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Though this is a day that we all prayed would never come, I am proud and honored to have the opportunity to speak about Marc’s beautiful life.
I don’t know about all of you, but I am still in that surreal place where I’m not sure this has really happened. A world without Marc and his smile and boundless energy does not yet make sense to me. As the word of Marc’s passing began to spread, I was reminded of how many lives Marc touched and how much of an impact he made. I received a call at my office from a music company in New York. It was a name I did not recognize. When I got on the phone a voice on the line asked me if I knew Marc Levisohn. I smiled. I told him how well I knew Marc and how intertwined our lives were. He informed me that he was in the middle of a project with Marc and wanted to make sure I had heard the news. I couldn’t believe that Marc was working away, as though nothing was the matter. You know, that was actually not that hard for me to believe, because I knew Marc. And if you knew Marc, you knew that he did things like that all of the time. Yes, he really made a big impact in our business, but that was only a small part of what Marc gave us.
It was his strength and attitude that inspired me, and so many others. Marc was so comfortable about his size. He showed up huge - and that taught us all how to be strong, how to laugh and love and be thoughtful in the face of life’s challenges. Then for Marc to get Cancer - my first thought was “this is not fair!” Marc had been through so much in his life. This seemed unreasonable for God to put him through this one too.
But again, Marc rose up and fought with all his might. Again, he taught all of us how to fight and to stand up tall: to look for the positives in life, to stay calm, to love your friends and family, to explore possibilities, to have hope, to be fearless......the list goes on and on. If we look at the whole of Marc’s life, we see that he was here to touch people: to inspire people. To remind people what is important in life. In every chapter of his life, this is the way Marc was for me.
There were so many wonderful aspects to Marc’s life that I’d like to tell you about. All of the funny stuff, his ups and downs at HUM, his great talents, his most bizarre client relationships! There are countless stories about Marc floating around the hallways of HUM, the place where he worked for so many years. I want to tell you a few of them, but these are just a few of many. To Marc’s family, his parents, Brett and Felicia, it’s really hard to put into words how much Marc affected all of us, but I will try.
I want to tell you about how Marc became a sound designer and a man with tremendous job security. Marc did this by making himself indispensable. He was an intern at my former company up at my house in the Hollywood Hills. He was a Berkley graduate and got a chance through Debbie Deforest (another Berklee graduate) to sign on. His enthusiasm and attitude was infectious. How can you not love a guy like Marc, right? Well as time went on, I would be writing my music tracks down in the studio. The spots would often call for some non-musical sounds which I was used to doing by myself. Marc was always involved in whatever I was working on. Without my asking, Marc started bringing me the sounds I needed on disc (that was the old days). I was impressed to say the least. Not only were the sounds great, but, I loved the initiative and proactive qualities that Marc displayed. Then he started putting the sounds in synch with the picture and delivering that to me, disc in hand, smile on his face! OK, now he is doing my job for me! I like this guy! And he’s really good too.
So thus began Marc’s career as a sound designer. He kept on as an intern, then got hired as a second engineer. After proving himself with me, he started doing his own sound design on jobs. More work came. When my partner and I split up in 1996, Marc, of course, came with me to start HUM. It was just Marc, another engineer, a sales rep and me in the beginning. Marc did everything he could in those days. Whatever needed to get done, or more importantly, whatever HE saw needed to get done...he got them done. Over time our little company started to grow, and of course, Marc grew exponentially.
As our company grew and as we hired more employees, Marc was the poster child (and I am not kidding!) in terms of setting the example of what someone could accomplish at our company. I am a big believer in promoting individual growth within a company. I support people in achieving their goals, as long as it’s good for the company. Well, in employee reviews, Marc was an example that I constantly referenced to show an employee that anything is possible. I would share with them how he started out. How he made it happen. How he was the one taking charge of his future. Unfortunately, I never got to share this with Marc. I never got to tell him that he was THE MAN when it came to exemplary behavior at HUM. That he was the guy that I talked about to co-workers and said, “This is who you want to pattern yourself after”! He was the example of how to get what you want in life, and to do it by giving others what they want and need. He made himself indispensable. He gave so much. He always WANTED to give so much. And what he gave, both professionally and personally was so valuable. I hope you can hear this now Marc, because that is how it was.
At HUM we try to do employee reviews at least once a year. Generally, we give our people a list of questions to think about and to answer as the basis for our discussions. The responses to these questionnaires ranged from nothing, to some handwritten notes on a crumpled piece of paper to maybe one and a half pages of typed answers. Marc was different. He would routinely show up with a 10 page report! His employee reviews were legendary. It was hard to keep this under wraps, so everyone knew that here comes Marc again this year with his 40-page employee review thesis. One year, as he made his way into my office, Marc had the stereo system in the lobby blasting out a bombastic John Williams score as he made his grand entrance! Yes, he was quite the showman and so very funny.
Marc also had a great generosity and a simple love for life and people. An example of this was his relationship with my girls Jordan and Isabella. From the day she was born, Marc showed a special interest in Jordan (who is now 8). As she grew up, every time she came to visit, Marc had something new in his studio for her to play with. Whether it was a kid’s toy or his cool miniature robots, he always had a surprise for her whenever she came for a visit. But I think it was his warmth and smile that attracted Jordan most. Every time she came to Hum, she would run, by herself to Marc’s studio. Unique would ask her, “Do you want to go see daddy?” and she would say, “I want to go see Marc first!” I think she ran to him because he was genuinely interested in her.
That was the way he was with all people. He really cared and you could just feel the difference. Most people don’t make you feel that way in their presence. Marc had no guard up. He was always comfortable and available for people. He’d always make you feel important when you were with him. When Jordan was little, I would introduce her to everyone at Hum. Later, I would quiz her about what people’s names were. For years it seemed, the only person’s name she remembered was Marc’s. That is proof of Marc’s loving presence! Kids can’t fake it. Jordan loved Marc and he loved her. And it wasn’t because she is my daughter. Marc was always real with his love and interest in others.
It seemed like anything that Marc was interested in was a passion. I was amazed at Marc’s commitment to the Jewish High Holidays. For years I thought Marc was scamming me! It seemed that every year Marc took off a whole week to celebrate Rosh Hashana with his family! I realized that this was so important to Marc. For many years, Marc had the honor of blowing the Shofar at high holidays. He would tell me about this with such excitement and pride. When High Holidays came around, everyone at HUM knew that this was something very special for Marc. It wasn’t an excuse to take off work (like it was for me!). It was a commitment Marc had to his temple, his family and to himself. Marc was always so clear about the commitment and love he had for his family.
The difference between Marc and most other people is that he talked about it. He let me know all the time how important his family was, how much he loved them, how he was challenged at times and how gratified he was by them. Marc wore his heart on his sleeve and I loved that about him. He was always up for a deep conversation. Marc LOVED deep conversations. And he was such a great listener. If Marc kept a tally, I would have owed him about $40,000 in therapy bills.
Another thing Marc was so passionate about was his fascination and obsession with celebrities. He was unbelievable. He would come in to work and proudly tell me, “I met Wilt Chamberlain this weekend, and I got his autograph”, or “I met Denzel Washington, and I got HIS autograph”. Marc had no fear in going up to big stars and introducing himself. He would always get their autographs and he would show them to me. I was amazed that he had the guts to do this. If Marc wanted something, he would just go get it. His enthusiasm and passion just kept on making him more friends!
There was also a crazy side to Marc. One example was his, well: let’s say unusual relationships with some of his clients. One seems to stand out for me. It was his relationship with Harry Gonella from Campbell Mithun Advertising in New York. Let’s just say Harry is a bit different. He looks like a mad scientist: one part Frank Zappa and another part Dracula. And no surprise, there was an immediate kinship between them! Come to think of it, Marc seemed to get along especially well with our more UNUSUAL clients. I never knew exactly what Marc and Harry were up to, but after a long day in the studio, they would go out in the evening and stagger home at 4AM. Then they started going on these one-day road trips to Vegas. They would literally hop in the car after a day in the studio and drive to Las Vegas like a couple of wild men! God knows what the specifics were on those trips, but they were undoubtedly into some serious mischief! Marc never kissed and told, but he always had that devilish grin when I asked him how the trip was. Actually Marc’s devilish grin showed up on his face quite often.
Before he had the blessing (thank God) of meeting Felicia, Marc was a bit of a crazy man. Again, I never really knew the details, but that devilish grin was a dead giveaway! How many of us got to experience that expression on Marc’s face? That was just another wonderful side to who Marc was. He always had fun wherever he went. I can’t think of one instance when Marc said he didn’t have a good time at a dinner, a date, a concert, a trip, anything! His enthusiasm for everything he did was such an inspiration to me.
I really could go on about Marc. I hope you get to hear many more stories about his life in the nooks and crannies. That's where we all really live. It’s the stuff that happens every day, in every day situations. And that is where Marc really made his impact. Every day. A smile. A laugh. Excitement. Encouragement. Support. Empathy. These were some of the things Marc gave us all, in everyday situations. He will be greatly missed, and there will never be anyone quite like Marc.
The Levisohn family should be so proud of the beautiful spirit they brought into this world known as Marc Levisohn.
By Jeff Koz