Joe Hall has been named president and CEO of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, an award-winning cultural organization. The nonprofit is also the nation’s largest community media center and oversees two state-of-the-art facilities in Hudson Yards and East Harlem. In his new role, Hall is tasked with defining Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s vision and building a development team that can market the organization, raise its profile and increase funding.
“Everyone should know about this place,” Hall said Variety. “It’s a fantastic organization with fantastic resources and facilities, but not enough people know what they are doing. I want to change that.”
Hall is best known for founding the nonprofit Ghetto Film School in 2000. He expanded the organization from its South Bronx roots by adding locations in Los Angeles and London with the help of allies like communications guru Matthew Hiltzik, Sony Music EVP Tiffany R Warren, Bloomberg Associates director Katherine Oliver, Wieden+Kennedy head Neal Arthur, Greater NY founder Cheryl Cohen Effron, Lupa Systems’ James Murdoch, Tony winner Sarah Jones and a roster of directors and producers including David O. Russell, Lee Daniels. , Melina Matsoukas and Spike Jonze. Hall first moved to the South Bronx as a social worker. He worked on homeless relocation, vocational training, youth development, education and health projects.
Manhattan Neighborhood Network oversees the borough’s public TV channels, reaching about 400,000 cable subscribers in the city. The productions are also available in more than 29 states and in countries such as the Philippines and the Dominican Republic via livestreams and online archives.
“We have a distribution capacity that most organizations can’t provide,” says Hall.
In addition, the organization is home to the NYC Center for Media Education, which offers training in video production, emerging media, editing, podcasting and broadcasting. Hall hopes to use the resources of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network to give a broader range of artists and filmmakers access to the tools they need to create their films, podcasts and shows.
“I want to provide opportunities for the many people who are underrepresented in our artistic community,” says Hall.
Photo (left to right): Bradley Cooper, David O. Russell, Joe Hall and Brian Grazer
