John Steigerwald Shoots Pilot @ Oakland Ant

What's cooler than an independent DVD rental store hosting a television segment dedicated to movie critique and commentary? And which Pittsburgh store is possibly better suited for this role than Dreaming Ant? I mean, c'mon folks, we produce our own video podcast, feature a wide variety of local films and videos for rent, have a knowledgeable (& awesome) staff, and pride ourselves on offering the best selection of DVDs for rent in the city...and well, the fact that just about every other video store in Pittsburgh has gone out of business helps. No matter. We'll take the gig. And with pride!

The part of the story that's...well, a little off center is the host. We all know that being "a little off center" can be a good thing, right? So when former television sports anchor John Steigerwald inquired if we'd be interested in hosting his newest project, of course, we leapt at the opportunity. Steigerwald, a local media personality and household name in Pittsburgh since 1978, finished out his contract with KDKA-TV in October and was quickly approached by the top brass at Reelz Channel to write and host a pilot for a video commentary segment. And if all goes well, his segment will be picked up and featured as part of Reelz Channel's signature show Dailies, a daily news and information program focused entirely on movies.

Steigerwald and his 2-man crew spent a little over an hour at Dreaming Ant's Oakland location this past Wednesday, shooting the live components necessary for his 2-minute pilot. His target today - Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. It was like watching Steigy's sports commentary, sans the sports. Mustache lovers and fans of Steigy's rascally irreverent shtick will undoubtedly enjoy his politically-bent, albeit conservative, movie commentary, replete with colorful anecdotes, local references and even a comparison to Young Frankenstein.

As an old high school classmate of Batman Returns star Michael Keaton, one of Pittsburgh's most famous natives, Steigerwald should have no problem moving from astro-turf to the red carpet.

Because Reelz currently has limited penetration in Pittsburgh, I've asked John to get us a copy of the finished segment so we can share it with y'all. Stay tuned. And thanks again John, for thinking of Dreaming Ant when this opportunity presented itself. We hope Reelz picks up your segment and finds you a regular at D'Ant!

dB