Kathryn Craig and Rachel Watt named 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship recipients – Kathryn Craig and Rachel Watt have been named the dual recipients of the 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship, with each receiving a $10,000 professional-development grant.
The two projects address different but closely connected challenges for Australia’s screen sector. Craig will investigate how cinemas can build lasting relationships with younger moviegoers, while Watt will examine how social-first audience strategies can begin earlier in a production’s life.
The recipients were announced at the Australian International Movie Convention at The Star on the Gold Coast. The fellowship’s selection recognises leadership potential as well as projects that can return practical knowledge to the wider Australian industry.
Kathryn Craig to study the next generation of cinema audiences
Kathryn Craig is Head of Programming and National Operations at Dendy Cinemas. She has more than 25 years of experience across cinema programming, venue operations and audience development.
Craig joined Dendy in 2009 as general manager of its Canberra cinema. She later moved through senior operational and leadership roles and now oversees programming and operations across the company’s national circuit.
Her project is titled The Next Audience: Leading Cinema Growth Through Insight, Technology and Experience. It asks how Australian cinemas can combine audience insight, digital discovery, loyalty programmes and strong operational delivery to form deeper relationships with younger moviegoers.
The fellowship will support an eight-to-ten-day study visit to the United States. Craig plans to meet industry leaders working across film discovery, marketing, ticketing, customer-relationship management, loyalty, analytics and cinema exhibition.
She will examine the complete audience journey: discovering a film, building interest, purchasing a ticket, experiencing the cinema and deciding whether to return. The work will also consider how younger audiences move between social media, trailers, reviews, streaming platforms and theatrical releases.
Craig said the fellowship had arrived at an important point in her career.
I am incredibly honoured and grateful to be named a recipient of the 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship. After more than 25 years in cinema exhibition, including more than 16 years with Dendy Cinemas, the Fellowship comes at a particularly meaningful point in my career and offers an invaluable opportunity to broaden my perspective, strengthen my leadership and explore how Australian cinemas can build lasting relationships with the next generation of moviegoers. I’m excited to share what I learn and contribute practical ideas that can help our industry attract, engage and retain the next generation of cinema audiences.
Kathryn Craig, 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship recipient
Rachel Watt to develop an Australian Audience-First Framework
Rachel Watt is the founder and managing director of Watt Social, a boutique social-media agency specialising in film, television and entertainment.
Her screen-marketing career spans more than a decade. Watt has worked across theatrical distribution, streaming, exhibition and production, with previous roles at Event Cinemas, WarnerMedia in the United Kingdom and Stan. She established Watt Social in 2022.
The agency works with studios, production companies, distributors and talent on social-first creative campaigns. Its work covers ideas, on-set production, campaign management, premieres, talent tours and title releases.
Watt’s fellowship project aims to change when Australian productions begin thinking about social media and audience development. Before travelling overseas, she will consult local producers, distributors, exhibitors and marketers to identify the industry’s current barriers.
She will then attend MIPCOM 2027 in Cannes and meet international leaders across entertainment, technology and marketing. Her research will examine who champions audience strategy from production through to release and how digital thinking can be introduced during development rather than added at the end.
The final result will be an Australian Audience-First Framework supported by domestic and international case studies. Watt intends to share the framework through industry forums and masterclasses.
I’ve worked in the screen industry now for over a decade now, and the thing I love most about it is the people. It’s why I’m so passionate about seeing our industry thrive and finding new ways to connect Australian stories with audiences. To be recognised by the Natalie Miller Fellowship and have such incredible industry leaders believe in what I’m trying to achieve is a huge confidence boost, but more than anything, I’m just so excited and grateful to be part of this amazing network of women.
Rachel Watt, 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship recipient
Fellowship backs leadership across the Australian screen sector
The Natalie Miller Fellowship was established in 2011 to recognise the contribution of screen-industry pioneer Natalie Miller AO. It supports established women working across the Australian screen sector and provides financial assistance for professional development.
Natalie Miller Fellowship president Sasha Close said both recipients had proposed projects with wider industry value.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship is delighted to announce Kathryn Craig and Rachel Watt as the 2026 recipients, whose proposals demonstrated the leadership and vision needed to help shape the future of the Australian screen industry. Both have identified opportunities to learn from international markets and bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to their work, spanning cinema exhibition and the promotion of Australian screen content.
Supporting the professional development of current and emerging screen industry leaders is at the heart of the Natalie Miller Fellowship. We’re proud to support Kathryn and Rachel as they take these next steps in their careers and look forward to the insights, connections and innovative approaches they will bring back to strengthen the Australian screen industry.
Sasha Close, President of the Natalie Miller Fellowship
The fellowship’s broader goal is to increase gender diversity in screen leadership. It argues that a wider range of leaders can support stronger storytelling, better business performance, innovation and a more inclusive industry.
Read TV Central’s earlier report on applications for the 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship. More information about its leadership programmes is available from the public Natalie Miller Fellowship website.
