People That You Meet is a series of interviews conducted and posted by the Pollock Properties Group/Keller Williams, highlighting residents of the South Orange-Maplewood community and their diverse and interesting lives.
This edition spotlights Eli Bolin, musician, composer and Co-Founder of Story Pirates.
Eli Bolin, Co-Founder of Story Pirates
Charity of Choice: Story Pirates
What town do you live in? Maplewood
Where did you live before that? Manhattan, on the Upper West Side
What brought you to SOMA? Our son was born in June 2014 and after our first winter in our cramped NYC apartment we knew we wanted to leave the city for someplace more like the suburbs we grew up in. We had friends in SOMA and after our first visit it was clear that it was the place for us.
What do you do (for a living or as a serious hobby)? I’m a musician and a composer: I write musical theater and for television, including Sesame Street, where I’ve been for about 7 years.
What’s your favorite feature of your home? Probably our basement, which is filled with instruments and records. My son even has a small drum kit so we can have jam sessions together.
Where do you love to go on a date night? My wife and I love Basilico in Millburn. Their burrata is insanely good and they really know how to grill an artichoke.
What music/album are you really into these days? My son is obsessed with the Beatles (as am I), so we’re spending a lot of time listening to the new Beatles Channel on Sirius/XM
Describe your family: I’m totally in awe of my family! In addition to being a super talented actress/singer/voiceover artist, my wife is also incredibly organized and detail-oriented. She makes sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine, which is crucial, because I would lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my body. Our son is a brilliant goofball who at 3 writes his own songs and loves all kinds of musical instruments. His latest obsession: horns of all kinds, especially trombones!
What is your favorite store? Vintage Vinyl in Edison!
How would you describe your “style”? Mismatched.
Coffee or tea? Unsweetened black iced tea. Constantly.
What charity are you passionate about/how do you live out “CareServeGive”? I’m the co-founder of a group called Story Pirates, which is a national arts integration education organization which serves primarily low-income, culturally diverse elementary school students in over 200 schools in New York and around the country. Our main programming is centered around in-class writing workshops that culminate in a musical sketch comedy show featuring stories by
students and performed by professional artists.
