Meet Eric Larner | Writer, Director and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Larner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
There are several reasons I decided to pursue a creative career. The first, and probably simplest reason, is that I enjoy it. I always loved to read anything I could get my hands on from books to comics. When I was about ten years old, I had an assignment in school to write a fiction short story. I had never written anything “for fun” before and, honestly, I was really intimidated at the idea of writing whatever I wanted. That was when Paperman was born. I honestly have no idea where the idea came from, I just liked fantasy stories and superheroes and that is just what I ended up writing and for the first time I realized I enjoyed it. I had the opportunity to repeat this writing assignment the next year in school so I wrote another story about Paperman but this time I actually created an entire fantasy world for him and the other characters to live in. I was very into fantasy novels like The Hobbit and the Redwall series at the time so this felt like a natural progression for the story. The following year I decided to take my writing a step further and the summer before sixth grade I wrote my first book, adding more characters and depth to Paperworld where Paperman lived and saved the day from countless supervillains. Thankfully, all of these stories were well received at the school I attended so it encouraged me to keep writing and eventually publish my books.
Now that I am older, my view of writing has shifted a bit. It is still fun but it has taken on a new depth as it has become almost a form of therapy for me. I was raised in a very religious part of Texas so there were a lot of things that were not really discussed or were taboo. Writing became my escape and a way for me to explore my own experiences and thoughts. As a closeted non-binary and bisexual person there were a lot of things for me to write about and try to make sense of amidst my religious upbringing. Now I like to say that “I write things for my 16 year old self”. I write for fun but also in the hope that another kid in the same situation I used to be in can find my writing and not feel so alone and let them know they are not “evil” or “sinful”. They are who they are and there is beauty and hope in that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a degree in Radio-Television-Film with the intention of pursuing a career in filmmaking. What I was not prepared for after graduation was how difficult this path was. I did not live in Los Angeles yet and freelance jobs were few, far between and not high paying. I still had to pay rent and buy groceries and this, coupled with my anxiety, did not seem like the way for me to thrive. I made a conscious decision to separate my professional and creative careers at that point. Professionally, I am a fundraiser and have worked at multiple non-profits. I currently work at Film Independent so my love of film does not go to waste at my day job.
This choice to have a job to “pay the bills” (especially in Los Angeles) has its advantages. I am able to live a comfortable lifestyle that affords me time to be creative but it is not always easy. Jobs, no matter how much you may like them, are always draining. Finding time to continue to write or edit a project is always a challenge. I have had to learn a lot about my limits, professionally and creatively. I cannot give 100% at an office job if I want to come home and write after I clock out. It is a tough balancing act but it has afforded me what I consider to be the most important thing as an artist: creative freedom. I can write and produce whatever I want. I am beholden to only myself and my own deadlines. It takes a lot of self-discipline but I have now written countless short stories and produced short films and, most recently, a narrative-fiction podcast with the money I earned at my day job and I got to do it my way.
I always say that, for me, the fastest way to kill something you love is to do it for money. Balancing my professional and creative life allows me to create for fun and there is nothing more pure or exciting than that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to support local anything. My favorite restaurants are places that are unique to the city and highlight the culture so if they manage to work art into the food, architecture or space that is always a plus. It might be a bit cliché but I love Canter’s Deli as a lunch spot. It’s on Fairfax near a lot of cool places so you can walk off the food afterward since the portions are so large! Another good lunch spot is Jesse Boy. I have been going there since they first opened up and it was being run by the two founders. I will never not take somewhere there for some Korean Fried Chicken!
I also really love live music and enjoy finding shows with local bands so there would be a couple shows in the itinerary. I usually end up in Long Beach a lot to grab dinner and then go to Alex’s Bar for a show but I usually go wherever a band I want to see takes me. Echoplex is also a good spot!
For just hanging out, I like to take people to the beach. A lot of my friends live in cities that are landlocked so a chance to go to the ocean and just walk up and down the beach is always a treat and a welcome break from the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out my sixth grade teacher Rob Williams. I had already started to fall in love with writing by the time I got to his class but he was also a writer in addition to being a teacher. I vividly remember him reading his stories, as well as countless others like Sherlock Holmes, to our class in a very dramatic fashion. His influence and encouragement helped push me to continue writing and not stop with just one story.

Website: https://www.ericlarner.com/

Instagram: @eric.writes

Image Credits
Ian Schmolze, illustrator of The Adventure of Paperman: The Journey Begins and The Adventure of Paperman: Journey Into Night