Joe Hall has been named president and CEO of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, an award-winning cultural organization. The non-profit is also the largest community media center in the country, overseeing two state-of-the-art facilities in Hudson Yards and East Harlem. In his new role, Hall is tasked with setting the vision of Manhattan Neighborhood Network and building out a development team that can market the organization, raise its profile and increase funding.
“Everyone should know about this place,” Hall told Variety. “It’s a fantastic organization with fantastic resources and facilities, but not enough people know about what they are doing. I want to change that.”
Hall is best known for founding the non-profit Ghetto Film School in 2000. He expanded the organization from its South Bronx origins, 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 Principal 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, job training, youth development, education, and health projects.
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Manhattan Neighborhood Network oversees the borough’s public access TV channels, reaching some 400,000 cable subscribers in the city. Its productions are also available in more than 29 states and in countries such as the Philippines and the Dominican Republic through live streams and online archives.
“We have a distribution capacity that most organizations can’t offer,” Hall says.
In addition, the organization is home to the NYC Center for Media Education, which provides training in video production, emerging media, editing, podcasting, and broadcasting. Hall hopes to use the Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s resources to give more diverse range of artists and filmmakers access to the tools they need to make their films, podcasts and shows.
“I want to give opportunities for the many people who are underrepresented in our artistic community,” Hall says.
Photo (from left to right): Bradley Cooper, David O. Russell, Joe Hall and Brian Grazer