Meet The Founder: Kimberly Summer and Lauren Rose Beck

Melbourne-born filmmaker and entrepreneur Kimberly Summer recalls growing up in Australia along with her sibling and being the only non-anglo student in school. With her Filipino-Austrian heritage, it did not strike her then that she would face discrimination for the way she looked.

“I remember being harassed in school and didn’t even realise it was because they were being racist,” Kimberly recalls about the lack of support she had as a child to address racism and discrimination. 

Kimberly studied film and TV with the hopes of making it big in the screen industry. Kimberly has worked in the industry now for over 10 years and continually felt undermined. What she experienced was the harassment that had translated from school to the workplace. She realised then that the pain and bias was felt by many women across the industry. 

Kimberly found herself stuck in a dynamic where creating change from within would be tough as a solo mission and she decided it was time to take a different approach. 

“It was around then that I realised the power of using storytelling to change perspectives” explains Kimberly.

“The brand is a conduit for empowerment. Kollider came from the gaps in the industry, realising that people deserved a voice.”

Together with co-founder Lauren Rose Beck, Kollider is an online platform that connects and promotes diverse female and non-binary creatives to the screen industry. Kollider is building opportunities for diverse women globally to work together creatively. The brand will establish a sense of ‘sisterhood economy’ through technology and shared values for empowerment and storytelling. 

Image description: Headshots of Kimberly and Lauren on the left and text ‘Kimberly Summer & Lauren Rose Beck, Co-Founders, Kollider. An online platform that connects and promotes diverse and non-binary creatives to the screen industry. Learn more at poplabs.com.au’ on the right on a white background.

Being a part of Poplabs has been a challenging and revitalising journey for Kimberly and Lauren. During the program it has revealed Kollider as not only a brand and platform, but also a personal identity that connects them with their work and other women across the globe. 

“If I could talk to my younger self, she is going to remind me to love myself”, Kimberly has felt the genuine support of the creative business founders that are part of Poplabs Cohort One. They have supported her to connect with her own values and identity. 

The founders of Kollider are bringing fresh perspectives within the film, TV and media industry which promises to shake the grounds and allow for more diverse voices to be a part of the mainstream narrative. 

We are so excited to be a part of this journey with them. Interested in being part of the change with Kollider? The platform is currently open for Expressions of Interest. Connect at kollider.io