Sue Hayes: a tribute
We’re so sad to write that our inspirational and wonderful colleague Sue Hayes has passed away.
A true force of nature, Sue was instrumental in growing The Location Guide (TLG) as a business, helping to launch and develop the FOCUS show, makers magazine and the makers & shakers Awards.
For us all, Sue was a total joy to work with.
A former London Film Commissioner, director of the Edinburgh TV Festival, producer and journalist, Sue knew the industry inside out. Passionate, positive, creative and always curious, she fizzed with ideas – and shared her knowledge and experience so openly and generously. If things needed to happen or a problem needed to be solved, Sue always knew what to do or who to speak to.
For many, Sue was an unofficial mentor and supporter. She picked people up, listened, guided and advised, and then introduced them to others and got them involved in projects. She did it all in her own unique way. Sue was kind, big hearted, generous and fun – and gave her attention fully and authentically to people. Naturally, people responded back to her and would do whatever she asked. In fact, it was hard to say no to Sue – people enjoyed her company as well as the energy and intellectual enquiry she brought to projects, and wanted to be involved with whatever she was doing.
It’s fair to say Sue has made a massive impact on everybody’s lives at TLG, and on thousands of people in the wider industry. Sue was truly a mighty woman.
Whether advising on business plans, curating sessions for FOCUS, or providing ideas and inspiration for makers and the makers & shakers awards, Sue always helped us to see the big picture. She had the ability to make all of us think more deeply and broadly about what we were doing, teasing out extra angles or new dimensions. She championed new talent, different voices and pushed for greater diversity in everything we did.
If you were going down the wrong path, or an idea was simply bad, Sue would let you know. But she did it in the nicest, most constructive way possible. You never ever came away from a conversation with Sue feeling as if you’d had a bad idea or weren’t up to the job. Instead, you’d leave feeling buoyed up and with a whole lot of new ideas or angles to pursue, often feeling like you’d had them yourself. Collaborating with Sue was therefore always a positive and enriching experience. Things were better (and more fun) if Sue was involved.
We send our deepest sympathy and love to her husband Rod, and her sons Charlie and Luke.
Sue was also patient and determined. Creating and curating the annual FOCUS conference section from scratch was no easy task, but Sue made it happen – and helped it to blossom over the years through hard work, passion and positivity.
Sue had been ill for some time, but she never complained to us, and indeed few knew she was ill. Even for those who did know, she would steer the conversation to ask about them rather than talk about herself. She carried on working till the end – many of us were in touch with her just last week, via Zoom, phone or email.
It’s fair to say Sue has made a massive impact on everybody’s lives at TLG, and on thousands of people in the wider industry. Sue was truly a mighty woman.
We send our deepest sympathy and love to her husband Rod, and her sons Charlie and Luke.
From her friends and colleagues at the TLG, FOCUS, makers and makers & shakers Awards team.
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Andrew Pavord
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Sue Hayes was the driving force who got the London Filming Partnership off the ground. This agreement changed the way films are made in the capital. Sue worked tirelessly to get London boroughs, government institutions, private landowners and many different agencies to commit to being film friendly. Production companies in all sectors of the industry were made to agree to follow a Code of Practice, which set out how they should operate. This was a massive achievement, the partnership agreement is still in place today. Every filmmaker who has shot in London since 2005 (when the final agreement was signed off) owes Sue a great deal.
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