Eric Stanley
Stanley at Twitter headquarters in 2017
Born (1991-04-19) April 19, 1991 (age 33)
Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materVirginia Commonwealth University[1]
Occupations
  • Internet entrepreneur
  • musician
  • programmer
Years active2009–present
Known forCo-founding Stay Inspired Capital
Relatives
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Violin
Websiteericstanleystore.com

Eric Stanley (born April 19, 1991)[2] is an American internet entrepreneur, violinist, and programmer.[3][4][5][6] He is the founder of Onewayhope, a media company. Stanley is the co-founder of Stay Inspired Capital, a quantitative hedge fund.[7] He presents improvisational violin performances found on his YouTube channel, Estan247, which was created in 2009.[8][9]

In April 2015, Stanley made his national television debut on ESPN First Take and provided the theme song on violin.[10][11]

Early life

Stanley was born in Chesapeake, Virginia and comes from a family of musicians.[12] He has an older brother named Marcus (born 1985), who is a pianist, and an older sister, Anhayla (born 1988), a singer.[1] He attended Short Pump Middle School in Richmond, Virginia. With the encouragement of his teachers, Stanley began playing the violin at age 12.[13][14] When he entered high school, Stanley joined the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Career

Music

In 2009, at the age of 18, Stanley began posting videos on Internet websites YouTube, WorldStarHipHop, and PerezHilton.com.[15][16] Stanley has experimented in combining improvisational violin playing with hip hop, pop, and classical. One of his first videos was a violin cover of Say Ahh by R&B artist Trey Songz.[12] Other songs included Love the Way You Lie and Airplanes.[5] During 2011 Stanley released The Eric Stanley Project, a mixtape. In 2011, he became a "viral sensation" and performed as the opening act for rapper B.o.B.[17] In 2011, Stanley performed for President Bill Clinton in Orlando, Florida.[18] He attended Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating in 2014.[19]

Following Stanley's performance on ESPN First Take, he announced the release of his debut EP Eric Stanley.[11] In September 2016, he produced the soundtrack at New York Fashion Week for a presentation of the KLS collection by Kimora Lee Simmons.[20]

Investment

In 2019, Stanley co-founded Stay inspired Capital with Daniel D. in Charleston, South Carolina. The firm uses mathematical models and algorithms within the equities markets.[7]

Philanthropy

Stanley has visited more than 200 K–12 schools across the United States to "help young students stay inspired."[21][1][2][22] In April 2017, he worked with Newark Public Schools to raise $2,424 to purchase 20 violins for the students.[23][24]

On July 20, 2017, Stanley joined Usher's New Look for the Disruptive Innovation Summit in Atlanta. The non-profit organization presented the event in SunTrust Park. Usher's mission was "to have a creative gathering of forward thinking youth leaders."[25]

Discography

Extended plays (EPs)

Singles

Year Title
2015 "Voltaire"

Filmography

Television
Year Show Role Notes
2015 ESPN First Take Himself 5 episodes

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Komp, Catherine (January 12, 2017). "Virginia Violinist Eric Stanley Captivates and Inspires". ideastations.org. PBS. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Lore, Diane (April 19, 2017). "Violinist Eric Stanley inspires PS 78 students". silive.com (Interview). Staten Island, NY: Staten Island Advance. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Reid, Daphne Maxwell (January 4, 2018). "Virginia Currents / Violinist Eric Stanley". pbs.org. PBS. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Martinez, Marc (October 3, 2010). "Eric Stanley: Hip Hop Violinist". Fox 10 News (Interview). Phoenix: KSAZ-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  5. ^ a b McNerthney, Casey (May 10, 2011). "Eminem sounds good on violin, thanks to Eric Stanley". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Look out for people pretending to play violin for money -- police warn of major scam". clickondetroit.com. WDIV-TV. July 28, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Stay Inspired Capital". www.stayinspiredcapital.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Tietjen, Alexa. "Get Your Life From This Violin Freestyle Of Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen"". vh1.com. VH1. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  9. ^ "About". youtube.com/user/estan247. YouTube. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  10. ^ Erby, Glenn (April 28, 2015). "Violinist Puts Classical Spin On 'First Take' Theme Song". blacksportsonline.com. BonaFide Media. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Cherie, Ariel (May 15, 2015). "You've Got To Hear This Young Violinist's..." theurbandaily.com. Interactive One. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  12. ^ a b McQuade, Greg (March 1, 2011). "Eric Stanley Interview". CBS 6 News (Interview). Richmond: WTVR-TV. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  13. ^ Hankerson, Mechelle (November 4, 2010). "Youtube sensation champions hip-hop violin". The Commonwealth Times. Richmond, VA. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Miller, Cheryl (March 1, 2011). "Eric Stanley Performance". CBS 6 News (Interview). Richmond: WTVR-TV. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  15. ^ Eric Stanley (performer) (July 7, 2010). Eric Stanley – Eminem Ft. Rihanna "Love The Way You Lie" Violin Cover (Shockwave Flash video). WorldStarHipHop. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  16. ^ Eric Stanley (performer) (December 2, 2011). This Rad Guy Fiddles With Stereo Hearts By Gym Class Heroes! (unspecified video format). PerezHilton.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  17. ^ Curry, Lashonda Stinson (February 24, 2011). "Grammy-nominated artist B.o.B brings hits to O'Dome". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, FL. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  18. ^ Masie Learning Talks (June 3, 2013). "Eric Stanley: Opening for President Bill Clinton". Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  19. ^ "Virginia Commonwealth University: Eric Stanley". vcu.edu. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  20. ^ Moody, Nekesa (September 15, 2016). "NY Fashion Week: Lauren, Kors, Simmons, Marchesa". Associated Press. New York, New York. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  21. ^ "In Your Ear Episode 66: Eric Stanley & Friends". vpm.org. VPM. November 19, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  22. ^ Caldwell, Jasmin (January 27, 2017). "Virginia violinist visits Charlottesville schools to encourage the youth" (Interview). Charlottesville, VA: CBS. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  23. ^ "Acclaimed millennial violinist Eric Stanley visits BRICK Avon Academy's young musicians" (Interview). Newark, NJ: Brick City Live. April 21, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  24. ^ Moriarty, Katey (April 18, 2017). "Viral violinist visits students at BRICK Avon Academy in Newark" (Interview). Newark, NJ: Fios 1 News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  25. ^ "Disruptive Innovation Summit" (PDF). ushersnewlook.org. Usher's New Look. July 21, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2023.

External links

More
Eric Stanley
Authority control databases: Artists
Categories