Shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of David Hayman. His passion for music, and knowledge of the industry, was immense, and I'll miss his unbounded enthusiasm. A compassionate and generous titan gone way too soon. https://t.co/2kze0M7Vh5

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) May 20, 2020

The first time I met David Hayman was over a year ago when I visited his offices at Supergroup Sonic Branding, the media company he masterminded and built.   He was one of the first music supervisors we met with regard to our upcoming series, Utopia Falls, and five minutes into our conversation with him, I already knew he had the job.  Part of it was the Hip Hop-themed displays that adorned the walls.  Part of it was his easy-going, self-assured attitude.  But mostly, it was his obvious and considerable understanding of music.  Utopia Falls would be a Hip Hop-focused series and that was clearly in his wheelhouse, but over the course of the meeting, where I mainly sat back and listened, he and show creator RT Thorne fell into a long and involved discussion on the topic, from its varied roots and influences to its usage in film and television as a narrative device.  His knowledge was vast and the ideas he generated, at once creative and practical, clearly marked him as an expert in the field.  Perfect.  Except, it was early still.  And as we left the Supergroup offices, and we discussed some of the other music supervisors we would be meeting in the coming days, I couldn’t help but think: “Do we really need to?  HE’S our guy.”  And I suspect that at the time, RT and our line producer, Robbie David, knew it too.

So it came as a surprise to absolutely no one when, after finally meeting with the executives at the production company, David Hayman was hired as our music supervisor.  And over the months I worked with him, he proved as enthusiastic as he was tireless in meeting the needs of a very demanding production.  With series creator RT Thorne and composer Nikhil Seetharam, David built the sound of the series, the music that was the very heart of the show.  The end result is a testament to the combined talent, initiative and love for music these three shared.

The last time I saw David was back in December when we gathered for our final mix and screening of the show’s finale.  It was a celebratory mood with some champagne drinking and an overall sense of accomplishment.  And, above all else, an appreciation for the hard work put in by cast, crew, and individuals like David who always went above and beyond the call to get things done – and done well.

Eventually, productions will resume.

The music will play on.

But David Hayman will be greatly missed.