Eric Larson, President and CEO

Eric Larson has worked in the journalism, nonprofit, and movie-making fields since graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Duke University in Durham, N.C., in 1993. He served as a staff writer at the Anniston ( Ala. ) Star newspaper from 1993-1996, where he won First Place Alabama Associated Press awards for community service writing (1994) and deadline reporting (1995). As a freelance writer for magazines, he worked as Newsweek’s stringer for Alabama and Mississippi (1996-1998), reporting on such topics as HIV drug shortages, the school shooting in Pearl, Miss., and the Birmingham abortion clinic bombing.

In 1998 Eric took a sabbatical from journalism to work as the in-home assistant to author and Duke professor Reynolds Price, a paraplegic and author of A Whole New Life, Kate Vaiden, and other works. It was during this time that he attended a movie production workshop held at the School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. In 2000-2001, Eric successfully solicited over $6 million as public grant writer for the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. As a U.S. Peace Corps health volunteer (2001-2003) in the Republic of Kiribati, he worked with over 400 islanders to produce The Curse (2003), a full-length feature movie about an island youth confronted with alcohol abuse. In 2005, he and his wife, Marian, founded Stellar Media to provide high quality writing, editing, and video services to the world.

Marian Larson, Vice President

Marian Larson graduated in 1999 from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she specialized in news-editorial journalism and completed coursework in magazine writing, page layout, and web design. She worked for the Daily TarHeel, UNC’s student newspaper (1996-1997), and was a copy desk intern at Cooking Light magazine in Birmingham, Alabama (1998).

After graduation, Marian worked as a case manager for Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Greater Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Kiribati (2001-2003), training primary school teachers. She and her husband, Eric, started Stellar Media after returning from overseas. The company is named for their daughter, Stella.

Marian has written for QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) Magazine, the Kinston (N.C.) Free Press and WNC Parent. She is a frequent contributor to the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times and has done freelance writing and editing for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Alumni Association as well as several graphic design companies.

Patrick Haney, Producer

Patrick Haney is from Bangor, Maine, and received his B.A. in journalism from the University of Maine. Before joining Stellar Media in August 2005, he worked as a database manager for a product development/marketing firm in San Francisco, Ca. He has also worked in newspaper advertising in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Haney lives in Asheville. Company President Eric Larson has high praise for Haney’s work. “Pat has grown into one of our most popular producers,” Larson says. “He’s one of those guys you can always count on to do a first-rate job and show some individual flair, too.”

Dylan Crouch, Producer and Office Manager

Dylan Crouch is a recent graduate of the Film and Video Production Program at Haywood Community College. Prior to earning his degree he traveled the United States and served as an emergency responder for Americorps. In 2005, he had one of his scripts chosen as the class project for a summer production, which he directed. His productions for Stellar Media include commercials, property video tours, and special events, to name a few.

Charlie Pyron, Producer and Sound Technician

Charlie Pyron graduated from UNC-Asheville in December 2006 with a B.A. in mass communication, with a concentration in video production. Charlie joined Stellar Media in February 2006 and is best known for his musical compositions. “Charlie can compose any mood of music, and he works quickly, too,” said company president, Eric Larson. “Music is so important to productions. We’re fortunate to have someone of Charlie’s talent on staff.” Charlie also plays bass for a local Asheville band.

All photos except that of Eric Larson taken by Regina Holder, Photographer.