California Film Commission Director Colleen Bell to Step Down in January

Colleen Bell will step down as director of California’s film commission in early January. She announced the departure on an episode of The Town podcast hosted by Matt Belloni that was released Friday night. Bell stated she will be transitioning out with Gov.

Newsom. She added that important initiatives remain underway and that she intends to finish strong while continuing to deliver results and strengthen California’s position as the global leader in film and television production. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Bell was appointed director in 2019 by Gov.

Gavin Newsom. The commission administers the state’s film and TV tax credit program. In 2025 Newsom and stakeholders raised the annual cap on those incentives from $330 million to $750 million. During her tenure the commission supported productions including Disney’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, Apple TV+’s The Studio, Fox’s Baywatch, ABC’s The Rookie, and HBO Max’s The Pitt.

Bell previously served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary during former President Barack Obama’s second administration and raised more than $2.1 million for Obama’s presidential campaign. She also worked for decades on the daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful, including as a producer.