Colwell Takes On Kia Forum, Intuit Dome Booking Duties

DUAL ROLE: Becky Colwell, general manager of Kia Forum and vice president of music and events at Intuit Dome, will be responsible for programming both venues. (Courtesy Kia Forum)

Industry veteran ran Booth Amphitheatre, directed sales at Walnut Creek

Becky Colwell this week moved into the position of general manager of Kia Forum and vice president of music and events at Intuit Dome, the future home of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers that’s set to open in 2024 in Inglewood, California, not far from where the Forum has been doing strong business as one of greater LA’s top concert venues.

Colwell will be responsible for operations and programming of the Kia Forum as well as the programming of Intuit Dome leading into and following the $2 billion-plus venue’s opening in 2024. She reports to  Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker. The Kia Forum and Intuit Dome are both under the ownership of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who purchased the Forum in 2020 in order to move forward with construction of the Clippers’ new nearby home.

The opening of Intuit Dome will add another venue to an area that includes SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater, but Alex Hodges, CEO of Nederlander Concerts, doesn’t see it stealing Kia Forum’s thunder, believing instead that the venerable venue “will continue to be a success story.”

“It’s interesting that at one time some people counted the Forum out,” he said in an email. “But with revitalization of the venue itself and concentrating on concerts instead of sports, it has flourished.”

Indeed, since the beginning of 2022, Kia Forum has reported over $81 million in grosses from 58 shows, with a total of 647,857 tickets sold, according to results reported to VenuesNow sister publication Pollstar. (See this year’s Forum top five below.)

A new venue doesn’t necessarily replace an older one, Hodges said.

“The idea that the greater Los Angeles market is over-seated or will be, seems to be contradicted by the number of shows and the number of tickets sold,” he said.

Colwell had been general manager of the Greek Theatre since 2015 and general manager of ASM-managed (Koka) Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, for nearly 11 years before that. She also served as director of sales at Live Nation-run Walnut Creek Amphitheatre (now Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Becky has earned a reputation for creating best-in-class experiences for all who step foot in the venues she leads and will help us continue to achieve new standards at the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome,” Zucker said in the hiring announcement.

Colwell was not made available for an interview with VenuesNow. Her successor at the Greek was not immediately announced.

The news of Colwell’s hire comes after previous Kia Forum GM Geni Lincoln moved to Live Nation as president of the company’s California region.

The new post for Lincoln, who started her career in live at Universal Amphitheater for House of Blues Entertainment (which became part of Live Nation during her tenure) was announced Oct. 19. She ‘s responsible for overseeing all booking, marketing and business operations in California.

Lincoln spent nine years at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, where she rose to general manager and senior vice president of live events. She was part of the team responsible for maintaining the venue’s high rankings in ticket sales every year and transforming the artist experience at the venerable venue.

Live Nation booked hundreds of shows during Lincoln’s time at the Kia Forum, so Lincoln has worked closely with much of the team she is now leading.

“We are thrilled to welcome Geni back to Live Nation, leading our California team,” said Jordan Zachary, co-president of U.S. concerts. “In her prior role at the Forum, she worked closely with our teams and we’re excited to see her continue to support even more of our division and the artists we support across California.”

Rich Best, previously resident of California region, is now joining Live Nation’s global promoting team. Under the leadership of Arthur Fogel and Omar Al-joulani, the global promoting team works on worldwide outings with some of the biggest acts in music, including The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Post Malone, Bruno Mars and more.

Best has been with Live Nation for more than 20 years, and in his time as a promoter has continued to help a roster of artists plan worldwide tours including Pearl Jam, Rufus Du Sol, and more.

During her time at the Kia Forum, Lincoln was part of the team responsible for maintaining the venue’s high rankings in ticket sales every year and transforming the artist experience at the Kia Forum. Live Nation booked hundreds of shows during Lincoln’s time at the Kia Forum, so she has worked very closely with much of the team she is now leading.

Five 2022 Kia Forum events with the most tickets sold:

1. Billie Eilish
Tickets: 41,358
Gross: $5,654,522
Shows: 3
Promoter: Live Nation
April 6-9

2. Daddy Yankee
Tickets: 33,887
Gross: $5,015,827
Shows: 3
Cardenas Marketing Network
July 27-29

3. Pearl Jam
Tickets: 33,134
Gross: $3,970,304
Shows: 2
Live Nation
May 6-7

4. Bad Bunny
Tickets: 32,568
Gross: $9,344,119
Shows: 2
Cardenas Marketing Network
Feb. 25-26

5. John Mayer
Tickets: 31,253
Gross: $4,714,496
Shows: 3
Live Nation
March 13-16

Editor’s notes: Pollstar’s Debbie Speer contributed to this report. Story has been updated.