Born in Minneapolis, Shal's passion for filmmaking began at a young age, when he would balance his family's video camera on his nine-year-old shoulder, shooting directly onto VHS tapes that weighed a ton.
After graduating from NYU in 2008, his thesis film took first place at the SyFy Channel Film Contest, marking the beginning of a successful career in the narrative, documentary, and commercial worlds.
Throughout his career, Shal has worked with progressive politicians, creating commercials and content for clients such as Bernie Sanders and the ACLU. His work has earned numerous awards, including Adweek's Ad of the Day and Vimeo Staff Picks, and he has received a Sundance Institute grant.
Shal's genre-bending approach has led to the premiere of two films at the Tribeca Film Festival: a sci-fi drama set in Vietnam, "The Last Fisherman", and an experimental documentary about solitary confinement in American prisons, "The Box".
With a goal of blurring the line between art and entertainment, Shal aims to challenge his audience to question their own lives and preconceptions. Based in New York, Los Angeles, and Ho Chi Minh City, Shal is represented by UTA and Echo Lake Entertainment.
