Creative producer Jessica Estelle Huggins has been featured in various film festivals across the country and is well on her way to becoming a visionary in the film industry. Her range of creativity manifests as producer, director, and writer. Huggins is a native of Boston where she attended the Boston Arts Academy studying theatre arts and film. After high school she moved to Chicago where she attended Columbia College.
Huggins enthusiastically submerged herself into the film department exploring her many talents in editing, casting, writing and directing. As a result of her hard work and passion, she was asked to cast for a faculty film and two of Columbia’s Advanced Practicum Productions before her senior year. Huggins served in different roles as producer, director, and writer for short films, music videos, web-series and a feature film in Chicago.
After graduation, Huggins was hired to co-produce what became a film festival favorite short across North America in 2014. ‘Perfect Day’ directed by UIC’s famed theatre Professor Derrick Sanders was accepted into over 20 film festivals and has won 4 awards. A solo project and most notable series, ‘Chi-Voices: A Poetic Film Series’ has been accepted into 6 international film festivals. The series spotlights six Chicago poets who creatively expressed their thoughts about the impact of violence on the youth in Chicago.
Huggins is passionate about social justice issues that affect black women and the black community as a whole. Her most prized project that she’s worked on to date was the ‘Give Black’ web series through BRIJ Embassy for Black America where she is a member and served as Media Producer, producing short documentaries about various black community leaders, organizations and artists throughout the Chicagoland area; placing the spotlight on those who give back to their community.
Currently living in Boston, MA, Huggins continues to develop unique narratives of people of color for people of color. Outside of film, her longterm dream is to open a restaurant in Boston for her family who are all passionate cooks. Since she is a wine lover and enthusiast, it’ll have to include a winery because what’s a great meal without a refreshing glass of wine or two. Her favorite works of art are James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry or Tennessee Williams.