Eric Lodal is a writer, creator, producer and director and is founder and President of Idea Cartel. He graduated from Yale University in 1998 with a double major in economics and music, and received his Master's degree from The Juilliard School in 2000. He spent his twenties engaged in a variety of diverse professional pursuits, which would inform his future writings. While at Juilliard, he moonlighted as a young analyst at a Wall Street investment bank. A classically trained opera singer, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, with the New York City Opera, and was featured on NPR's "World of Opera." In 2001, Eric served as Communications Director for former Governor of Virginia and current US Senator Tim Kaine. He was a senior political staff writer during both the 2004 and 2008 Presidential campaigns. In 2005 he took his first stab at filmmaking, writing and directing "The Locrian Mode," an abstract musical short film. The award-winning film was the official opening night selection at the 2006 Beverly Hills Film Festival and appeared at over two-dozen international film festivals, including The Montreal World Film Festival, Festival du Cinema de Paris and The Rome International Film Festival. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Virginia, Eric now lives and writes in Los Angeles. Show less «