A Day In The Life: Peter Groynom

Name: Peter Groynom

Age: I’m 35…years past my seventh birthday.

Where did you grow up? Cleveland Heights, OH.

Where do you live? South Minneapolis.

Who do you live with? My husband, Craig, and our robotic cat, Snowfake.

What is your occupation? I’m a freelance writer and filmmaker. I balance copy writing for start-ups, nonprofits, and ad agencies with my own scripts and film projects.

When did you come out? My early twenties.

How’d that go? Friends and immediate family were great, really supportive. I do have some extended family whom I haven’t heard from since I told them I was going to marry a dude, but in general I feel very lucky.

When do you wake up? 8:22 a.m.

Phone alarm or old school alarm? Phone alarm set to a mellow ring tone, barely audible, so it feels like I’m waking up in an airport “Sky Club” lounge.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Change the wallpaper on my phone. Keeps it fresh.

Breakfast? Yogurt, wheat toast with peanut butter.

Coffee? As soon as possible.

Cream or no? No cream, but two ice cubes (see directly above).

How do you spend your commute: If I’m working from home, I practice my freestyle skills as I move from room to room. If I’m working at a coffee shop, I listen to audiobooks while I walk there, or I brainstorm if I’m biking.

If your job were like a yearbook, what would you be voted? “Most likely to stay on top of his emails.” (I pride myself on having zero unread messages across seven different accounts.)

What inspires you? Filmmakers who have a distinct voice and vision: Dee Rees, Lynn Shelton, Denis Villeneuve, Aziz Ansari, so many others. Seeing shows at the Guthrie, the Jungle, and other local theaters.

Do you eat your lunch while working or take a break? I usually eat lunch (usually tacos) while standing over the sink doing dishes and listening to podcasts and prepping a loaf of sourdough to bake later.

Is your work space tidy or a hot mess? My desk is tidy but the rest of our home office is a skyline of stacked books and scrapbooking supplies.

What’s been your favorite job? This past fall I was hired to help rewrite the script for a sitcom pilot. Discussing story dynamics and character is my favorite thing to do—it’s quite nerdy, but really fun.

Who are your heroes? Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Bill McKibben, Marilynne Robinson, Tina Fey, Jordan Peele, Dan Bejar, Dan Deacon.

Favorite weeknight meal: Go out, take out, or cook in? I cook at home or hang out with my husband while he cooks. Making a meal or watching someone else make a meal is relaxing to the point of being meditative.

Most embarrassing moment: This isn’t the most embarrassing, but one time I was at a party and met someone but forgot her name immediately. I tried that trick where you’re like “that’s such an interesting name, do you mind spelling it?” She looked at me flatly and said “S – A – R – A.” I nodded, shuffled out of the room backwards, and then never spoke to anyone who was at that party ever again.

On a usual weeknight, you are doing what? Yoga, some writing, and then either reading or getting caught up on TV shows.

Bedtime: 11:10 p.m.

Favorite weekend activity: Going out to eat or playing Trivial Pursuit. Staying up too late rewatching 30 Rock.

What are you most proud of and why? In general, I try to encourage others to follow their creative interests. I started a Productivity Club earlier this year with some friends, and all of our projects are coming along nicely.

Words of wisdom to share: If you want to create something, don’t hesitate: put in the work and make it happen. Try to partner with passionate, smart people whom you can learn from, who challenge you, and who support you. Always ask yourself if you’re wasting other people’s time. Be dependable.