Stoeckinger, who was born in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television in 1982. He began working professionally as a Hollywood sound editor in 1984. His credits throughout the 1980s included films Code of Silence (which starred Bert Remsen), Clue (starring Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean), Clara's Heart (starring Whoopi Goldberg), and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (featuring Miriam Flynn).