Festival Judge & Marketing Consultant

Destiny Deming (she/her) is a filmmaker and marketing manager with a passion for storytelling that amplifies underrepresented voices. She thrives in collaborative environments, ensuring that every project she touches is both visually compelling and socially impactful. With a background in Photographic Technology and a BFA in Film Production from the University of Central Florida, she has worked as a producer and director of photography on commercial, documentary, and narrative projects. Most recently, she produced a short film about empowering young women to take ownership of their bodies, written and directed by She/Her Fest’s founder, Kathryn McCarthy.

As both a judge and marketing consultant for She/Her Fest, Destiny brings her expertise in visual storytelling and media strategy to champion work that inspires change and reclaims space for women in film—especially as their rights face growing threats.

Festival Judge

Jessie Lovejoy (she/her) is a contemporary visual artist and creative director in Seattle, Washington. Passionate about storytelling and character creation, many of Lovejoy’s concepts come from intense emotions she experiences and turns into characters that she builds worlds around. Lovejoy also draws concept inspiration from art, fashion, and pop culture worlds to explore societal topics such as color, identity and sensuality. With tongue-in-cheek visual delivery she examines societal views and notions; cleverly twisting them to make the audience examine their own views on the subjects she explores.

Lovejoy has been featured at the 2021 Tucson Erotic Arts Show and Film Festival and at the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival in 2020. She was again featured in SEAF’s 2021 festival and film showcase and became 1 of 3 artists bestowed with the festival's Juror’s Choice Award for her piece,’ Tankou Simil ’. And in 2022, she made her international art debut at the 8th Erotic & Bizarre Art Film Festival in Spain with her short film Bourgeois, which also took home the EBAFF ‘22 award for Best Fashion Film.

Festival Judge

Lauren Megan McCarthy (she/her) has been an actor for over a decade. She has starred in numerous narrative films, theatre works, and industrial commercials. She is currently in the process of publishing her first novel. Her love of storytelling has connected her with the local community since moving to the Pacific Northwest from Atlanta in 2019. Her involvement in the film industry has taught her just how important it is to support filmmakers with limited resources, which is why she is so excited to contribute to She/Her Fest as a judge. Lauren Megan’s favorite movies are Titanic and Practical Magic. 

Festival Judge

Capriana Steg (she/her) is a culinary artist and an avid reader with a passion for the arts. She previously worked as a private chef at a writer’s retreat on Whidbey Island and has catered for multiple local film productions. She has also recently entered the film world by training as an assistant director. Capriana loves stories that portray strong female characters, evoke emotion, but are also able to find humor in the dark times. Being a judge for She/Her Fest is an exciting opportunity for her to explore new, original stories and support women artists.

Festival Judge

Kathy Vandermeer (she/her) is a lover of all things pop culture and a connoisseur of television, books, and films. With a keen interest in stories that highlight diverse perspectives of female characters around the globe, Kathy enjoys consuming films with an analytical eye, particularly focusing on female representation. In addition to her love for media, Kathy works in international development, dedicated to expanding health care access to women worldwide. With this commitment to promoting nuanced portrayals of women in media and improving women’s health globally, she is excited to be a judge at She/Her fest. 

Some of Kathy’s favorite movies are Legally Blonde, Booksmart, and Lady Bird.