Biography
Dynamic, experienced, and versatile, Eric expertly balances the worlds of business and art. With over fifty years as a filmmaker, writer, and marketing executive, his career began soon after graduating from NYU at twenty-four, when he authored the groundbreaking guide "How to Pick Up Girls." The book sold over three million copies, inspired many imitators, and was adapted into a 1978 film starring Desi Arnaz Jr.
Eric then joined Young & Rubicam, rising to Executive Creative Director and Executive Vice Chairman. There, he created iconic ad campaigns such as "Be A Pepper" for Dr. Pepper and "Betcha Bite a Chip" for Chips Ahoy. His advertising work earned him prestigious honors, including Gold and Silver Lions at Cannes.
In the 1990s, confident in his career, Eric shifted focus to screenwriting and has since written, directed, and produced several films through his production company, The Tenafly Film Company.
His Tenafly productions have received significant recognition. His film "Second Best" was selected for Sundance, Austin, and The Hamptons Film Festivals. The New York Times praised it as "a funny, bitter understanding of male competition and ego," calling it a "smart-enough-to-make-you-squirm comedy ripe with brutal honesty and perverse glee."
His latest project, "Emily and Tim," won Best Screenplay at the 2015 Rhode Island Film Festival, earned a nomination for the Grand Prix des Amériques at the Montreal World Film Festival, and secured distribution via Netflix.
An avid golfer and devoted family man, Eric belongs to three country clubs and has been married to his wife Joanna for nearly fifty years, with whom he has four children. He remains active, currently developing several feature screenplays, including:
- "REALITY FICTION," a dramedy about a struggling writer forced out of his NYC apartment into a New Jersey boarding house, where he encounters eccentric boarders and a veteran landlord while attempting to pioneer a new genre—“reality fiction”—by inserting himself directly into a story about taking down a local drug dealer. This screenplay placed third at both the Meraki Film Festival and The Indie Gathering.
- "JUST JULIANA," a horror-satire about a beautiful young actress deceived by a sleazy movie producer promising a starring role in a major film, who then plots revenge against him and his wealthy associates. "Just Juliana" has won Best Film at the Die Laughing Film Festival, was a finalist in the Breaking Walls Thriller Contest, and a semifinalist at the Poe Festival.
