How Becky Colwell Keeps The Kia Forum & The Intuit Dome Running And Makes It Look Easy (2025 Women Of Live Cover Honoree)

Becky Colwell can juggle — not in the traditional balls-in-the-air way or really how any general manager operates a building, but more in a flaming-bowling-pins-interspersed-with-machetes-axes-and-watermelon kind of way. That is because, unlike virtually any top GM in the country, she is overseeing two major, high-profile arenas in the same primary market.

As GM at the historic Kia Forum and vice president of music and events at the shiny new high-tech Intuit Dome, home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, Colwell helped set priorities and execute next-level strategy to pull off one of the most anticipated arena openings in 2024 with Bruno Mars concerts on Aug. 15 and 16 and has continued to build momentum at the two Inglewood, California venues roughly a mile and a half apart.

Pollstar’s 2025 Women of Live Hub

Exhibit one: FireAid, the exceptional L.A. wildfire relief concert, was easily one of the most daunting and ultimately rewarding benefit shows ever created and offered a proof of concept of how the two buildings could work together. With just two weeks to pull together 30 headline acts (from Joni Mitchell, John Fogerty and Stevie Wonder to Billie Eilish, Jelly Roll, Tate McRae to Nirvana, Peso Pluma and Olivia Rodrigo) performing at both venues while reaching 50 million viewers across 28 streaming platforms and raising more than $100 million is an industry high bar never before reached.

“Becky’s dedication and leadership was a key component in the success of FireAid,” Irving Azoff, chairman and CEO of The Azoff Company, who organized the benefit, told Pollstar. “Her commitment to the FireAid team helped us raise more than $100 million in much-needed funds for the many who suffered losses. It’s that kind of passion and hard work that enabled us to surpass any expectations in such a very limited timeline.” (Azoff is a co-founder of Oak View Group, Pollstar’s parent company.)

“It was unbelievable,” said Colwell, who is steadfast in the face of any and all external pressures. “It’s surprising we were able to do that in such a short amount of time. It was so beautiful and such a great cause and we raised a ton of money, and we’re continuing to raise money. But pulling that off was such a feat and [through] our partnership with Live Nation, in particular. It was unbelievable seeing both buildings work simultaneously.”

Humble and gracious, Colwell always credits her team for managing the day-to-day at one of the most iconic venues in the country, launching an ambitious music calendar at Intuit Dome and laying the groundwork that resulted in the massive success of FireAid.

“Becky’s dedication and leadership was a key component in the success of FireAid,” Irving Azoff, chairman and CEO of The Azoff Company, who organized the benefit, told Pollstar. “Her commitment to the FireAid team helped us raise more than $100 million in much-needed funds for the many who suffered losses. It’s that kind of passion and hard work that enabled us to surpass any expectations in such a very limited timeline.” (Azoff is a co-founder of Oak View Group, Pollstar’s parent company.)

“It was unbelievable,” said Colwell, who is steadfast in the face of any and all external pressures. “It’s surprising we were able to do that in such a short amount of time. It was so beautiful and such a great cause and we raised a ton of money, and we’re continuing to raise money. But pulling that off was such a feat and [through] our partnership with Live Nation, in particular. It was unbelievable seeing both buildings work simultaneously.”

Humble and gracious, Colwell always credits her team for managing the day-to-day at one of the most iconic venues in the country, launching an ambitious music calendar at Intuit Dome and laying the groundwork that resulted in the massive success of FireAid.

“I’m not just saying this, I have an amazing team,” said Colwell, who joined the company from L.A.’s Greek Theatre in 2022 and has oversight of a booking team that handles content at both venues.

The call to action was collaboration over competition. Colwell tellingly has a degree in family and child development from Auburn University, which makes sense considering how lauded she is for her people skills and level-headedness. She leaned into the strong booking department at the Kia Forum, while hiring an equally strong booker in Gus Canazio who could focus on the Dome, with some staff straddling both.

“I thought it would be the best use of our venues if we had one team,” Collwell explained. “That way we were talking to each other and everyone was working toward the same goal. And that was awesome because we didn’t want to pit anyone against one another because we are one family.”

Close in proximity and size – Kia Forum has a capacity of 17,500 and the Intuit Dome 18,000 – yet the venues have vastly different brands with Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers owning both. The storied Forum, opened in 1967 by renowned architect Charles Luckman and then-L.A. Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke, became home to both the NHL’s Kings and the NBA’s Lakers. In 2014, following a two-year $100 million renovation done by Madison Square Garden in partnership with Azoff, the sports venue transformed into a concert-only haven and an industry hang for some of the biggest and best tours in the world. Meanwhile, the trend-setting $2 billion Intuit Dome, a basketball-first technological marvel with facial recognition, a double-sided, 38,000-square foot Halo Board and comfortable seating with interactive controls in the armrests, also doubles as a first-class concert venue — all of which helps inform Colwell’s programming.

“We decided to highlight the great things about each building versus the differences,” offered Colwell. “Some acts are drawn to the new, shiny venue that is futuristic and the technology is amazing. And then others are in love with the Kia Forum, the history and the classic vibe of it. We try to present all of the attributes of each venue to the acts and the promoters and let them decide what’s best for them.”

Industry stakeholders, including agents and managers, have been touring the Intuit Dome as part of an ongoing outreach and education campaign since the hard-hat early days of construction.

“The way we are viewing it is, your choice. We’d love to have you at either one, as long as it’s at either,” said Colwell. “We are putting a big emphasis on ensuring that the experience in either building – although different – is positive for the artists and ultimately for the fans.”

A 26-year industry veteran, Colwell was named to Pollstar’s Impact 50 and VenuesNow All Stars lists. Prior to joining the Clippers, she spent seven years as GM of the Greek Theatre in L.A. while also serving as the regional director of booking for ASM Global’s western region. She came into her job at the Greek after great turmoil in Los Angeles politics that included Live Nation battling Nederlander and AEG for an exclusive contract for the Griffith Park venue. After a bungled request for proposal process, The Greek became an open building and Colwell’s even-handed guidance helped make the transition smoother than anyone anticipated.

Before heading west in 2015, Colwell served as GM of the 7,000-cap Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, for 12 years, transforming the amphitheater into one of the state’s premiere outdoor venues. She also previously director of sales for the 20,000-cap Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh where she got her start supervising seasonal part-time staff in 1998. These vastly varied experiences helped inform her holistic perspective of the venue business.

She tapped into that wellspring of knowledge last year to inspire her team through the challenges and unknown territory of opening a new venue while operating the Kia Forum.
“It was nerve-wracking and scary,” recalled Colwell. “This was coming online and all eyes were on it. How do we keep the focus? Because we could let the fear get in the way of – I don’t want to say failure – but are we doing the right thing? We would meet a lot and have a lot of conversations when negative thoughts crept in.”

Colwell encouraged the team to focus on small manageable chunks like filling the 45-day window between Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga after opening the Intuit Dome on Aug. 16 and before the first Clippers home game on Oct. 23. “We really focused on bite-sized pieces versus what are we going to do for the whole year?” she said.

Which helps explain how Olivia Rodrigo, Usher, Weezer, Billy Joel, Grupo Frontera, Twenty One Pilots and Sebastian Maniscalco among others helped kick off an incredibly strong concert season before the Clippers’ first game. Planning and preparation were key and during the early stages, weekly meetings could last up to three hours.

“I remember one time the head of our legal department – they had a huge heavy lift as well – she said, ‘I want to bake homemade cookies for you guys,’” recalled Colwell. “That was an amazing meeting and an example of everyone coming together. Because not only was there a new venue, but there are all these new people – co-workers, new departments. There were a lot of moments like that.”

Colwell, who points to ASM Global Regional General Manager Dolly Vogt out of Richmond, Virginia, as a mentor, recognizes the impact of developing the next generation of female leaders.

“I try to lead by example for the young women in my office,” she said. “And then let them know that no job is less important. You may want to be a GM, but what you are doing right now is giving you the knowledge you need to become a GM down the road.”

She has two high-stakes jobs in a high-profile entertainment market, but keeps balance outside the venues with her husband David and 12-year-old daughter Sidney, which she describes as a refuge.

“My personal network, my friendships and my family, are not in my industry and that’s such a grounding point of my life,” said Colwell. “That helps with my work/life balance and not getting absorbed in the day-to-day.”

Firmly grounded, Colwell doesn’t let pressure topple a good plan.

“It’s knowing that it is a big moment in time, but it’s just a moment,” said Colwell. “We’re going to get through it and we’re going to have another big moment. You learn as much as you can and if something doesn’t go as planned, you fix it. It may take a little bit of time, but you keep moving forward.”

Looking ahead at this year’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum bookings is a common occurrence. On April 27, Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro plays Kia Forum while the “Millennium Tour” with Trey Songz, Omarion, Bow Wow and Bad Azz hit the Intuit Dome. And on June 26, Dierks Bentley’s at Intuit while Pierce The Veil will be at the Kia Forum.

For some, those simultaneous bookings might induce heart palpitations, but for Colwell, one thing is certain: She will remain calm, focused, steadfast and get it done.