Roger Young's early life was marked by a rural upbringing on his grandfather's farm in Mahomet, Illinois, a town with a population of 850. At the tender age of thirteen, he made the bold move to the bustling city of Bloomington, Illinois, where he discovered a passion for playing pool, competing on the swim team, and cruising around town in his friend's 1957 Chevy.
Following high school, Roger attended the University of Illinois, where he initially struggled to adjust, barely avoiding academic disaster in his first year. However, he persevered and by his junior year, he found himself on the Dean's List, earning straight A's in the prestigious School of Journalism.
To support himself during his university days, Roger worked a variety of part-time jobs, including flipping donuts, selling shoes, detasseling corn, and eventually landing a role as a stage manager at the local PBS station. This experience led to opportunities in directing news shows, producing and directing an early morning talk show on CBS, and even spending a year in sales at the CBS affiliate while pursuing his master's degree.
After completing his graduate studies, Roger relocated to Indianapolis, where he directed the 5:30am Farm News show at the NBC affiliate. He then went on to work on documentaries for Time/Life, a variety show, and eventually, commercials for Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising.
Chicago beckoned, and Roger answered, taking on a role as a producer of commercials. He later transitioned to directing commercials for a production company and eventually founded his own production company, producing commercials for Ford, Sears, Hallmark, and Johnson Wax, among others.
A friend's suggestion to give Hollywood a try proved to be a turning point in Roger's career. He relocated to Los Angeles, shuttling between LAX and ORD, before landing a job as an Associate Producer on a television movie. This was followed by a stint as Associate Producer on the CBS series "Lou Grant," starring Ed Asner, where he honed his skills in editing and spent extensive time on set.
Roger's big break came when Executive Producer Gene Reynolds entrusted him with directing an episode of "Lou Grant." His subsequent episodes earned him a DGA award and an Emmy, paving the way for a successful career in television directing. He went on to shoot films, pilots, and mini-series, earning two more DGA awards and working on projects around the world.
