Tough Enough

Laura Somers is a writer, director, editor, producer. Tired of waiting for permission to do what she always dreamed of--direct her own feature film--she raised funds on Seed & Spark and went back to her hometown of Houston, TX to make her feature directorial debut, Rich Kids. After Rich Kids won 16 festival awards, she struck a deal with Premiere Entertainment for worldwide sales. Her domestic distributor, ITN, licensed the film to Netflix where it premiered in February 2020—almost unheard of these days for a no-budget drama with unknown actors.

Her sophomore feature film is Rise and Shine, starring Rachel Bay Jones, Danny Burstein, and Ana Sharp, based on the true story of a mother and her daughter with cerebral palsy, with Sharp making her theatrical debut as a neurodiverse actress.

Laura recently completed the short film, Tough Enough, starring Indigenous filmmaker and actor Litefoot, which tells the story of Frankie Groves, the first female to play high school football in Texas, continuing Laura’s exploration of groundbreaking characters who challenge societal norms. Her creative work also spans into audio, with her dark comedy podcast Cypress Creek reaching #5 on Apple Podcasts in early 2024.

Laura is originally from Texas and has lived in many pockets and communities around the country and has a deep love of characters who are outcasts looking for appreciation.
A creative visionary with a finger on the pulse of American consciousness and its youth, Laura is interested in telling stories that encourage viewers to create empathy for one another and advance humanity through creative storytelling by drawing characters who are strong, capable, independent, and thoughtful people who are fighting to have dignity in their lives and struggling with issues in today’s society. Much of her work is about subverting expectations and drawing stereotypes out of their boxes.

As a director, she has been selected for fellowships and mentorships with Women In Film, Film Independent, and SHOOT, and her work has received financial support from Banana Republic, Vanity Fair, IBM, UCLA, and the City of Austin. Her productions have been highlighted in American Theater Magazine, New York Magazine, Remezcla, Vanity Fair, The W Hotels and more.

In addition to directing, Laura writes screenplays and television pilots based on existing IP for Voyage Media which connects storytellers with Hollywood producers and writers. Her feature screenplay, Stud Man Rich, based on the true story of a Paralympian cyclist, is set to be produced in early 2025 starring RJ Mitte and will be directed by Sean McNamera.

Laura has mentored screenwriters through the WGA East Emerson Program, the Collyer Fellowship, and the Veteran’s Writing Project/Wounded Warrior, taught acting students at Austin Community College and was a programmer for the Anchorage International Film Festival between 2019-2021. She holds a BFA in Theater Directing from NYU’s TISCH School of the Arts and is a graduate of UCLA’s Professional Screenwriting Program. She grew up in Houston, TX, and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and son.

With two produced features, two pilots in development with a production company, two features in development, 30+ award-winning theater productions, and a handful of award-winning shorts, Laura’s work has proven time and again that it has an impact on audiences and she has a loyal fan base that she continues to build with every project she takes on.