Peggy M. Rajski is an American filmmaker, best known for directing and co-producing the 1994 American short film Trevor, which won an Academy Award for "Best Live Action Short Film" at the 67th Annual Academy Awards in 1995. She is a founder of The Trevor Project, a crisis-intervention and suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.
Rajski taught producing and filmmaking at New York University's graduate film program and was dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television in Los Angeles, California from 2018 to 2021.[1]
As a youngster, she was a member of the local Girl Scouts Troop and was a recipient of the Marian Award in 1966.[4]
Rajski attended Maria High School, a local all-girls Catholic school which merged with Pacelli High School when she was a junior.[5] In high school, she was a varsity cheerleader,[6] color guard Sergeant[7] and active on the student council.[8] She was a photographer for,[9] and later editor of, the school yearbook.[10] She graduated in 1971.[5]
Following college, Rajski moved to New York to pursue a career in the film industry She initially worked as a receptionist at a firm that produced corporate films[13] and moved into the role of producer/director within one year.[11]
She began interfacing with people making low budget indie films and met writer/director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi at a friend's party in 1983. The couple were looking for a production manager for Sayles film next film project, Lianna[14] and Rajski was offered the job.[11]
In 2018, Rajski was selected as a mentor for Film Independent’s Global Media Makers program, an initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program serves to create relationships between filmmakers and industry professionals in the U.S. and abroad.[21]
In April 2019, Rajski was a speaker and panel moderator at Film Independent's 14th annual Film Independent Forum, and is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist at industry events in Los Angeles and elsewhere.[22] Rajski is a member of the Director’s Guild of American (DGA),[23] Film Independent, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).[24]
In 1994, Rajski directed the American short film Trevor and co-produced it with Randy Stone. Written by Celeste Lecesne and set in 1981, the film follows a 13-year-old boy named Trevor who struggles with his identity after his crush on a male schoolmate named Pinky Faraday is discovered. As rumors spread, and his classmates begin to turn on him, Trevors thoughts turn to suicide.
When HBO confirmed they would be airing the film that year with Ellen DeGeneres hosting, Rajski searched for a service that provided round-the-clock support for queer and questioning young people so that young viewers who identified with the central character’s experience would have a place to turn for help. Discovering that no such resource existed, Rajski moved to establish a nationwide 24-hour crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth which became The Trevor Project.[34] When the film premiered on HBO in August 1998, The Trevor Project’s crisis line phone number was posted on screen as the film’s end credits rolled, and counselors received more than 1500 calls that first night.[35]
In 2012, the producers of Glee worked with The Trevor Project to address teen suicide in the episode, "On My Way." The organization arranged for a public service announcement to be included in the episode. The episode resulted in a spike in calls to the non-profit’s hotline, and record traffic to its website. Rajski stated that because the show "worked in conjunction" with The Trevor Project, the organization was prepared in advance to handle the increase in hotline traffic, which was "triple the [usual] number of calls."[36] They also saw a nearly sevenfold increase to 10,000 website visitors on the evening the program aired.[37]
Rajski has been an outspoken advocate and frequent speaker in support of crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.[38] In 2022, she was the keynote speaker at student fundraiser held at the University of Missouri Kansas City Pride Breakfast.[39] She has remained an active member of The Trevor Project’s Board of Directors since its founding in 1998 and was named interim CEO in 2022.[1]
In 2024, the organization received outreach to its crisis services (phone, text and chat) from over 500,000+ contacts.[40]
Academic career
In 2010, Rajski was appointed associate professor at New York University Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program[41] and promoted to head of studies for the producing track in 2011. She also served as a member of the faculty committee for the NYU Cinema Research Institute.[42] During this time, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point named Rajski a College of Fine Arts and Communication Distinguished Alumnus.[11]
Rajski was named Dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film & Television in 2018.[43] During her time at LMU, the school opened a 35,000 square foot production facility in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles.[44] In 2020, Rajski served as an external reviewer of UCLA's Department of Film, Television & Digital Media.[45] She left LMU in 2021.[46]
In 2024, Rajski joined NFL player Carl Nassib to announce the Cleveland Browns' second round draft pick during the annual nationally televised NFL event.[49]
Rajski has referred to herself as the "Straight White Godmother of a Gay Suicidal Hotline".[50]
Rajski's brother, Patrick Nash Rajski died by suicide at age 32 shortly before the film Trevor began production.[50]
