Biography
Eric Hollenbeck is a filmmaker whose work blends grit, humor, and humanity, drawn from a life shaped by small-town roots and blue-collar storytelling.
Growing up in a prison town in upstate New York, he saw firsthand how people carry both love and damage in equal measure, and how the ordinary can feel mythic when you look closely enough. His films reflect that world: tough but tender, raw but hopeful, with characters who are flawed, funny, and fighting for something real.
Hollenbeck started his career in physical production on large-scale films like The Avengers, Super 8, and Jack Reacher, before carving his own path through the independent landscape. He has production managed and produced acclaimed festival projects including The Kings of Summer (Sundance), Native Son (Sundance), The Tomorrow Man(Sundance), Drunk Bus (SXSW), and McVeigh (Tribeca). Over time, he built a reputation as someone who knows how to lead - not by authority, but by collaboration and trust.
His work focuses on emotional authenticity, grounded character arcs, and world building through performance and atmosphere. Whether crafting a prison riot story, a romantic night that sticks in your chest, or a lake summer full of grief and second chances, his goal is always the same: make films that mean something, that feel lived-in, and that honor the people who raised him, challenged him, and made him who he is.
Hollenbeck is the founder of Hollenbeck Film + Experience, a production company dedicated to character-driven cinema and the artists who make it. He lives and works in the Finger Lakes with his wife and children, where he continues to build a body of work rooted in family, legacy, and the belief that the place you come from is not something to escape - it's the well you draw from.
