California’s top film authority, Colleen Bell, who has served as director of the state Film Commission for the past six years, will step down from her position in early January.
An appointee of outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom announced she would be transitioning from her position alongside Newsom on an episode of Cityfrom the previous Hollywood Reporter Managing Editor Matt Bellone, which was released Friday night. “I will move with Governor Newsom,” Bell said when asked if she would remain in office if California Gov. Xavier Becerra is elected in November.
In a statement to Hollywood ReporterServing in this role has been “one of the great privileges of my career,” Bell added. She added that until the next governor takes office in January, “my focus will remain firmly on the work that lies ahead.”
Bell continued, “We have important initiatives underway and strong momentum behind production growth in California, and I intend to finish strong – continuing to deliver results and strengthening California’s position as a global leader in film and television production. I also look forward to working closely with the incoming administration to ensure a smooth and thoughtful transition.”
“It has been an honor to serve the people of California, and I remain optimistic about the future of our film and television industry and the important work of the California Film Commission,” she concluded.
Appointed in 2019 by Newsom, Bell oversaw the commission during a period of dramatic change in Hollywood. Her organization, which administers the state’s film and television tax credit program, has sought to correct the state’s production volume through the COVID-19 pandemic, the twin 2023 labor strikes and the downturn in the entertainment business and the rampant rampage of runaway productions to other jurisdictions afterward. During that period, her organization supported productions including Disney’s The Mandalorian and GroguApple TV+ studio,Fox BaywatchABC Rising And HBO Max the house.
Amid protests over decreased production work in the state following 2023 writers and actors strikes, Newsom and various stakeholders in 2025 succeeded in putting a new cap on the state’s incentive program. The change more than doubled California’s previous allotment, from $330 to $750 million annually. For about a year now, Bell has been able to tap into these expanded coffers to offer tax incentives for more production, even while California still lags behind other countries and states (such as the UK, Georgia, and Louisiana) on some perks, such as qualifying above-the-line expenses.
Bell took over the position of Film Commissioner after previously serving as US Ambassador to Hungary during the second administration of former President Barack Obama. Active in Democratic politics, she served as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention and was pivotal in raising more than $2.1 million for Obama’s presidential campaign.
Bill is also an entertainment industry veteran, having worked for decades in various roles on daytime soap operas The bold and the beautifulincluding as a producer.
