Today we’d like to introduce you to Destiny Soria.
Destiny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My qualities have to be my ADHD, autistic, and being me. I have trouble with my learning disabilities, so it does get in the way of my work and my creative ideas. It takes a while to do a choir or work. I love the way I am and who I am. I do get help when I’m stuck or don’t understand something. I do try to write things down to not forget and make a To-Do List. I’m a wanderer too. I’m a Native American from the Kickapoo tribe. We are also a wolf clan. Kickapoo means wanderer. That’s my unique. I’m really proud of myself and my background. I’m a very spiritual person and believe that there is magic out there. I’m blessed to have it. I’m a very determined and passionate being. I’m the founder and owner of Lady Destiny Productions, a new production company that made its debut producing several short films as well as “Christmas Slasher,” which will be the company’s first feature film. I can say I am a talented model, actress, dancer, and singer who has always had an affinity for storytelling. Now, I have brought my horrific vision to life by taking the helm as director, producer, writer, and lead actress of “Christmas Slasher” Claus) I am an accomplished actress with nearly a hundred productions to my credit. In addition to my directing, producing and writing duties, I portray the film’s lead, the emotionally distraught and confused, Alita Claus.
“I just finished a short horror film entitled “Hallowflix and Kill” that I wrote, directed, and starred in. It’s currently cruising the festival circuit and will be part of the horror anthology “The United States of Horror: Chapter 3 released next year.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was faced with a difficult situation two years ago during the creation of my first film, Christmas Slasher. We had several individuals who tried to take advantage of the fact that I’m a new filmmaker; these individuals displayed extremely unprofessional and disruptive behavior both on and off set which included having drugs on set and stealing from the production. When I fired them, they spread false accusations against me and my team in an attempt to ruin my reputation and that of my company. The accusations were disturbing and it really hurt to see these lies spread. The stress made me physically ill and I even stopped acting and producing for a time.
However, I made the decision to stand up for myself and I will be taking the individuals involved in court for a defamation lawsuit. I have witnessed from the set and evidence to prove that they flat-out lied. When I made my position known on social media, I also found out I’m not alone- there are others that have fallen prey to these individuals. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone and I will also work with others who have come forward to help them get justice. This year I have told the truth to the world on the media like Youtube and shown the truth about these individuals. I have won and moved on. Now I’m directing more and making appearances in other directors’ films! I’m very excited to work on my two horror feature films next year.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Started acting around 2008 then grew into directing. I started my filming company, Lady Destiny Productions in 2016 with a few short films. Then, around the end of 2016 made the short film Christmas Slasher. I have always worked as an actress but writing stories in movies was my dream. I had just finished the short film, but I hit a few obstacles and had to redo some scenes even before COVID put a temporary stop to production. That’s when I decided to make a feature film out of it. During that time, I wrote it as a feature film and started working on a budget. I had connections worldwide and started working on the fundraiser. We hit the goal and even went over for the movie, allowing us to bring in well-known talents. Things have been blossoming in my career, growing bigger and stronger. Now I’m making more movies and being in other directors’ films. I have become SAG and will start a new chapter of my life in Los Angeles next year. I have my own company called Lady Destiny Productions LLC, we are a growing small business that is focused on filming productions and projects. We both do short films (and) feature films. I just finished my first feature film called “Christmas Slasher” which will be released in 2023, which gave me a chance to work with many talented people in the film industry.
At the moment, we are focused more on the horror genre; I have already started on scripts for two more horror feature films. My short film Hallowflix and Kill, which has been in the United States of Horror Chapter 3, is coming out next year in the anthology and has won awards. I am most proud of Christmas Slasher, which was a three-year project that we completed despite all of the drama and pandemic restrictions. Christmas Slasher currently has awards and official selections from out 28 film festivals even before being released to the public has won 5 awards with 3 nominations!
What sets me apart from others are my dedication and my willingness to give others a chance. I put my all into every project and role, be it as a director or actress. I am also someone who has learning disabilities and is autistic, so I understand the struggles that others face. I make it a point to give people a chance and give them jobs even if they are working to overcome disabilities.
In the following year or so, I’ll be making two feature films back-to-back, both horrors of course! I love my horrors. I just keep growing and glowing. I love to work with others and have been more on directing other films and other film production projects. This year, I have directed a series and a short film about LGBTQ.
I just starred and produced a drama movie called “No Promised Land” that we hope to submit to big film festivals this year.
What were you like growing up?
I actually have both short- and long-term goals. One of my short-term goals at this time is to get my first feature film, Christmas Slasher on a popular media platform like Netflix. The film will be a homage to 80’s cult classics with new monsters and an original storyline. I’m very blessed to have won many awards for my short films and for Christmas Slasher. As far as long-term goals, I plan to continue being a director for filming and working on other directors/filmmakers’ projects. I would love to work beside Johnny Depp as an actress and work beside Robert Rodriguez as a director. I have so many scripts and ideas to make more films in the future. I also have been a producer for a couple of films this year, one is called No Promised Land, in which I star. The film is a very powerful piece of drama and we hope to send it to the Sundance-fingers crossed!
My mission is to continue to raise my voice in the film and horror creative space as a Native American and to uplift the talents of other women, especially Native American women, in the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://destinysoria.wixsite.com/destinysoria
- Instagram: http://nstagram.com/https://www.instagram.com/destinysoria/
- Facebook: http://facebook.cohttps://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lady%20destiny%20productions%20llcm/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzcPUgUJGTg6fD4EohQ7WA
Image Credits
LA Christmas Slasher, Simon Pritchard, and Anthony Gracia
