Eric R. Williams

Since 2016, Eric has been developing storytelling techniques for cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR) and other forms of new media.  He has written, directed and/or produced award-winning cine-VR experiences which have screened in festivals around the world. 

• Short Sweet Film Festival

  First place: “Outstanding Virtual Reality Film”

• New York Nil Gallery International Media Festival

  First place: “Best Virtual Reality Award”

• Real World XR Awards

  Semi-finalist: “Best use of Sound & Music in XR”

Eric oversees the cine-VR arm of the Game Research and Immersive Design Laboratory (the GRID Lab) at Ohio University, where he and his colleagues have garnered more than  $5M in grants using cine-VR for projects to improve society, working with:

• Voinovich Academy for Excellence in Public Service

• Ohio Colleges of Medicine’s Medicaid Equity Simulation Project

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s BETTER Lab

• Ohio University’s School of Nursing and College of Osteopathic Medicine

Eric’s storytelling is rooted in film and television.  Earlier in his career, he wrote professionally for American Movie Classics, Workshop Productions, Universal Studios, Grateful Films and Fox Interactive. His screenplays were work-shopped at the Film Independent Producers Lab in Los Angeles, and won three prestigious awards:

• Writer's Guild of America

  "Best New Work"

• Ohio Arts Council

  "Award for Individual Excellence in Screenwriting"

• National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

  “Regional Emmy Award for Interactive Media”. 

Eric has authored five books, three podcast series, and two video series:

Books

• The Power of Virtual Reality Cinema

• Virtual Reality Cinema: Narrative Tips and Techniques

• Screen Adaptations: Beyond the Basics

• The Screenwriter's Taxonomy: A Roadmap to Collaborative Storytelling

• Media and the Creative Process

Podcast Series on Audible

• How to Appreciate Great Movies

• Falling in Love with Romance Movies

• Television’s New Golden Age

Video Series on Wondrium

• The Future of Entertainment (coming: 2022)

• How to View and Appreciate Great Movies

As an educator, Eric was the inaugural director of the MFA in Communication Media Arts program at Ohio University where he teaches New Media Storytelling and Virtual Reality Cinema courses in the McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies. His teaching distinctions include:

• Scripps College of Communication Teaching Leadership Award

• Ohio University Presidential Teacher Award; finalist

• Honors Tutorial College Distinguished Mentor Award

• Ohio University Award for Excellence in Teaching

Williams earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, and his MFA from Columbia University in New York City. In his spare time, he likes to take long-distance hikes with his wife in remote locations such as inside the Grand Canyon and along the Appalachian Trail (which they hiked in its entirety in 2000).