A Life-changing film about the power of the human spirit!

Logline: Against all odds, Joe Stone sets his sights on becoming the first wheelchair using quadriplegic to complete an IRONMAN triathlon to inspire others to discover what is possible.

Synopsis: Following a quadriplegic attempt an IRONMAN and other peoples’ incredible life-changing journeys, IT’S RAINING, SO WHAT! will change the way we perceive limitations and view options in our lives. This powerful film shares how individuals facing adversity can find the strength and support to push through boundaries in order to find out what is truly possible. A true story of the human spirit overcoming everything that tries to hold us back.

 Film Summary: Joe and Amy, a vibrant couple in their early 20’s living in Minnesota, pack all their belongings and head west to Missoula, MT to pursue the life they had always dreamed of living. But life had a different plan for them.

Clinging to life after a tragic speed flying accident, Joe would soon learn of his fate. Will he ever walk again? After being in a coma for over 4 weeks, they learn that the accident has left Joe with numerous life-threatening injuries including a broken neck at the C7 level, rendering him an incomplete quadriplegic. Following the accident, Joe and Amy encounter many physical and emotional dark times as they try to make sense of everything they were experiencing.

Following a long road of rehab, recovery and personal discovery, Joe set many goals in his attempt to find out what would be possible as quadriplegic. Nurses and doctors told him he would probably never be fully independent again. However, through a series of efforts resulting in both successes and failures, Joe would ultimately progress and set bigger goals each time. With his new-found confidence, Joe set his sights on a seemingly impossible goal of becoming the first wheelchair using quadriplegic to complete a full IRONMAN® triathlon. More importantly, he wanted to share his journey as a way to inspire others to set goals and seek a rich and fulfilling life, no matter the magnitude of what life challenges they may face.

While many were supportive of Joe’s determination and attempt at this incredible feat, others, including some of his own family members, felt Joe was potentially risking his life by pushing himself too hard physically trying to do something never before accomplished.

Through Joe’s story and other peoples’ incredible life-changing journeys, IT’S RAINING, SO WHAT! is a story designed to change the way viewers perceives limitations that might be keeping them from realizing their full potential. Employing numerous social media and other connections made by the film, viewers can redefine their previously-perceived limits and instead explore the world of possibilities for their lives.

Director’s Statement: My passion is storytelling through the visual medium in an effort to inspire, empower, entertain and engage the viewers, and most importantly, move them to action.

Filming this story over the last year has been an incredible transformational experience for me, and everyone involved in this project. Begun as a painstakingly-detailed chronicle of Joe Stone’s remarkable pursuit of his triathlon goal, pre-production and filming quickly evolved into a movement that inspired many, able-bodied and the disabled alike. As more and more people heard of Joe’s story and the making of this film, they found themselves asking, “what is it that I really want to do in my life but have been afraid to try, or felt wasn’t possible?”

“Breaking through boundaries” naturally became the resonant theme for the film, inspiring a much bigger vision of what we plan to accomplish with our storytelling. We quickly realized that through the making of this film, we were sharing a universal message: Happiness and true life fulfillment is possible if we can break through our own perceived limitations through intentional thinking and positive actions. Most importantly, we realized that we have the opportunity to make IT’S RAINING, SO WHAT! the seminal film in which viewers can—and will—take up the call to action.

In many ways, the making of this film has given us many obstacles to overcome through which we constantly draw inspiration from Joe and the others in the film as a way to keep pushing forward in order to successfully complete this project. I feel this film will carry a powerfully inspiring message that can truly change people’s lives and I am committed to making sure it does.

Kevin May – Director, Executive Producer