Eric Raddatz

Eric Raddatz, born in Joliet, Il., wet his feet in the silver screen while working on the set of "Stir of Echoes" as an extra alongside the well known actor. After working in movies such as "Rookie of the Year,' "Just Visiting," "Stuck on You," and television shows such as ER he decided to start writing, producing and directing films of his own. "A Day to Love and Die," his first short scenic conspiracy thriller, premiered in Fort Myers in 2003 and screened at the New York Film and Video Festival. His second film "Barely a Chance," premiered in Fort Myers in 2008 and screened at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival the same year. Raddatz, who has had a lifelong love affair with the arts has spent much of his career in visual journalism. "My career has seen so many different outlets and tasted so many flavors in the last two decades, from my early years taking an apprenticeship right out of high school to master the skills necessary to produce a Chicago newspaper to designing online, multimedia, film, music, web, print packages and full cinematic productions, to founding the Naples International Film Festival and bringing it to successful fruition as Executive Director in 2009, and then the Fort Myers Film Festival in 2010. My passion is the arts. My favorite medium is still film, though." Raddatz is a multi award-winning presentation editor for Florida Weekly, the largest circulating newsweekly in Southwest Florida, and regular contributor for NBC in Fort Myers. He is the host of Fort Myers Film Festival's indie film show "T.G.I.M." Eric resides in Cape Coral, Florida with his wife and children.