Biography
Peter Schieffelin Brauer is a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and historical researcher. His art questions the collective memory of the United States by telling stories that undermine commonly held beliefs. By exposing historical systems of enslavement, colonialism, and racialization he hopes to push the current body politic towards a more just, equitable, and inclusive society. Peter's current project, Founding Truth, is a podcast that examines the history of slavery in the Northeast by documenting 120 of his Northeastern ancestors that enslaved people and the people they enslaved.
After graduating from NYU film school in 2003, Peter lived in Mexico and made Return to Life After Spinal Injury with four disabled healthcare workers. The training video won the Helen Hayes award for best health consumer video of the year at the Freddies. Returning to New York City, Peter worked on reality TV shows, including The Apprentice.
With his college roomate Juan Carlos Piñiero, Peter founded Pure West Films. Together they made Second Skin, a feature documentary about online gamers that premiered at SXSW 2008 and played Hotdocs, Sheffield Doc Fest, and won best documentary at the ACE Film Festival. The film premiered in theaters and on Hulu in 2009 and was later played in heavy rotation on Current TV.
Peter went on to produce a series of short documentaries for Motherboard at Vice Media about visionary video game developers such as Ralph Baer and Sid Meier. Peter edited and co-produced Reject, a feature documentary that explores the impact of social rejection on individuals, society, and education. The film premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2012. Peter has also produced marketing for Samsung, Skiphop, Blue Man Group, and many other brands.