Peggy Stern
"The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation"
New York, NY USA
"In the end, it’s all come down to believing in myself and believing in my choices."
Career Roadmap
Peggy's work combines: Art, Film, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
The film I was making wasn't what my teacher was expecting, nor what he believed was a "good" film. He doubted me over the year it took me to make it and this caused me to doubt myself. The film ended up being really well received by audiences and validated my vision. I learned to follow my gut and trust my creative intuition.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Visual and Performing Arts, General
Harvard University
Bachelor's Degree
Film/Cinema/Media Studies
Harvard University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Diagnosed with dyslexia at five years old.
2.
Felt like she had a chip on her shoulder, and constantly had to prove herself in her classes because she had struggled from such a young age.
3.
She always wanted to learn about the world through visual mediums rather than by reading texts.
4.
One of her teachers realized that she might have a talent for making art, rather than studying it, and recommended she transfer into the visual arts department.
5.
There, she found that photography and film came somewhat naturally to her; she no longer had to fight tooth and nail to prove herself in her classes.
6.
When she entered the workforce, she shied away from certain jobs because she was worried her employers would find out she was dyslexic.
7.
Instead, she started writing and producing her own films, one of which, "The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation", won an Oscar.
8.
Says that her LD has helped her as a filmmaker because it taught her how to accept and own her mistakes.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Teachers:
Your film needs to be dramatic and go for the jugular.
How I responded:
The film I was making wasn't what my teacher was expecting, nor what he believed was a "good" film. He doubted me over the year it took me to make it and this caused me to doubt myself. The film ended up being really well received by audiences and validated my vision. I learned to follow my gut and trust my creative intuition.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 5. I felt like I had to prove myself in classes because I had always struggled.