The Producer/Director
(See: www.ColorblindDocumentary.com for more information about this heartfelt film surrounding Peak’s grade school class in Detroit at the height of the Detroit Race Riots during the Civil Rights Era.) Peak is used to writing from her heart and writing works that move people. She is an artist that has great passion for the works she selects. This shows in all she does. The positive and emotional response to Colorblind by the national PBS audiences was unparalleled. Peak has been a published author since the age of fourteen. Peak began her show business career as an actress, training in New York City at the renowned acting school, The Neighborhood Playhouse. She soon found herself acting in television daytime soap operas such as CBS’s Love of Life and As The World Turns. She has acted in, produced and directed stage plays in New York, Los Angeles, and dinner theatre in Florida. She has appeared in numerous industrial and corporate videos and infomercials and has written, produced and directed numerous industrial films in Orange County, CA where she resides with her husband and two children. (Orange County, CA is a US capitol for the production and post-production of industrial films.) After the tremendous success of her documentary film Colorblind, Peak again found herself looking to “her own backyard” for her next project. It was her cousin, Army Veteran Larry Chase of Troy Michigan, who brought the WWI story of Detroit’s Own Polar Bear’s to Peak’s attention. Peak was aware that her own grandfather, Guy Campus, had fought in this WWI conflict in Northern, Russia. Her cousin Larry urged her strongly to look into the dramatic facts and details of this unique American war story. “When I looked into the full story of the WWI soldiers known as ‘The Polar Bears’, I was astonished at what I had found.” says Peak. “It was a story of a group of young soldiers, the majority of whom were from the Detroit and Michigan areas. It became clear to me that what we asked of these young men was more than our country has asked of any men in any conflict. Their patriotism was tested more than any other American war story I have found. These young men did the impossible for their country, under horrific circumstances in Northern Russia. They were left to fight in Northern Russia, under complete British command, with not a single American Flag. How they longed for home. They fought to stay alive in 60 degree below zero weather while fighting a savage enemy the world had barely heard of at that time: The Bolsheviks (an early name for Communists). When WWI ended on November 11, 1918, these boys waited for their call to return home. It simply did not come.” The stories and diary entries left by these soldiers were so moving, and communicated such a human account of war, that Peak felt compelled to share this powerful story with all of America. “Amazingly”, says Peak, “there are still those in Detroit that know little or nothing of the brave sacrifices of these unusual soldiers. A solemn promise was made to the men who survived this expedition that ‘they, and their buddies who did not come back, would never be forgotten’. I felt that creating a documentary film about their incredible sacrifices and the loyalty they displayed to their country was the least I could do to honor them.” Peak plans a spring 2009 release of her documentary film honoring Detroit’s Own Polar Bears. The first public screening is planned in the Temple of Memories at White Chapel Memorial Park in Troy, Michigan where so many of the Polar Bears have been laid to rest and are honored. She is bringing Voices of a Never-Ending Dawn to her PBS Distributor, American Public Television where her works are greatly respected. Peak has many more projects on the docket after completing this film, including the writing of a feature film script based on her documentary film, Colorblind.
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Pamela Peak is an award-winning writer, producer and director. Her documentary film, Colorblind, was seen on PBS Television in early 2008 by an estimated 56 million viewers and still airs nationally today on PBS.