Deluxe Heartbeat Fund makes a three-year commitment of financial support to the Natalie Miller Fellowship
The Natalie Miller Fellowship is set to receive a generous donation of $20,000 over three years from Deluxe Australia’s Heartbeat Fund. Deluxe Australia’s Managing Director, Alaric McAusland, will announce the donation today at the Australian International Movie Convention on the Gold Coast.
“We encourage other members of our great community to get behind the Natalie Miller Fellowship to ensure their work continues. In doing so we ensure a richer, more diverse industry from which we can draw strength.” Alaric McAusland, Managing Director of Deluxe Australia
Deluxe Australia is the largest employer of its type in the region with a team of close to five hundred providing creative and technical services to the screen sector spanning from production to distribution. The business was inspired to support the Natalie Miller Fellowship given their aligned objective to boost female representation in leadership roles and in other roles throughout its businesses and in the broader Australian screen industry.
“Deluxe are both pleased and excited to support the Natalie Miller Fellowship with a significant financial donation,” said Alaric McAusland, Managing Director of Deluxe Australia. “Importantly, we recognise it is only through these contributions that Natalie Miller Fellowship can continue to inspire women in our business and in the broader screen industry to develop professionally and right gender imbalances that currently exist, particularly in decision making roles. We encourage other members of our great community to get behind the Natalie Miller Fellowship to ensure their work continues. In doing so we ensure a richer, more diverse industry from which we can draw strength.”
The donation will be presented this afternoon to 2012’s inaugural winner of the Fellowship, Rachel Okine, Head of Development for Hopscotch Features and the Acquisitions Executive for Entertainment One Hopscotch. Okine will be presenting at the Australian International Movie Convention to educate industry guests about the Natalie Miller Fellowship and the opportunities surrounding the award.
“[The NMF] gave me the confidence and the vision to see my own career and our industry in a completely different light.” – 2013 Winner Harriet Pike
Also attending today’s event will be the 2013 winner Harriet Pike, the Head of Production & Development at WildBear Entertainment. Pike’s winning proposal included travel to the University of Oxford to attend the intensive High Performance Leadership Programme at the ‘Said Business School’.
“Thanks to the NMF my attendance not only gave me an unprecedented opportunity to gain world class knowledge and expertise, it also gave me the confidence and the vision to see my own career and our industry in a completely different light. I would encourage all women striving to reach the top and make a difference to apply – you just never know where your journey will end up taking you!” said 2013 winner Harriet Pike.
The official announcement and presentation of the Fellowship award for 2014 will be made on November 18th 2014 at the annual Screen Producers Australia (SPA) conference in Melbourne.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship aims to support and encourage women who have demonstrated initiative, entrepreneurship and excellence. The Fellowship renews annually and is open to any woman already working in the Australian screen industry with the potential to inspire and provide leadership. The Fellowship is funded entirely by donations made to the Natalie Miller Fellowship Endowment Fund and through the generous support of Film Victoria.
With the support of the some of the country’s most esteemed female figures, including NMF patrons Claudia Karvan and Carol Schwartz A.M., the NMF aims to equip our future female leaders with the very best skills, knowledge and insight to take on bigger and more challenging opportunities. With future financial support from the industry, the NMFellowship hopes to become a perpetual award with an alumni that contributes to a more dynamic and innovative screen business in Australia.