About Eric.
Eric is a storyteller at heart. Whether it’s with a children’s book, a film, a music composition, or an opportunity to speak and teach, Eric’s stories engage, challenge, and inspire.
As a young child, Eric’s love of music began as he sat next to his grandmother while she played her favorite hymns on the piano. That love of music sparked Eric’s journey as a piano player and composer. His love of hymns led to him creating 6 piano albums that feature traditional hymns set in contemporary arrangements. Eric’s film music can be heard on hundreds of short films and documentaries, including Focus on the Family’s award winning That the World May Know video series, The Frontier Boys film, and many of the soundtracks in the Creation Museum. Eric also wrote the music for the documentary, Coastal Dune Lakes: Jewels of Florida’s Emerald Coast, which was nominated for an Emmy Award for original music.
Eric’s love for filmmaking grew as he was writing music scores. Throughout his career, Eric has had the opportunity to travel all over the world, helping others tell their stories through film. Whether it’s for a short film for ministries like the Institute for Bible Reading, the Reformed Church in America, Zondervan, Tommy Nelson, Lighthouse Family Retreat, Benjamin’s Hope, Bethany Christian Services, and Communitas International or a commercial for Florida State University, Visit Florida, or Judith March, Eric can capture and shape messages in a powerful way. Eric’s films have won numerous Addy awards, including two Best of Show awards, Emmy nominations, Eclipse and Telly awards. Eric’s full-length feature documentaries, New Heights: Restoring A City and excerpts from The Law and the Prophets have been nominated for Emmy Awards.
As Eric’s passion for storytelling through music and film grew, so did his passion for the Bible and helping people better understand the context of the Bible. Because Eric had the opportunity to help tell the stories of Bible teachers, archeologists, and historians in the lands of the Bible, Eric began his studies of Biblical context at Denver Seminary and finished his Masters of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI.
To help people better understand the context of the Bible, Eric started The Acacia Project, whose mission is to help people better understand and fall more deeply in love with God’s Word. This is accomplished through speaking events and study trips to the lands of the Bible.
In order to help children and families better understand the context of the Bible, Eric started Fresh Wind Studios, a production and publishing company that creates resources to teach the historical, geographical and cultural context of the Bible. Eric and his wife Meredith now publish their own books and resources through Fresh Wind Studios and by partnering with traditional publishers as well.
Their first publishing project is a Christmas resource called The Wandering Wise Men, which includes a children’s picture book, a 37-day family devotional, and three plush wise men that families can hide around the house before and after Christmas. The Wandering Wise Men is the winner of the Gold Illumination Award and is a Selah Award Finalist. Eric and Meredith’s second book, Hear, O Little One: In the Morning and in the Evening, is a flip board book and was published by Harvest House Kids. Eric and Meredith are releasing two new picture books, The Youngest Disciple and The Mouse in the Manger in the fall of 2022.
Eric and Meredith live in Grand Rapids, MI with their two children Meryn and Judah.