powerpuff. During my years on the show, I received four Emmy nominations. The show’s popularity also allowed me to expand my writing as I went on to write Powerpuff books, comics, and video games. In the six years to follow at Cartoon Network, I also wrote for Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo, and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.
However, life took another turn at this point in my personal life. Backtracking a bit, I met my husband Aaron while at Oxy. We’ve now been married almost 13 years and have 2 lovely children. Moira will be 7 in May and Soren will be 4 in September. At 6 months old, Soren started having visible seizures. At 9 months he was diagnosed with a hard-to-control seizure disorder called Infantile Spasms. The seizures have caused him global developmental delay making him a 6 month old in a 3 ½ year old’s body. This means he cannot walk, talk, crawl, sit up, hold toys, or feed himself. I could go on and on about Soren and all that we have done medically to help him. In fact, I have in
Soren’s medical issues were just being diagnosed as the first season of Foster’s was wrapping up. So I stopped working at Cartoon Network and my job for the past 2 ½ years has been caring for Soren. I’ve continued to write freelance animation scripts for Nickelodeon, Disney, and PBS Kids. Plus I was fortunate enough to write a number of Foster’s books, comics, and games last year. And in my spare time between paying gigs and Soren’s doctor’s appointments and therapies, I have written 2 feature romantic-comedies.
So that, in a nutshell, is what I’ve been up to for the past 20 years. But let's keep the blogging going. Please write in and tell us all what you’ve been doing!
Amy Keating Rogers
3 comments:
Hi Amy,
It was great reading your post. I will also try to submit something soon.
But I just wanted to say my children love Powerpuff and Fosters. Thanks for sharing your gift for funny and creative characters.
Thanks Erin!
I'm glad your kids like the shows. They were fun to work on. And hearing how people like them makes it not only fun, but fulfilling.
And, yeah, please post when you have a chance!
Amy
Hey Amy,
Thanks for getting the ball rolling on the blog. Sorry that I took so long—I have been moving through an endless stream of life changes and facing choices I did not necessarily want to make. Well, that’s life, right? Fortunately, I think things are starting to simmer down. Congratulations on your great career and on the remarkable strength you have for your family. Zo has asthma and her lungs are always the first to be attacked when she gets a cold, often leading to a hospital stay. She’s a trooper and knows the drill, very courageous. Take good care. I look forward to chatting soon!
Jacque
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