Stacy Peralta [writer, director]

By: Julian Chavez | August 21, 2009 | Ten by Ten

Stacy Peralta is a writer/director of documentary films, a former world champion skateboarder and the former owner/creator of Powell-Peralta skateboards. He’s currently writing a feature film for Sean Penn and Josh Brolin, as well as initiating a documentary on the institution of marriage.

What is the most important lesson you’ve ever learned?
If I want something then I’ve got to make it happen.

What book that you’ve read made a powerful impression on you?
Violence by James Gilligan, M.D. America now has more than a million human beings behind bars. James Gilligan examines the role shame plays in violence and explains why our present penal system only exacerbates it. The book is written with compassion and insightful brilliance, and should be read by all Americans as Gilligan redefines and de-constructs everything we ever thought about violence.

Describe your average Sunday morning.
Waking up slowly with the woman I love, coffee, New York Times, etc, etc. Hopefully the waves are good so she and I surf for an hour or two. Back home we submerse ourselves in hot water and then make a big breakfast.

What individual was most influential in your formative years and how?
Probably my mom. She was liberal and open-minded, but also strong willed. She allowed my brother and I to grow our hair long way before it was accepted, a simple gesture that made a huge perceptive difference in our lives. She always listened and allowed us to explain our side of things. She never rushed to judgment and she encouraged in us both a sense of humor. Both of my parents instilled a strong work ethic.

What is your take on the current economic crisis?
Unfortunately, I think the current crisis is a dress rehearsal for what is coming in the next 10 or 15 years. The spiraling U.S. debt, the retiring baby boom generation, health care costs, Medicaid and Medicare expenses, and the corporate legacy costs of retirement are all going to collide at the same time. In addition, the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen dramatically, and the concentration of wealth into a smaller percentage of the population is continuing to escalate. We live in a system that is unsustainable.
In addition, no CEO on the face of planet Earth deserves $20 or $40 million a year unless that person has devised a solution for world peace, a solution for poverty or a solution for cancer. Just running a corporation doesn’t cut it, and individuals taking that much from the system to enhance themselves are actually hurting the whole.

What are your thoughts on the overall importance of art in modern society?
At its best, art pierces the armor that surrounds our minds and helps to pry us open.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to follow your career path?
Become a good listener and ask a lot of questions.

How do you decompress after a hard day’s work?
I can’t go a day without being in the garden in some capacity. I’ve been collecting rare plants for decades and have some amazing ones from Africa, India and Madagascar. I love being with my plants, I love planting, seeing my plants grow, rearranging colors and playing in dirt. The only thing better is surfing an evening glass-off.

Describe your most vivid dream (or a recurring dream).
In the mid-’90s, my life stopped working for a while, an almost eight-year period to be exact. My marriage didn’t work, my projects were not working, nothing I did was working, and I couldn’t change things no matter how proactive I was — and I was very proactive.

I had a dream at that time that was profound, and as it turns out, very helpful. I was in a place similar to Heaven, all white with ground fog and nothing else, no markers. I was standing at the back of a line of people. At the head of the line was a man handing people their futures and all of the futures being handed out by him were bad. As I approached, I became embarrassed because I knew my future was going to be great. And what would I say to the others who were so morose and disappointed by their own? Well, my turn came, I stepped up to the man and he cut me a stern look as if to say, “Sorry pal, you got some bad years ahead of you.” He didn’t say a word, he just looked at me and I knew it all right then as if he stabbed me. But in addition to the bad news he also gave me the feeling that once I got through this bad patch that things would improve.

During that rough patch I kept looking back at that dream as a reminder and signifier that eventually things would improve and fortunately they did.

How do you define success?
Earning a living doing what I love doing, whether it be making a film, writing a script or riding a skateboard.

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