Less than a year ago, Primetime television was hit with the sad news of the death of Peter Muston. Although he wasn’t a famous name to make movie and television audiences, he left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of colleagues and friends. Peter Muston died on October 11, 2023, at age 64.
Peter Muston has a 25-year career as a location manager, with several credits as a line producer and production manager. With over 30 credits working behind the scenes, Munson worked mostly in television. He’s famous for his most recent project, La Brea TV series, where he worked as one of the show’s crew members.
Peter Muston’s Early Years
Peter Muston was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1959. He was raised and spent all of his life in Australia. With the growth and expansion of Western cinema, many Australian kids like Muston dreamed of having careers in the industry. However, Peter Muston’s fascination was more about the action behind the scenes than on-screen. While much of his early years and education are not public knowledge, Muston’s career began in 1998, at age 39.
According to his IMDb page, Peter Muston’s career began as one of the location managers for the Australian police procedural crime drama television series Stingers. The show lasted 8 seasons from September 29, 1998, to December 14, 2004. Muston is credited as location manager throughout its run. As location manager, Muston was responsible for finding the best filming locations and liaising with the director and production designer to help actualize their respective creative visions.
Peter Muston Worked As A Production Manager In La Brea
Although he began his career as a location manager, Peter Muston’s final credit was production manager. As a production manager, Muston worked closely with the line producer (a role he was very familiar with) and was responsible for the day-to-day logistics of the series production. Besides his brilliant performance as production manager, Muston reportedly had a cordial relationship with other crew members and actors.
La Brea was an American science fiction drama series that had its filming location across Australia. La Brea was filmed in Melbourne, Victoria, and Queensland. Although the series premiered on September 28, 2021, filming began in Melbourne on May 3, 2021, and was completed in early September. The season reportedly had a production budget of $71 million and quickly became one of Australia’s most expensive television productions. Peter Muston is credited as La Brea’s production manager in 20 of its 30 aired episodes.
The show was created by David Appelbaum, who was also credited as co-executive producer. In La Brea, a massive sinkhole in the middle of Los Angeles pulls people and buildings into what appears to be a primeval land with dangerous, carnivorous, extinct teratorns. Further investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security revealed the sinkholes existed as temporary portals to a time in 10,000 BC. The show centered around a group of survivors, including the Harris family, trying to find their way back to their present timeline. La Brea aired its third and final season from January 9, 2024, to February 13, 2024.
Peter Muston’s Death
Peter Muston’s death came as a shock to fellow crew members and actors, especially those working on La Brea and Amazon Prime Video‘s black comedy crime-mystery series Deadloch. These two shows were the last Peter Muston had worked on before his death. Peter Muston died on October 11, 2023, at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital from complications following a cardiac arrest. Besides his cause of death indicating Muston suffered a cardiac arrest before his death, it was not made public if he had struggled with any other underlying illnesses in the past.
In his tribute, Deadloch’s co-creator Kate McLennan wrote on her Instagram page, “Vale Peter Muston Musty was our Production Manager on Deadloch and what a fun, warm, lovely human being he was. We’ll never forget how he took time out from the demands of shooting to be involved in this very silly, but utterly perfect brother sister portrait. He was just wonderful. Our hearts go out to his family and nearest and dearest.”
Muston was honored on La Brea with a tribute on a title card at the end of Season 3, Episode 5 (“The Road Home, Part 1”). It read, “In Loving Memory of Peter Muston.” Peter Muston is survived by his wife, Deb Muston, and two daughters, Alice and Tilly Muston. Besides Peter Muston, read BBC’s Michael Mosley, who was found dead at 67.
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