We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eric Bross. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eric below.

Eric, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Well, I would have to say the biggest risk I’ve ever taken was making my first feature film. In general, it was just an incredibly risky idea when I look back on it. But the truth is, I didn’t have any choice. After getting out of college, I had a few short films under my belt. At the time I was working in commercials as an actor the side, which helped finance my movies and put me through college. On one audition for a TV movie for Scholastic Films I met this producer, and I wanted to find out how I could get into directing one of these movies. So I asked if I could show him some of my short films. He said yes, surprisingly and so I lugged my 16 mm projector and two of my short films through the streets of New York and up to his office. He kindly allowed me to set up my projector and screen my movies for him. And he patiently watched them both. Afterwards, he told me he didn’t have any jobs available, but he did have a great piece of advice that changed everything for me. He said if you want to break into this business as a director, then you need to have your own material. Either write your own script or attach yourself to a screenplay and make that move yourself. Shortly there after I met my writing partner, Tom Cudworth at the restaurant we both worked at. He was busboy I was a waiter. He asked to see one of my films and shortly there after he informed me that he was writing a screenplay. So one day after work, I went up to his apartment, and he started reading me some of the scenes from the screenplay he was writing. I realized at that moment, this guy is a real writer! And I loved the material. I stood up and said “We’re going to make this into a movie!” I was committed, and I was not going to take no for an answer from anybody. So…after five years, numerous drafts and multiple attempts to get it made with various producers, I decided we should just do it ourselves. Finance the movie ourselves. And that’s exactly what I did. I grew up in a family of six kids and we didn’t have money growing up. I was pretty broke at the time too, but I went to my father and asked him, “Do you think you could co-sign a loan with me?” He went to a bank, probably several banks, and one miraculously did say yes, and I was able to secure, along with my father, a $25,000 loan. That got it started. With this first money raised I was able to go to other people, friends and family. to raise the rest. Without that loan, I wouldn’t be where I am today…So that’s the big risk… But I had no other choice. I guess I am, like Ray, the main character in my movie, Ten Benny, a gambler at heart. You have to be in order to survive in this industry. All the greats were…but in the end…that risk is one we cannot avoid. It’s in our blood. It’s certainly in mine. Im still taking risks…and making films.

Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, I actually started making movies when I was about 13 years old. I got a super 8 movie camera for Christmas and that was it… I was hooked 100%. And I knew when I graduated high school that I was going to study film. In college I made quite a few films, very ambitious films, and when I got out of college, I knew I wanted to direct,,, the trick was how do you start your career as a Director? It really all began when I met my writing partner, Tom Cudworth. He was a busboy and I was a waiter at the restaurant we worked at. He had a script he was working on, and that became our first movie, Ten Benny. It took us five years to get it made. We financed it completely independently. The movie went to Sundance and sold there. I was signed by a big agency and I have been working in features and TV since. I’ve also been shooting commercials on the side for the past five years, which has been a lot of fun. I’ve done a bunch of commercials…Absolute, Microsoft, Josh Sellers, wines, and quite a few for T-Mobile. I do this not only because it helps pay the bills but also it’s a lot of fun and keeps your juices flowing as a Director. As well, I’ve been developing TV series. I’ve shot two proof of concepts, one for a feature and one for a series, called, The Chain, and I’m developing another series called Requiem, with a very talented writer, Dan Madigan. So I have a lot of pots cooking on the stove all at once so to speak. As well, I have my next feature which I also co-wrote with Tom Cudworth, America’s Favorite which shoots first quarter next year. This will be my fourth movie with Tom along with Restaurant and Affairs of State.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

This is an interesting question… I would say there are a number of documentaries on filmmakers, whom I admire very much. I would probably say, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, the documentary on the making of Apocalypse now. And then any number of documentaries on great filmmakers that you can get your hands on I have watched and have found inspiration in. Some great books on and by Elia Kazan and one on David Lean were both hugely inspirational to me. There is one book that really shaped my approach to how to operate in navigate in the business world… because the film business is also a business. That book is called, Getting Past. No, How to Negotiate With Difficult People. I have to say this book became my Bible, and still remains my Bible as a philosophy for operating, not only in business, but in life. There’s a kind of a stoics mindset that the author takes, and I have applied his methods to this day. I highly recommend this book.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being creative is getting to do what you love. And if you’re lucky…getting paid for it. I think that is the most rewarding thing but you have to be willing to put all your chips on the table and go all in. You have to stick to it, commit yourself and never give up. You may make a lot of money you may make a little bit of money you may just survive… But at least you’ll be doing what you love. I can’t think of anything worse in life, then taking the safe path. I will always choose the road that my heart leads me on. I’m a gambler…I always have been and always will be…It’s that simple.

Contact Info:

• Website: EricBross.com
• Instagram: @Incredibleeric21
• Facebook: Cubb Films
• Twitter: @Tenbenny
• Other: Vimeo: Eric Bross

Image Credits
https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0112498?ref_=hm_prof_name