The Room Collective opens doors for women in media

The Room Collective has launched in Sydney to connect women working across media, marketing and publishing. The community aims to build stronger professional relationships between women across brands, agencies, media companies and publishers.

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Founded by Jessica Torstensson, client growth director at Bench Media, the collective is now developing its founding network. Although it is launching in Sydney, women from across Australia are invited to take part.

Turning introductions into opportunities

Torstensson created The Room Collective after seeing how introductions and informal conversations could shape careers.

“When I look back on my career, very few of the defining moments happened because of a formal meeting. They happened because someone introduced me to the right person, invited me into a conversation or opened a door,” she said.

“Those relationships have shaped my career, and I’d love to see more women creating those opportunities for one another.”

The network will bring together women at different career stages through conversations, shared experiences and opportunities to form professional relationships.

Torstensson said the initiative would also address the limited opportunities for women to connect beyond their immediate areas of the industry.

“While our industry is built on collaboration, many still build our careers in our own lanes. We’re constantly connected, yet there are fewer opportunities to build genuine professional relationships across brands, agencies, media and publishing.

“This is the very gap which I hope The Room Collective will bridge.”

Building connections across the industry

Erin Fraser, head of client services at Bench Media, said professional communities could support individuals while strengthening the wider media and marketing sector.

“The media and marketing industry thrives when diverse voices are connected, supported and given opportunities to learn from one another,” Fraser said.

“Empowering women to build meaningful professional networks doesn’t just benefit individuals, it strengthens our entire industry, and we’re incredibly proud to support Jessica as she brings this vision to life.”

The Room Collective plans to encourage members to share opportunities, make introductions and advocate for other women. Future gatherings and initiatives will be announced in the coming weeks.

“I encourage all women working across media, marketing and publishing to follow The Room Collective and be part of building a stronger network for women across the industry,” Torstensson said.

The community can be followed through LinkedIn and Instagram.

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