Eric Goode


Eric V. Goode is an American entrepreneur, conservationist, and filmmaker. He is known as the creator of the art nightclub Area, the Bowery Hotel and the Waverly Inn. He is also known as the founder of the Turtle Conservancy.
Goode has been a lifelong conservationist and animal lover, establishing a non-profit global conservation organization, the Turtle Conservancy, in 2005. The Turtle Conservancy’s mission is to protect threatened and endangered turtles and tortoises by protecting habitat and selective captive breeding, and it has protected over 65,000 acres of wild land in Mexico, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.
More recently, Goode Film Productions was created to bring awareness to environmental and animal welfare issues. Its first documentary series, , can be viewed on Netflix.

Biography

Born in Rhode Island in 1957 and raised in New York until the age of 8, Eric V. Goode relocated with his family to California. He is the second of five children born to Marilyn Goode, a naturalist and conservationist, and Fredrick Goode, a painter and teacher. He has lived in New York City since 1977.
Eric began his career as an artist, educated at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and Parsons School of Design. Much of his early work was displayed in group shows with other upcoming artists of the day, the earliest in 1981 which was curated by Keith Haring. He continued to make and show his art throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s.
In 1983, Goode formed the nightclub Area. Area was known for its constantly changing themes and collaboration with artists of the time. Area was Goode's first business venture where he merged art into the context of a nightclub.
In the early to mid-1990s, he directed several music videos for bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Robbie Robertson. He and Serge Becker earned a music video production award for their work on "Pinion".
Over the next two decades Goode transitioned into restaurants and hotels, many of which in collaboration with his partners Serge Becker and more recently Sean MacPherson. His most recent projects include the Bowery Hotel, the Jane Hotel and the Waverly Inn.
Eric Goode currently lives in New York City and California.

Philanthropy and land preservation

After a career in the hospitality business, Goode shifted his focus to wildlife philanthropy after being approached by John Behler of the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2003. Goode first created a rescue and breeding center for endangered turtles and tortoises under Behler's guidance. In 2005, Goode formed his own public charity the Turtle Conservancy. The mission of the Turtle Conservancy is to protect threatened turtles and tortoises and their habitats worldwide. Goode's conservation philosophy centers around turtles as umbrella species, whereby thousands of species are saved by protecting land for turtles and tortoises.
Since its inception, Turtle Conservancy has helped to protect over 60,000 acres of wild land around the world. The organization works to protect turtles, tortoises and other animals on five continents. Guerilla documentaries and public service announcements directed by Goode and the Turtle Conservancy have amassed millions of views across various social media platforms. These documentaries raise awareness of wildlife trafficking, habitat destruction, and the pet trade. Goode has personally donated over 10 million dollars towards wildlife conservation and land protection. His conservation work has been featured on 60 Minutes, Charlie Rose, Racing Extinction, The New Yorker, NPR and CNN.
Goode was recognized by the wildlife community for his efforts, with a tortoise named after him in 2016. The Goode's Thornscrub Tortoise is a desert species from Northern Mexico described by a team of American and Mexican biologists.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Turtle Conservancy, along with its partner organizations, has purchased over 900 acres of the last remaining habitat for the critically endangered Geometric Tortoise.

Sonora, Mexico

The Turtle Conservancy secured approximately 1,000 acres of Tropical Deciduous Forest in southern Sonora, Mexico, for the protection of the Goode's Thornscrub Tortoise.

Durango, Mexico

The Turtle Conservancy has purchased a significant portion of the last remaining habitat of the Bolson Tortoise. The largest of the North American terrestrial reptiles, this tortoise has been known to science only since 1959.

Palawan, Philippines

1,890 acres was secured for the protection of the critically endangered Palawan Forest Turtle in the Philippines.

Other conservation projects

Other conservation projects that Eric Goode has spearheaded include:

''The Tortoise''

The Tortoise is an annual magazine publication of the Turtle Conservancy dedicated to the conservation of turtles and tortoises. The wide scope of the magazine reaches readers from all over the world. Its audience includes everyone from world-renowned scientists and biologists, to travelers, naturalists, ecologists and conservationists, as well as a general audience interested in wildlife preservation and environmental protection. It is not a scientific journal. It is a publication about the wonder of turtles and tortoises and about the conservation challenges they face, and it is about the people who are devoted to saving these creatures from extinction.

''Area: 1983-1987''

In 2013 Abrams published a 360-page coffee table book on the seminal nightclub AREA, authored by Eric and Jennifer Goode. Drawing from a rich archive of material, Eric and Jennifer tell the behind-the-scenes story of the club and its people, creating an illustrated memoir of an exciting time and place in the history of New York nightlife. To accompany the launch of the book Eric collaborated with Jeffrey Deitch to curate an exhibition at The Hole gallery. The show consisted of original installations as well as pieces from many of the artists that participated or were influenced by the club.

Film and videos

Docuseries

In 2020, Netflix premiered Tiger King, a seven-episode docuseries directed and produced by Eric Goode about people who own and breed lions, tigers, and other big cats. The show quickly became one of the most watched shows on the Netflix platform.

Natural history films

YearDocumentary
2005John L. Behler Chelonian Center
2006Galapagos Islands
2007Madagascar
2008The Argentine Tortoise
2009In Search of the Okinawa Leaf Turtle
2010The Great Tortoise Transect
2011In Search of the Impressed Tortoise

Music videos

Nightclubs, restaurants and hotels

Most of Goode's art is created as a vitrine, or display case, with three-dimensional artwork inside. Similar to Joseph Cornell, his work incorporates many aspects of assemblage. Goode's work also has notable similarities to Damien Hirst and Jeff Vaughan, especially his tendency to represent elements of the natural world in his mixed-media installations.

Exhibitions