[2] She created the Nick Jr. series The Backyardigans and worked as a writer and story editor for Nickelodeon's revival of Winx Club.

[3] Burgess was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she grew up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and attended the Ellis School.

[7] According to an interview with Investor's Business Daily, Burgess did not enjoy traveling "in art circles with collectors and high society," so she sought out a different career after college.

[7] In the early 1990s, Burgess held positions at the Children's Television Workshop, including as an assistant travel coordinator for 3-2-1 Contact and project manager for Ghostwriter.

[9] While working as an executive, Burgess attended scripting and concept development meetings, where she enjoyed helping the creative teams with characters and storylines.

[4] Burgess was eventually given the opportunity to transition to a creative role by the senior vice president of Nick Jr, Brown Johnson.

"[12] Burgess drew inspiration from action films[13] when writing episodes of the show, as she wanted to adapt high-stakes stories for a young audience.

[14] After The Backyardigans wrapped production in 2010 on the fourth and final season,[15] much of the series' staff members regrouped to work on Nickelodeon's Winx Club, including Burgess.