Melissa Ann Montefiore Hall

1957 - 2023

Hall

Melissa Ann Montefiore Hall

January 20, 1957 - February 13, 2023



Melissa Ann Montefiore Hall, of Washington, DC, a trailblazing professional publicist who made her mark in the early days of National Geographic Television's entry into cable TV, passed away after a short illness on February 13, 2023. Melissa was born in Fairview Park, Ohio, on January 20, 1957, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications. Melissa worked her way through college as a waitress at Sir Walter Raleigh's restaurant and became an accomplished photojournalist for UMD's newspaper, The Diamondback. After graduation, Melissa went to work in the Publicity Department for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and in 1985 joined National Geographic Television (NGTV). Melissa's first assignment was to help launch the EXPLORER series on Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). She took on many high-profile publicity projects, including the cable television premiere of Robert Ballard's discovery of the wreck of the doomed ship Titanic. Melissa was part of the NGTV team that helped launch the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, the largest international wildlife film festival in the nation. She was at the heart and soul of this festival through her last year at NGTV. As a Director, Public Relations, her contributions to NGTV became important on the national and global cable TV landscape, the wildlife film festival circuit, and the international marketing and publicity of the documentary television and home video businesses. Melissa left NGTV in 2002 to start a family. She was incredibly proud of her entire family, especially her son Spencer William Hall, who is now a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University. Along with Spencer, Melissa is survived by a brother, Gregg Montefiore of Los Angeles, CA; a sister, Andrea Montefiore Byars of Lexington, SC; and all four of her talented nieces and nephews. A celebration of Melissa's life will take place Saturday, June 10, 2023; the Visitation with the family will start at 10:30 a.m. and Memorial service starts at 11 a.m. at Annunciation Catholic Church, 3810 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Melissa Montefiore Hall's name be made to the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, 701 Fort Washington Avenue at 190th Street, New York, NY 10040.

www.cabrinishrinenyc.org