Peter Joseph was born in North Carolina to a middle class family. The son of a mailman and a social worker, he began his creative interests with music at a young age. Later, seeking a career in percussion, he moved to New York initially to attend a conservatory, only to drop out after an inability to afford the tuition. He lives and works in New York City and focuses on media related fields, including music composition, editing, post-production and other A/V related. He is also a former private equity trader, which he often comments upon as being his "introduction to the wasteful, destructive system known as Wall Street".

After the release of Zeitgeist: Addendum, he founded the Zeitgeist Movement, which is a social sustainability organization with members now in nearly every country. His work with the movement is now a large part of his daily activities - giving lectures and helping to produce relevant media/materials to spread the interest for a new social system called a resource-based economy.

References:

^ http://thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=99999&func=view&catid=231&id=236539
^ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/peter-joseph/2010/02/24/the-zeitgeist-movement-weekly-report-22410-with-pe
^ Feuer, Alan (2009-03-17). "They've Seen the Future and Dislike the Present". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
^ http://thezeitgeistmovement.com/wiki/index.php?title=TZM%3AInterviews_Peter_Joseph
^ http://www.lifewithoutkeys.com/2009/07/zeitgeist-first-london-lecture/
^ http://www.whoispeterjoseph.com/