Testimonials

Kevin Lyman- Founder of Vans Warped Tour- “Eric shows the passion and drive to find his way as the music business evolves and changes.”

Jerry Carino- Sports Staff Writer, Gannett New Jersey newspapers-  “Eric’s knowledge of sports and of journalism techniques is strong, his writing is solid and his enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to take on challenges were off the charts. Eric is gaining valuable writing experience through his freelance work on the web and has a bright future in this field if he chooses to pursue it.”

John Patten- Editor of Watchung/Green Brook Patch-  “I had the pleasure of working with Eric for Patch.com. From May through October 2012, Eric provided freelance reporting and videography for me. He covered township meetings and events. He was able to identify the most important news elements, write articles for online posting, and provide video or photography. I found Eric to be a productive and conscientious reporter, and easy to work with. I feel he is a responsible person starting his journalism career, and would recommend him to anyone seeking such a person for a position.”

Michael Shapiro- CEO & Founder of The Alternative Press- “Eric is diligent and hard-working. He takes writing seriously and is a pleasure to work with.”

Steve Ackles from the band, Stay– “Eric’s ability to network with some of the hottest upcoming bands within the scene and his appreciation for hard-working DIY bands has given him the ability to scope talent and to present blog updates and music reviews in a professional manner. He is extremely hard-working and has a strong passion for the music business and press review world.” 

Morgan Dorr from the band, Boys Like Girls- “Eric is a fighter, he loves music and you can tell. I’m pleased to say that this guy deserves his place in the world of music as I keep watch on his righteous path.”

Michael Fordham from Razor & Tie-“ It’s truly refreshing to work with someone who’s as knowledgeable about a wide variety of genres of music as Eric. His passion for interviewing artists is unparalleled, as is his professional demeanor.”

Bethany Watson from Warped Tour Press-“Eric is a determined, detailed, inquisitive young man who is able to find the story. I appreciate his dedication to his website and his willingness to assist when I am in need.”

Mike Cubillos from Earshot Media-“I have been working with Eric for a long time and not only is he a great writer, but he’s reliable, dependable and a genuine fan of the music scene. I have no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him.”

Marc Verity from the band, Hollywood Lies/ Listen to the Sky- “It’s wonderful going into an interview with someone who is knowledgeable about your band and conducts themselves in a professional manner. Eric has a great passion for interviewing artists and wish the best to him and his future.”

Mathew David from the band, The Jealous Sea- “Eric has always been fantastic to work with – both in terms of hosting his own radio show and taping video content to help promote the local scene. He has gone above and beyond to cover quite the range and styles of bands – both signed and unsigned. Can’t wait to do another interview with him.”

Matt Nistler from The Sound Alarm- “Eric is the definition of a self-starter. He is skilled at and passionate about setting up journalism opportunities for himself. Eric has conducted numerous video interviews with internationally known bands for my company (The Sound Alarm), as well as written a number of reviews, and the returned product is always of quality and it is in my hands within the assigned time frame. His interview questions are well thought-out and he is always seeking ways to improve and challenge himself.”

Manic Bloom – “With an insatiable enthusiasm for the modern styling of emerging indie music, Eric is a not only a critic with great range and insight, but one who champions everything we stand for as we fight to break into national and global consciousness. During his interviews, he endeared himself to our whole band by showing genuine care for our collective work and its place in the hustle and bustle of today’s music scene. His endless drive to know and make known the material on which we are working so hard showed us that he is the truest of allies in the cause and proliferation of independent music.”

Pat Winters-Lauro – former staff writer for the New York Times and New York Daily News – ” What I find most remarkable about Eric is that he is a driven self-starter who is focused and ambitious. He is always thinking and always finds a way to make himself indispensable, which is not an ordinary trait in a student. Specifically, Eric wrote a piece in my Feature Writing class and then figured out how to get it published in a regional specialty newspaper. In Advanced Journalism, when I arranged for the class to work with a professional local news website, he came up with some of the most interesting assignments and then shot video (which was not required) in addition to his written work. He did such a good job that the publisher hired him as a regularly-featured columnist.

When he had to produce a video in his video production class, he was creative enough to make it about The Tower (the school’s newspaper), which is under-funded.  Now we can use it as a promotional tool on our department website.  But probably his most important contribution to Kean was when I mentioned to him that our Tower website was about to hike its fee from $1,000 annually to $2,000. He told me that he could launch a website for a fraction of that and that it would be even better than what we already had. True to his word, he did the research on it, got the idea approved and with two other online editors launched a brand new site that is, in fact, better and easier to use than our old site. The whole thing cost us $131, down from $2,000!  He then went out immediately after Hurricane Sandy and shot photographs and video about the devastation in our area, making our new site timely and topical.

I am impressed with Eric and all that he does. I have no doubt that he will be a success in whatever career he chooses to pursue. I think he would be an asset to any organization and I highly recommend him.”