Whether you are an avid gamer or an everyday dreamer, the story of Doc Mack is sure to inspire you. I spoke with Michelle Maslanka, a producer and first assistant director of an upcoming documentary that will be the first to capture it. Here is all you need to know about the story, where to find it, when it could be released, and the Kickstarter that was just launched to help support the project’s funding.
Motion Source is the production company behind it all. Maslanka says, “Our day-to-day is corporate, client, non-profit work. We also have a film production company that we do our short films, music videos, and now this feature documentary through, called Year of the Phoenix Productions.”
The feature documentary will be titled “Ghostlord and the Quest for Dark Presence”. Doc Mack, also known as Ghostlord, is the owner of Galloping Ghosts Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois, which is one of the largest arcades in the world with over 900 games. The arcade has been around for almost 13 years now since its opening in 2010. Yet Mack’s story does not end with how successful his arcade has become; he has been working on a game of his own for nearly three decades.
“The core of the story is never giving up on your childhood dreams. For Doc, it has been to make a video game,” Maslanka says.
The game is still in the works and there has been high anticipation for it due to Mack’s major presence in the gaming community. He has been inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame and happens to own multiple businesses, not just Galloping Ghosts. Mack is definitely a well-known legend of his craft.
Maslanka went on to explain, “We have known Doc for a few years now; our studio for Motion Source is located in Brookfield, just a few blocks from the arcade. We realized he had a really great story and that no one has really documented it yet, so that’s where things picked up.”
Aside from the enthralling story behind Mack’s journey with his game and running the arcade, Motion Source is especially thrilled at the chance to tell it as a nearby production company.
“It is cool to have something like that so local here in Chicago. That is a big thing we are pushing – we are local filmmakers and we are telling a very local story. I think there is something special there,” Maslanka explains. “Chicago has been my home forever. Most of the crew is from the general area. The director, Craig Bass, lives in Westchester now, and is from the western suburbs area. So having the arcade minutes from our studio was a big draw for us.”
Maslanka recalls her own experiences visiting Galloping Ghosts. She describes the atmosphere as “a bit of a sensory-overload when you first walk in. It is basically a museum of retro arcade games from some of the classics and rare ones to some of the more newer and popular ones.”
The inspiring story of Mack has been in the works for almost two years. “We have been filming interviews since then and other shoots. The goal is to have it completed by the end of the year or early next year,” Maslanka states.
With the production process has come a lot of funding Motion Source has provided themselves. They recently released a Kickstarter campaign to help them raise more money and reach their end goal.
Maslanka explains Kickstarter as “a crowdfunding platform that is especially known for entertainment projects. Essentially, you put your project on this platform and tell people about it and then you can ask for some financial support in exchange for some different perks.”
“We just launched it on Tuesday [March 28] and we will be running it for 30 days. We are currently 21% funded and are looking to raise $60,000 and we are just a little over $13,000 right now,” she adds. “The money we are looking to raise will help us film some portions of the reenactment and stop motion with action figures. There are a lot of ideas being worked out; we want this story told in a unique way.”
Once done, “Ghostlord and the Quest for Dark Presence” is expected to reach some sort of streaming service. The exact one has not been decided at this time.
To view a trailer, click here. To help support this inspiring story, click here. The Kickstarter will be open until the end of April 2023.
*This article has been edited to provide correct information on director Craig Bass*