Next Gen 2011: Hollywood's Fastest-Rising Stars
Hall, 32, likes to say Nicole Kidman is to blame for his love affair with the entertainment industry. "I probably watched To Die For 100 times throughout high school," says the self-proclaimed movie buff from Michigan, noting that he was particularly struck by one of Kidman's famous lines in the film: "You're no one in America unless you're on TV." Fortunately, quips Hall, "I grew up to be a TV executive, not a murderous woman." After studying film at the University of Michigan, he was hired by then-agent Sue Naegle to work in UTA's mailroom, where Hall got a crash course in the inner workings of Hollywood. From there, he moved into comedy development at Warner Bros. TV before following Naegle to HBO. During his three years there, Hall has been tasked with amping up the network's comedy output, developing more niche series such as Enlightened. He also has been intimately involved in the production of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which recently wrapped a well-received eighth season. The irony is that while Hall has made a career in comedy, traditionally he is drawn to drama on the bigger screen. "As odd as it is, the movies that I always find myself really loving are the ones that kind of make me nauseous for 48 hours afterward," he says, citing Black Swan and Lars von Trier's Melancholia as examples.
