Tony Phruishun Spires

Tony Phruishun Spires is a veteran filmmaker, television producer, singer/songwriter/recording artist, poet/spoken word artist, a longtime theater artist and teaching artist.

Tony’s feature films include: The romantic comedy, ​She Wins, the teen thriller, A Hot Night In The Valley, ​The Pan African Film Festival’s Best Feature Film nominated Tears Of A Clown, and the gritty, urban crime drama ​Two Degrees.  His short films include: ​Joke Thief, The Three-Legged Crow and ​Marvin Road.  He directed the 12-episode romantic web series, ​Pillow Talk and was the pioneering director of the experimental new media film, ​Necessary Drama, one of the first live-streamed movies ever filmed and screened simultaneously.

In television, he was executive producer for two seasons on the non-scripted comedy talkshow, ​Gimme Five.  Currently, Spires is co-creator, executive producer and director of the Los Angeles-based, non-scripted show, The SituationShift with Zo Williams, a relationship talkshow and is consulting producer on the stand up comedy series West Comedy Jam.

In the world of Stand up Comedy, Tony is the Founder/Executive Producer of ​the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition & Festival​, which helped launch the careers of many of today’s leading comedic talents including: ​Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, Chris Tucker, D.L. Hughley, Sheryl Underwood, Nick Cannon, Don “D.C.” Curry, Mike Epps, Katt Williams, Mark Curry, Lil Rel Howery, Laura Hayes, Luenell, Deon Cole, Arnez J, Rodney Perry, Matt Rife, Nate Jackson ​and many others.

Along with his wife Rhonda Spires, he’s the Co-Founder of multi-disciplinary performing arts organization, ​Full Vision Arts Foundation​, where he serves as​ Producing Artistic Director. ​

​Also a teaching artist, he serves as one of the original artists-in-residence and film instructors for ​Making Movies That Matter Youth Film Festival, in Los Angeles.