Private Project

The Come Up


Shemar, a single-minded Somali-American actor pushes hard to score his big break in Hollywood with the help of his South African Manager Tony. He meets the beautiful and talented Natalie in a West Hollywood coffee shop and falls hard. Their relationship heats up but the industry keeps him on ice. Unexpected news puts Shemar, Natalie, and his dream on a collision course, and when his big break up finally happens it’s more blow up than come up.

  • Lou Spisto
    Director
  • Lou Spisto
    Writer
  • Travis Brown
    Writer
  • Bella Dontine
    Writer
  • Lou Spisto
    Producer
  • Sharmaarke Mohamed
    Producer
  • Sharmaarke Mohamed
    Key Cast
    "Shemar "
  • Mandysa Brock
    Key Cast
    "Natalie "
  • Kieran Harriman
    Key Cast
    "Tony "
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 14, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lou Spisto

Lou Spisto is a TONY nominated theatre producer and performing arts executive who has recently added film writer/director to his accomplishments. Throughout his career, Lou has worked with some of the most important creative artists of our time. With new collaborations, he is now on a journey to tell more personal stories through film and digital mediums.

In Lou’s first short film (writer/director) The Come Up an aspiring actor’s personal life is at odds with his opportunity to gain a foot-hold in Hollywood. In the feature-length screenplay City Heights, a Somali cop in San Diego has his American dream shattered, and in the pilot, Mortal Cure, an HIV positive doctor-turned-vampire struggles to find a cure for AIDS in 1992 Detroit.

Theatre projects of Lou’s include the Broadway revivals of YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU starring James Earl Jones and THE GLASS MENAGERIE with Cherry Jones and Zach Quinto; ROCKY directed by Alex Timbers, BIG FISH directed by Susan Strohman, LOVE LETTERS with Mia Farrow and Brian Dennehy, and several productions that transferred from San Diego’s Old Globe. In Los Angeles, Lou produced the critically acclaimed musical RECORDED IN HOLLYWOOD and on London’s West End, (with Barbara Broccoli) Strangers on a Train. At the Globe, he produced over 140 plays and musicals that spanned ten seasons.

Lou has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for arts organizations including a $75 million capital campaign that supported construction of a new a theatre. He has led transformational change, built artistic programs, increased sales and funding, eliminated debt, and maximized organizational capacity for five arts organizations with annual budgets of more than $20 million. In 2019 Lou was asked to step in as Executive Director & Producer of Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles where he had served on the Board of Directors. Establishing a solid artistic and financial foundation for GMCLA, an organization with an incredible 40+ year legacy, has been one of the most meaningful opportunities and accomplishments of his arts management career.

In both leadership roles that support the vision of artists and communities, and commercial projects, Lou has worked to connect audiences with powerful experiences. His own film and tv projects, are rooted in the same mission – sharing important ideas with audiences through art and entertainment.

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