Eric Cotten

About the Artist

Eric Cotten- He/Him. Consumed with the desire to help others I began my professional life as a critical nurse (1978- 2016). That career was parleyed into building a successful real estate business (1988-2016) focused on providing affordable housing in Baltimore. Thanks to the real estate business, I came in contact with the production company for the HBO show THE WIRE (2002- 2008) and became part of their location team. The association with these positive encouraging creative people revived my long dormant creative writing side. From 2004 to the present, I started volunteering for the Maryland Film Festival and attempted to learn every aspect of the festival world.  I rose through the ranks from general volunteer (2004) to assistant festival manager (2006) to screening committee (2008) to Programming Associate (2019- present). From 2011 to 2015 I served on the board of the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. The goal was to assist one of the oldest Black cultural institutions in the country, survive a fiscal crisis. Additionally, still nursing, and running the real estate business I immersed myself in every online screenwriting course and consumed every book available (2012- present). To gain experience, I volunteered for any production (Hollywood or indie) that would have me.   I have written 40 short scripts including a quarter-finalist at the Austin and PAGES 2020- LITTLE NIBS.  Also, I have written/directed/ produced over nineteen short films. In 2014 I produced the Sundance short AFRONAUT. In 2016 I wrote and directed my first festival accepted short THE LOVE WITHIN. After the civil unrest in Baltimore (2016) there appeared to be a need for an organization to provide the skills for the average citizen to express themselves via media. In response, I founded the non – profit Baltimore Filmmakers Collective. I have screened for a number of festivals including Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian (2018- present), Austin Film Festival (2019- present). After the success of my last short TORI which was accepted into 22 festivals including top 25 festivals. I feel like I am ready to take the next step and build out my first feature- DAGMAR .