In rooms where the clock is always working against the conversation, Zuri Hall has learned how to make her time matter. If you’re in the media space, then you know that red carpets, press junkets, and interviews move fast, but she’s excelled in her craft by turning these sometimes fleeting exchanges into something real. It’s a skill sharpened over years in entertainment and news, one that has made her a trusted presence across Hollywood. Now, she’s taking her expertise into an endeavor where she controls the pace.
Not About Sports, her new podcast, gives her room to do what traditional formats often don’t allow. The idea had been sitting with her for years before she acted on it, something she kept returning to as her career progressed. “I was inspired because I’ve always had an appreciation for the world of sports and admire the dedication that it takes to pursue sport at the highest level,” Hall said. “And yet, my biggest passion and my skillset is very much human interest, one-on-one conversations.”
What is most intriguing about Hall’s journey is the perspective in how she highlights sports. Yes, there are pundits that break down plays or analyze performances, but Hall goes deeper by delving into the mindset, the discipline, the pressure, and the identity tied to competing. She wanted to enter that space without abandoning what she already does best. “At the end of the day, I love storytelling and I love getting to know people’s stories, the why behind it,” she explained. “So, I’d always wanted to be able to contribute to conversations in sports at the highest level, but I wanted to do it in a way that was authentic to me—I’m not a stats and analytics girl.” If you’re familiar with Hall’s work, then you understand that long-form conversation is where she truly shines.
“If you tell me I got 20 minutes, I’m like oh, I’m about to cook,” Hall said with a smile. “I love the opportunity to sit down and really hash it, and dive in.” Her skillset comes from years spent working beyond entertainment; early in her career, she covered local news, a place that requires patience and attention to detail. Work with the Black & Missing Foundation pushed that even further, placing her in rooms where families were searching for answers and every word mattered.
“We would travel across the country to small towns, to cities all over the nation and sit down to highlight the cold cases for missing people of color—specifically and especially Black people of color—and just shine some light to see if we might be able to get new leads for authorities, provide some closure or context to loved ones,” Hall said. “Those were deep, and really intense conversations. Even though it was in an area that was extremely heartbreaking, and extremely important, at the end of the day, it was still a story being told.”
The Ohio-born journalist’s early experiences shaped how she approaches every interview currently. With Not About Sports, she’s creating a format where athletes can show parts of themselves that rarely make it into coverage. The show uses sports as a starting point, but it moves quickly into the lives people are building away from the game.
“The conversations are really human interest heavy, and there’s something for everyone there because we’re not talking about the sport,” she noted. “We’re talking about the things that matter most to pretty much everyone I know, which is how to be happy, how to live a life that feels as good as it looks, how to pursue our passions while prioritizing work-life balance and family, discovering who we are for our second and third acts in life.”
Her brainchild finally moved from concept to execution after the pandemic shifted how creators approached ownership. Hall had spent years building relationships across entertainment and understood how to bring people into a project. She also recognized what it meant to build something on her own terms. “The creator economy is booming and I’ve had so much skin in the game,” she said. “I’ve got the relationships. I was blessed enough to be able to self-fund it. So I was like, ‘I’m just going to do this on my own on purpose so that I can actually embrace the role of independent creator, own the IP, build it myself, and then expand and partner up from there.’”
As many entrepreneurs know, ownership brings a different level of responsibility, and Hall is stepping into that fully with this project. She understands the pressure that comes with building something from the ground up, especially when it reflects both her creative instincts and the team she’s assembled around her. The stakes feel higher because there’s no one else to point to if things fall short, but that same reality makes the work more meaningful. “I can’t blame anybody but me if it doesn’t work out, if I’m being honest,” Hall said.
The response for Not About Sports has already has been overwhelming, both publicly and behind the scenes. Athletes and publicists are reaching out, asking to be part of something still in its early stages. “It’s been really exciting,” she said. True to form, Hall’s focus moving forward is clear, especially when it comes to who she wants to highlight. “On my dream list, I’m still hoping for Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, and Serena Williams,” Hall admitted. “I really want to focus on women in sports and particularly black women in sports, adjacent to, or at all supporting the world of sports.”
Outside of the podcast, her work continues to expand. As a global ambassador for the Global Fund for Children, she stays connected to work that reaches beyond entertainment. The role has sharpened how she thinks about visibility and responsibility as her platform grows. “It’s one thing to be in Hollywood, to be a part of a world that feels very sparkly and shiny and sexy, but it’s another thing to take a step back at what you’ve built and say, okay, we’ve got the fame now or we’ve got the attention or we’ve got the platform—but what are we going to do with it?” she said.
Good News First Studios, Hall’s production company, is a place where she builds projects on her own terms while stepping into a more hands-on leadership role. It also allows her to create content, and to invest directly in other creatives, many of whom she’s crossed paths with throughout her career. Instead of simply making connections or offering guidance, she’s now in a position to provide real opportunities and resources. The move serves as a testament to both her entrepreneurial instincts and a growing focus on equity, control, and long-term impact.
Balancing the creative side with the business side remains a work in progress. She’s honest about the challenge, especially as someone who identifies first as a creator. Still, she understands the importance of knowing what she’s signing and protecting what she’s building. “And if I don’t understand something, I will ask and I will ask again until I really get it and I will not sign until I understand what I’m signing up for,” she said.
Each step Hall takes is one in the right direction, and it shows how she’s thinking about her career. Hosting remains central, but ownership now sits alongside it as a priority. Not About Sports signifies her evolution, connecting years of experience with a more expansive vision of what comes next.
“And instead of waiting for a ‘yes,’ I made a ‘yes’ myself,” she said. “I’m betting on myself as I have many times throughout my career, and those are the bets that always pay off.”
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