Biography
Eric Gardner is a producer, showrunner, director and writer whose work has helped shape nonfiction storytelling for more than three decades. Most recently, he co-created Legal Queens, the first vertical docusoap, for CheraTV. Previously, he served as Executive Producer and Showrunner of Bravo's Shahs of Sunset for eight seasons and was Executive Producer of Season 2 of Below Deck, Season 1 of Gallery Girls, Season 1 of WE tv's Waka & Tammy: What the Flocka, Stripped for Bravo, and the pilot for The Family Stallone. Earlier in his career, Gardner received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his editing on the CBS series Survivor and helped pioneer reality television as an editor on Season 2 of MTV's groundbreaking The Real World. Throughout his career, Gardner has frequently been brought into nonfiction series during pivotal stages of development to refine their creative direction, storytelling and format. As Executive Producer and Showrunner, he led Shahs of Sunset from its first season through eight successful seasons, helping establish it as one of Bravo's signature franchises while bringing authentic Iranian-American culture to mainstream television. His work on Below Deck, Gallery Girls, Stripped, Waka & Tammy: What the Flocka, and The Family Stallone reflects a career built around helping networks and studios redefine nonfiction series at pivotal stages of development. Gardner's work consistently explores communities, cultures and ideas that are rarely represented in mainstream entertainment. From the Iranian-American families of Shahs of Sunset and the Latino drag performers of Queenas to the young trial lawyers of Legal Queens and the educators featured in his literacy documentaries, his projects combine compelling characters with stories that broaden audiences' perspectives. His additional credits include Senior Editor of Fox's Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction, one of the network's highest-rated specials; producer/director of photography of the feature documentary Queenas, financed by Canal+ and the Danish Film Board; co-producer and editor of PBS's Great Streets: Champs-Élysées, starring Halle Berry; co-director of the feature documentary Confessions of a CEO, featuring Deepak Chopra; and co-writer, producer and editor of the feature film Breakaway, starring Tonya Harding. As a director, he won Best Feature at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival for Under the Influence, starring Peter Greene. Beyond entertainment, Gardner is a nationally recognized literacy advocate and serves on the Board of Directors of the Hubble Difference Foundation. He wrote and produced the feature documentaries Disleksia: The Movie and Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars, which have become leading professional development resources within the science of reading community. The films are used by organizations and educational institutions, including Haskins Laboratories at Yale University and The Reading League. Gardner is developing projects through Neighborhood Pictures including co-writing and co-directing the romantic comedy Foodie Heaven with Maria Alexandria Beech. Set in Italy's Abruzzo region, the film has Enrique Arrizon and Gabriella Milla attached to star.
