What is Stacy Peralta's Net Worth?
Stacy Peralta is an American film producer and entrepreneur – and a former professional surfer and skateboarder – who has a net worth of $10 million. Stacy Peralta is best known for his original skateboarding maneuvers and for producing and directing films and documentaries about the art of skateboarding. A former member of the competitive skateboarding team Z-Boys, Stacy has worked to immortalize the skateboard culture of California during the 1980s and 1990s.
Early Years
Stacy Douglas Peralta was born on October 15, 1957, in Venice, California. He graduated from Venice High School – a public school located in Los Angeles – in 1975. In 1972, he joined the Zephyr Competition Team – a professional group of skateboarders also known as Z-Boys – and began to skate competitively at events sponsored by Jeff Ho Surfboards – a Santa Monica surfboard manufacturing facility and shop.
In 1978, Stacy co-founded the American skateboard company Powell Peralta with manufacturer and Stanford University engineering graduate George Powell. The company organized some of the best skateboarders of all time to form The Bones Brigade, a competitive skateboarding team. Stacy and George produced nine videos of the team in action, beginning with "The Bones Brigade Video Show" in 1984. The project became regarded as among the best skateboarding videos of the 80s and 90s.
In 1991, Stacy stepped away from the company to focus on directing and producing but later reunited with George to form Powell Classic and reissue some of their original skateboard models.
Film
The experience of producing and directing the Bones Brigade videos resulted in a deep interest in film production for Stacy Peralta. He also became interested in acting and, in 1985, appeared as the commander of a spaceship in the American science fiction comedy "Real Genius" starring American actor Val Kilmer. In 1987, Stacy produced and directed the skateboarding film "The Search for Animal Chin."
During the production of the 1989 American drama film "Gleaming the Cube" starring American actor Christian Slater, Stacy served as the skating technical advisor.
In 2001, Stacy produced and directed the American documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" which focused on the history of the Zephyr Competition Team and the way the popularity of skateboarding had grown. Narrated by American actor Sean Penn, the film won two awards when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: the Audience Award and the Directing Award. It also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary of the Year. Set against the background music of Aerosmith, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Rod Stewart, and other musical artists, the film grossed over 1.2 million dollars in its first four months after release.
In 2004, Stacy directed and narrated the documentary film "Riding Giants," which focused on the history, art, and lure of surfing. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive high ratings. The following year, Stacy wrote the screenplay for the American biographical drama "Lords of Dogtown," which followed the lives of the Z-Boys members and the growing popularity of skateboarding in California during the 1970s. The film garnered a cult following and was ranked at number 417 on the British film magazine Empire's list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.
Stacy produced the American documentary "Crips and Bloods: Made in America" in 2008. Focusing on the factors which cause California youth to join gangs and examining the rise of the street gangs known as the Crips and the Bloods, Stacy involved gang members, politicians, members of law enforcement, and founders of gang-related organizations in the making of the film.
In 2022, Stacy produced and directed the feature documentary "The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez," a biopic about surfer, snowboarder, and yoga practitioner Gerry Lopez, who has been called the most legendary surfer of all time.
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Television
Stacy Peralta appeared as himself in the British children's television show "Blue Peter" on February 2, 1978. The following year, he played a kid on a skateboard in an episode of the American crime series "Charlie's Angels." He directed the "Nickelodeon Wildside Show" in 1992 and an episode of the American sketch comedy show "Mr. Show with Bob David" in 1995.
Commercials
In 2008, Stacy Peralta directed a television commercial series for American hamburger chain Burger King, in which natives of other countries who had never eaten fast food before were given a Burger King Whopper and a McDonald's Big Mac and asked to determine which they liked better. Many viewers did not like the use of foreigners in the commercials, as it appeared to be an exploitation of another culture.
Video Games
In 2003, the video game Tony Hawk's Underground – a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft Entertainment in California – was released for play on such platforms as PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. The game is based on Stacy Peralta's experiences as a skateboarder and features him in a cameo.
Personal Life
Stacy Peralta was formerly married to filmmaker Joni Caldwell. They had one son together – Austin Topper Peralta – before divorcing in the 1990s. Austin died at the age of 22 on November 21, 2012, due to viral pneumonia combined with drugs and alcohol.
