Bio

Eric Daniel Smolen

Born and raised in Wilton, Connecticut, I learned to appreciate good food and the outdoors from a young age. Before I finished high school, I’d already worked for both a Zagat-rated and a James Beard Award–winning restaurant group, learning the art of storytelling through experiences, people, and places.

At Emerson College, I blended my passions for marketing and film, designing a hybrid major that the school now officially offers. After graduation, I headed west to Los Angeles, diving headfirst into production life. I spent my early years on commercial sets, absorbing everything I could, but always found myself drawn to the camera and the creative process behind it.

In 2022, I returned to the East Coast to focus on content creation and visual storytelling. Since then, I’ve worked with Encompass Digital Media, Connoisseur Media, and American Cruise Lines—expanding my production and editing skills while earning my drone pilot license.

Today, I’m driven by the same curiosity that started it all: finding stories worth telling and crafting visuals that make people feel something.