Researching Phil Hall

From its inception in 1990, Hall was the copy, news, and features editor at Comics International and created a number of iconic comics magazine columns, such as "Movers & Shakers", "Hotshots", and "Networks," for the magazine.

He left CI in 1997, and in 2001 launched the online journal Borderline. Borderline was a cross between The Comics Journal and the NME with a heavy mix of mainstream American/British and international comic books. The magazine spotlighted comic books and creators from countries such as Brazil, Poland, and the Philippines, alongside American and British comic book icons; Borderline was, in part, responsible for a number of previously unknown cartoonists obtaining professional contracts. In the spring of 2002, Borderline became part of the Cool Beans World network of websites. Despite winning the "Best Specialist Magazine or Website" award at the 2002 National Comics Awards, however, Borderline ceased publishing in 2003.

Hall left comics in 2003 to pursue a career in social work, but later returned to write a column for the comics website Comics Village. Hall's book, My Monthly Curse — A Personal Comic Book History, mostly focusing on his time at Comics International and Borderline (culled from entries in his blog, A Life in Comics), was published in digital form in August 2011.

In July 2013, Hall launched Borderline Press Ltd., a registered company dealing with the publishing of new European comics talent. The press had distribution issues, however, which were alleviated when Hall reached a deal with Fanfare in 2015. But continued scheduling issues forced Borderline Press to go on hiatus in May 2015. Borderline Press was sold to Fanfare in August 2016.

Hall currently lives in Northampton, England.

Hall entered journalism in 1974, as a reporter on the Dagenham Post. He then moved to the Ilford Recorder and subsequently filled a sub-editor post on the Newham Recorder, but returned to reporting at the Sunday People. In 1992, he was appointed News Editor of the Sunday Express and the following year, he joined the News of the World as Assistant Editor, becoming Deputy Editor and, in 1995, Editor.

Hall remained in the job until May 2000 when he joined Hello! magazine as editor and later was appointed Editorial Director of Development at Trinity Mirror, before moving into PR consultancy. He founded the PHA Group in 2005, specialising in areas of PR including crisis and campaign management, personal profile building, media relations and more recently, digital communications.