Dominick Domasky of Greensburg is in the inspiration business. Whether it takes the form of books, motivational speaking or, on Thursday night, film-making in downtown Irwin, Domasky’s Motivation Champs company “shares inspiration, positivity and smiles 24/7, and helps other people do the same,” he said.
One of Domasky’s clients is Chicago author Brian Swift, who is a quadriplegic after breaking his neck four decades ago.
“But he hunts, he fishes, he drives a motorcycle where he sits in the sidecar,” Domasky said.
Swift also had an idea for a comic book about a superhero in a wheelchair, which eventually became a screenplay.
“Brian’s big thing was, ‘This guy’s not super because he got bit by a spider. He’s not super because of some magic beans,” Domasky said. “He’s super because he made a choice. He’s super because he had to be.”
That same attitude was also the root of one of Swift’s motivational books, which became the working title of the screenplay: “The Quadfather.”
Swift and Domasky spent two years working on the screenplay, and on Thursday night, Domasky’s cast and film crew of about 15 people turned part of Oak Street in Irwin into a Chicago side street, and filmed a pivotal scene inside the Sunoco station at the intersection of Oak and Pennsylvania.
The main character, being played by Pittsburgh paraplegic athlete and musician Attila Domos, is put to a hard decision.
“Something’s going on in the store, and he has do decide, ‘Should I remain passive? Or is it time to take action?’” Domasky said.
He and Swift hope the scene can gain traction on social media and help them pitch it to companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
“We want to show how somebody who is a para-athlete can be a hero,” Domasky said. “If someone wants to put Ben Affleck in it, we can talk down the road. But I hope they enjoy the short story we want to tell.”
