[2] Spears grew up on the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation until the first grade when his family moved to Pierre, South Dakota.

The film is about a Navajo boxer training for the Golden Gloves with the promise of a spot at the Olympics while struggling with the secrets of his family's past.

In 2011 and 2012, Spears played the popular[5] Joseph Black Moon in AMC's TV series Hell On Wheels.

In 2005, Spears and his brother Michael modeled for Cochiti Pueblo fashion designer Virgil Ortiz for his "Indigene" clothing line, and were featured on the cover of the August 2005 issue of New Mexico Magazine.

[8] Spears co-hosted the 39th Annual American Indian Film Institute Awards in 2014 along with actress Tonantzin Carmelo.