Gold Coast screen leader honoured with 2025 National Fellowship
Gold Coast filmmaker Nerida Groth wins the 2025 Natalie Miller Fellowship
What’s happening?
Gold Coast Assistant Director Nerida Groth has been named the 2025 recipient of the Natalie Miller Fellowship, one of Australia’s most prestigious honours recognising female leadership and entrepreneurship in the screen industry.
The announcement was made by Natalie Miller herself at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) held on the Gold Coast, reflecting the region’s growing reputation as Australia’s “Goldywood.”
Nerida is the co-founder of Generate Crew, a Gold Coast–based social enterprise dedicated to strengthening and sustaining the crews behind the cameras.
Her Fellowship project continues Generate Crew’s mission to build a healthier, more sustainable, and people-first culture within the screen industry, positioning Queensland as a national leader in crew development.
Why it matters
With more than 15 years of experience on major international productions filmed locally and abroad, including Elvis, Anaconda, Aquaman, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Nerida has seen first-hand the pressures faced by crew on large-scale film and television productions.
The Fellowship will allow her to strengthen her leadership and HR capability through targeted professional development and mentoring.
A key part of her project is formalising the Skills Development Officer role, a new on-set position designed to ensure crew training, retention, and professional growth are properly valued and prioritised across productions.
Nerida will also travel to Hollywood to meet with major studios and advocate for early, strategic investment in local Australian crew development.
Her goal is to show how planning for training in pre-production builds stronger local workforces, supports crew wellbeing, and delivers smoother, more efficient productions.
“I’m honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Natalie Miller Fellowship,” said Nerida Groth, Generate Crew Co-Founder and Managing Director.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to keep advocating for our world-class film crews who work so hard to make the magic happen. Queensland made more international feature films than any other state last year. If we want to maintain our first-class reputation, we need to strategically invest in the development of the crew.”
By the numbers:
• Nerida has over 15 years of experience working on major international productions filmed locally and overseas.
• Queensland produced more international feature films than any other state last year, strengthening its screen industry profile.
• The Australian International Movie Convention took place from 27–30 October 2025 on the Gold Coast, where the Fellowship was officially announced.
Zoom In
Nerida’s Fellowship project aims to formalise the Skills Development Officer role on film sets to ensure that crew members receive the support and professional growth opportunities they deserve.
Through professional development and mentoring, she will expand her leadership skills to strengthen crew welfare across the industry.
Zoom Out
The announcement at the AIMC reflects the growing national recognition of the Gold Coast as a leading centre for film production.
The Fellowship’s focus on crew sustainability aligns with the increasing attention given to workforce wellbeing across the Australian screen sector.
Local Impact
Generate Crew, based on the Gold Coast and co-founded by Nerida Groth and Louise Hodgson, is committed to developing and retaining a strong, sustainable, and inclusive crew workforce for the local screen industry.
The social enterprise continues to play a key role in supporting local professionals behind the scenes.
What to look for next
Nerida’s upcoming professional development and Hollywood meetings will further her work to strengthen crew development and advocate for sustainable production practices that benefit both Queensland and Australia’s screen industry.