Reared in both the Boston and West Central Florida areas, Sam Hallenbeck got his start in broadcasting in 1987 after getting a bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of South Florida. Starting in the business as a videotape editor for CBS Television in Tampa, he became a Special Projects news producer in the early 1990s and won numerous awards, including multiple Emmys, Associated Press, United Press International, Society of Professional Journalists, Chicago Film and Angel Awards.
In 1992, Hallenbeck moved into the realm of entertainment news, producing segments for Fox Television in Tampa that included behind-the-scenes series on ''Melrose Place,'' ''Party of Five'' and ''The X-Files.'' It was also during this time that he began to produce and report on film releases, his first in 1994. It was here that Sam found his calling, and he has continued on the studio press circuit steadily since that time, traveling the world from Cannes to London to Toronto to Vancouver to Hawaii and, of course, L.A. and New York, landing Bay Area exclusive interviews with the world's biggest stars. Premier red-carpet coverage has taken him from ''Harry Potter'' in London to ''Pearl Harbor'' in Hawaii, from ''The Phantom'' in New York to Alcatraz, the infamous San Francisco prison.
In the process, Sam also created customized, half-hour movie-news programs that ran in the lobbies and public areas of the world's largest theaters, including Loews Cineplex, Regal Cinemas, Magic Johnson and Star Theaters in 30 of the top markets around the U.S., including Sony Lincoln Center and Loews Times Square.
In 2000, Sam began a weekly radio segment on WMTX's (Clear Channel/Tampa) popular ''Mike and Nancy Show'' as the featured film reporter, and shortly thereafter began similar on-camera television work at WFLA-TV (NBC/Tampa) on its ''Daytime'' show, a daily, hour-long morning show.
In 2003, he was hired to create and produce WFLA-TV's late night entertainment news program ''The Spot.'' For two years he has overseen the production, and served as a featured reporter, covering film releases for the program. Sam currently spends 20-25 weekends on the road covering the release of films all over the world.
Currently residing in homes in Tampa and the Boston area, Sam is married and has two children.