I had the pleasure and privilege of joining about 170 women from across Australian screen industry on Friday for the Natalie Miller Fellowship Leadership conference. 

There was indeed a buzz in the air as the women gathered at RMIT university in Melbourne for what was the first ever national professional development conference in Australia designed specifically for women in screen content creation - from producers through to cinematographers and writers. 

The conference involved leadership training, networking sessions across the various breaks during the day as well as presentations from some of the industry's movers and shakers, including Walt Disney Australia and New Zealand General Manager Jo Bladen and Emmy Award-winning producer Sonya Pemberton.

The day ended with networking drinks, which gave everyone another opportunity to mix and mingle with one another, swap business cards and chat about future collaborations.

I met some amazing women throughout the day and am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in such an important event.

Out of the conference, about 50 women will be selected to continue in the Leadership Program and receive mentoring and networking opportunities - I have my fingers and toes crossed that I'll get one of those coveted positions.

The ladies at the fellowship 400 women from all eight states and territories registered for the program, which far exceeded expectations for its inaugural year.