About John

John Hubbell is a four-time Emmy Award-winning writer/producer of American documentary film and media. He created California Story Company as an agency and collaborative studio for work with leading visual journalists, interactive designers and interesting clients worldwide.  View his 2025 director’s reel here.

John plans, writes and directs production of all CSC projects. He has extensive experience working directly with leading scientists, pioneering thinkers and technology innovators around the world, helping to explain their groundbreaking ideas with a human touch that fosters engagement, trust and transparency. He also works as a consultant to in-house communications teams to find and shape captivating storylines. 

A fourth-generation native of Northern California, John served previously as an editor and reporter on the national, foreign and political staffs of The Associated Press, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Asia edition of The New York Times. He has reported and produced work across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, created master narratives for highly honored museums and led teams on challenging storytelling missions around the world. 

Happily based in Northern California after more than 20 years in New York, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong and Memphis, John holds a bachelor of science in journalism from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and a master’s degree in folklore/American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as a member of the advisory board of Cal Poly’s Journalism Department, and is a member of The Video Consortium, a worldwide community of leading nonfiction visual storytellers. He is also a mentor for Military Veterans in Journalism.