Dave Porter is a Los Angeles-based composer for film and television. He began his classical musical training at the piano at age five, but it was his interest in electronic music as a teen that led him to start composing his own music. He studied both classical and electronic music composition at Sarah Lawrence College under John Yannelli, and started his professional career as an assistant in Philip Glass’ recording studio in New York City.
Dave is perhaps best known for his enduring creative relationship with one of Hollywood’s most respected figures – Vince Gilligan. Since the remarkable pilot episode of Breaking Bad in 2007, Dave has written the original music for all of Gilligan’s projects. He scored all 62 episodes of that groundbreaking series and created its iconic opening theme. Actor/ Producer Bryan Cranston stated: “With his music, Dave Porter has created another character for Breaking Bad. Evocative and meaningful, Dave’s work is an essential part of the storytelling.” Since then, Dave has also been behind all of the original music for Breaking Bad’s equally acclaimed spin-off Better Call Saul, and helped bring the Breaking Bad universe to the big screen with his original score to Gilligan’s feature film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Their collaboration reached new heights with the premiere of Pluribus, becoming Apple TV’s most-watched drama series of all time, and crafting one of the most unique and talked-about stories and sonic palates that has captured the imagination of millions.
2024 saw Dave’s first collaboration with Marvel Studios on the limited series Echo. The first project to be released under the new Marvel Spotlight banner, it was the first Marvel series with a TV-MA rating. Said Dave, “The Marvel team made me feel at home right away and have created a series full of all of the hallmarks that inspire me in a series — real stakes, emotions, consequences, and a world in which all of the characters are always learning and evolving.”
Other credits in recent years include working with James Franco on his masterful film The Disaster Artist and collaborating with documentary visionary RJ Cutler on Murf The Surf, a 4-part series produced by Brian Glazer and Ron Howard. He also worked with creator/showrunner Rebecca Cutter on her groundbreaking Starz series Hightown, as well as AMC’s boundary-defying series Preacher, produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin. Dave was the composer for the James Spader crime thriller series The Blacklist, one of the most successful global television dramas of all time spanning more than 200 episodes.
Dave has been awarded ASCAP’s coveted Composer’s Choice Award three times — at the inaugural event for the award in 2013, again in 2017, and most recently in 2026. He was also bestowed the 2019 Citation Award by his alma mater Sarah Lawrence College for his creative achievements.