Steven Hall
/president
Born and bred in Flushing, Queens, Steven Hall is the epitome of a native New Yorker. Gifted with a sharp wit, tongue, and street-smart instincts, Steven created his own reality throughout his career, and has never shied away from a challenge or opportunity. Starting in the New York City food boom of the mid-eighties he fell in love with working in restaurants where he met creative, thoughtful, and passionate people. Working as a server opened his eyes to the joy of food by seeing the light in people's eyes as they took the first bite of something they had never tried before. Steven says "I soon realized that food moved borders, and wanted to do my part." This, along with his overactive imagination, took Steven from the inner workings of hospitality to the world of public relations and after cutting his teeth at a popular agency of the day, he opened hall in 1996 with the late Sam Firer. Their first office was on the third floor of Mad Fish, a restaurant owned by Simon Oren. Soon after they met Jeffrey Bank who was opening Artie's Deli with the group that owned Carmine's and Virgil's, and Chef Katy Sparks who was embarking on a career of her own, all of whom are still friends and clients. "Restaurant people are quite generous with their friends, and their food, and it wasn't long before my circle got larger and larger which enabled me to have the agency I have today." A trip to Tokyo opened Steven's eyes to the wonder of Japanese and other cuisines from Asia, and a second business was quickly born, working with Japanese restaurant groups looking to bring Western brands to Japan, and Japanese groups looking to open restaurants in the U.S. From Flushing to Tokyo and beyond. Steven often says that he did not choose PR, PR chose him. The Observer said “Industry people on several continents love Steven Hall and his smart compact firm.”
