Jessica Hester
Jessica’s first feature, Coast, co-directed with Derek Schweikart, premiered at the 2021 Santa Barbara International Film Festival to sold-out screenings and strong critical response.
She began her career in theater and is an alumna of The Actors Center Conservatory in New York City. Her first short film, The Dress, won Best Ensemble at the LA Comedy Festival. After years of producing and directing theater, she shifted her focus to filmmaking. She went on to direct Illusion for Come What May Productions, which received multiple festival honors, including Best Cinematography at the Beverly Hills Film Festival (2013), Honorable Mention for Best Fantasy at the LA Fear and Fantasy Festival, selections at the Maui Film Festival and VisionFest, and the DVFS Visionary Award.
Additional film credits include producing Delicious Ambiguity and Dreaming Don’t Make It So, and writing and acting in the short film Picked Up. She also co-created the sitcom pilot Served with 30 Rock producer Don Scardino. Her socially engaged work includes Pride, created with the Ossining High School Girls Basketball Team to explore their experiences around menstruation, and an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s short story Long Walk to Forever, exhibited at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Museum.
Alongside Cindy Kitagawa and Derek Schweikart, Jessica co-founded A Journey Home Film to create innovative, character-driven stories rooted in empathy, human connection, and emotional truth.
In addition to directing, she works as a producer and post supervisor on Showtime’s award-winning series Couples Therapy.
