Vicki Peterson is a neurodivergent screenwriter and author who found the courage to fully be herself. After a career in Hollywood, she lives with her family in an oak forest on California’s Central Coast.
In Hollywood, Vicki was a director of development for independent production companies, co-founded the story consulting and mentoring company, Catharsis, and was the Programs Director for both the Writing for Film and Television Program and Producing and Entertainment Program at Act One. She also taught Screenwriting for the B.F.A in Cinema program at Columbia College Hollywood and mentored M.F.A. candidates on their thesis projects at New Hampshire Institute of Art. Her B.A. is in Theatre Arts from University of California, San Diego, and her MFA is in Writing for Stage and Screen from New Hampshire Institute of Art. She holds two teaching credentials as a former public high school Theatre and English teacher, and is also certified as trauma recovery coach (CTRC) by the International Association of Trauma Recovery.
Her screenplay, ZOE AND THE ZEBRA, won several awards, including “Best Screenplay” at the California Independent Film Festival and the Irvine International Film Festival. Other scripts which placed as finalists in other festivals include: RAINBOW UNICORN HEART POWER, MIND OVER MATTER and JESUS STOLE MY BOYFRIEND. Her feature, MOTHER AT WAR, was developed by Ken Stewart for film, and her TV pilot, ALUM ROCK AVENUE, was developed by Herrick Television. She developed and wrote the web-series, JUDGMENTAL MOOSE, distributed by ODB Productions, and wrote several episodes of CATHOLIC CENTRAL for Family Theater Productions. Her stage play, CLEAVE, world-premiered in Tampa, FL as the inaugural production of Lab Theatre Project in partnership with Stageworks. Her book, NOTES TO SCREENWRITERS, is published by Michael Wiese Productions. Vicki is also a Super Contributor for THE MIGHTY, where her articles on mental health and trauma recovery are widely read and featured on partner outlets such as, Yahoo! Lifestyle, Scary Mommy, and Teen Vogue. She is currently writing a feature screenplay on trauma recovery via equine therapy for Big Sur Pictures.
In addition to this litany of outward achievement, Vicki negotiates with multiple chronic health challenges, including hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, dysautonomia, complex PTSD, and Autism. For Vicki, “being herself” means she can openly share about her “invisible” disabilities and differences without masking to fit in. She aspires to put her health above all else, and is still learning how to do that. She loves being “in production,” the changing seasons, colorful meals, multi-dimensional conversations, and speaking up about the things that matter.