Mention Eric Conner’s name in Burbank and inevitably you will get a smile. He is down to earth, personable and his energy, passion and wit imbues all he does for the Burbank arts community. Although his wife and two sons will attest that while he can recall scenes from obscure movies and all kinds of music, he can’t remember to take out the laundry.
A rare native Delawarean, Eric originally studied math and science in Philadelphia but found more inspiration in acting and performing improv. He received an MFA at the prestigious USC film school in 1999 and delved head first into writing – telling his own story and working with a writing partner Robert Gardner (Writer, The Wedding Palace) on screenplays. He began teaching at NYFA in the mid 2000’s establishing himself in a leadership role there and in Burbank. While involved in leadership training he learned about the Cultural Arts Commission and in 2019 was voted in.
Eric has taught hundreds of aspiring storytellers at the New York Film Academy (LA), the Writer’s Store, the Animation Guild and Starcoach – China. At NYFA, he’s interviewed dozens of entertainment professionals including Django Unchained producer Reginald Hudlin and John Wick director Chad Stahelski. He also wrote/hosted over 50 episodes of the The Backlot Podcast (archived episodes available here – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-backlot/id1235258521) He is the winner of the Sloan Award & Hamptons’ Writer’s Workshop for feature script Just Enough. He worked as a production manager on the documentary The Cutting Edge: The Story of Cinema Editing. His interview subjects include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Sean Penn. For the Screenwriting Department in LA, he teaches TV Workshops, Introduction to Television, Rewriting, and Thesis Workshops.
At NYFA, he’s interviewed a wide range of entertainment professionals including Django Unchained producer Reginald Hudlin and John Wick director Chad Stahelski. You can hear the archived episodes of The Backlot, the entertainment podcast he hosted and produced for NYFA.
He recently produced the feature length documentary Other Voices (Aswat Acherim), available on Amazon. Eric’s work has also been featured on the Howard Stern Show, On Demand Cable, Entertainment Tonight and Ranker.com. Eric has been on the Cultural Arts Commission since 2019 and also serves on the boards of the Burbank International Film Festival and Burbank Temple Emanu El. Howard Stern Show, On Demand Cable, Entertainment Tonight and Ranker.com. Eric has been on the Cultural Arts Commission since 2019 and also serves on the boards of the Burbank International Film Festival and Burbank Temple Emanu El.
You may have seen or heard Eric appear weekly on a Geekscape podcast, perform as plant victim Mr. Mushnik in Conundrum’s Little Shop of Horrors or share his true tale of being a woefully underprepared Santa Claus at JAM Creative’s Jingle Tales (the Colony Theatre). He’s also worked with HollyShorts for several years as a film judge and moderated multiple panels / Q&As at their annual festival.
If you want to know more about Eric Conner look no further than his teaching – and life -philosophy.
“I often look at myself in the mirror and think I look like someone who was just thrown out of somewhere. So, using myself as an example, meet people where they are. Everyone has a story and are finding their voice. Don’t try to be perfect and don’t let fear get in the way. Don’t be afraid of not knowing.”You can bet, if there is an art or cultural event in Burbank Eric will be there, even if he’s not moderating or participating in it you will know the event will be better because of his involvement.
