There's a new Ant in town, folks. And her name is Colleen Jankovic.

Colleen recently joined us from Bloomington, Indiana to attend the University of Pittsburgh as a Predoctoral Fellow in the School of Arts & Sciences. I believe she's officially in the Cultural Studies program, but I'm bettin' that Pitt's renowned Film Studies program had a role in attracting her.

Colleen has the unusual distinction of being the first Dreaming Ant employee to be headhunted from afar. We have John Trenz, a loyal Dreaming Ant member and former Crazy Mocha Coffee employee, to thank for this fortunate matchmaking. John, a Pitt Film Studies doctoral student, boasted of Colleen after playing host to her during her exploratory visit to the university. His enthusiasm was so infectious that I decided to do a little Google-search on Miss J. Lo and behold! This young woman had amassed an impressive track record in her short life, and was clearly a film enthusiast.

In addition to earning her undergraduate degree in Communications & Culture from Indiana University Bloomington, Colleen managed The Cinemat  - Bloomington's independent video-rental store with "a movie complex" (a 49-seat screening room, that is). She also co-founded Cinephile, a non-profit organization whose mission is to demystify filmmaking and thus make it more accessible. Three valuable resources that Colleen helped establish while with the organization are the Cinephile Filmmakers' Forum (connecting filmmakers with one another), the Film Grant Project (awarding grants to help finance local films) and the Cinephile Festival of Independent Film and Video (providing a venue to give local filmmakers exposure within the community). Working toward a self-sustaining existence, the group also created the weekly Atomic Age Cinema event held at The Cinemat where they feature vintage and obscure horror and sci-fi films.

Impressed yet? I was.

So much so, that even though I had never met Colleen, and despite the fact that we didn't have any jobs available at the time, I offered her a future position.

Colleen is going to be your new Saturday afternoon (12:00-6:00PM) Guide at Dreaming Ant, so please welcome her and demonstrate just how wrong Sienna Miller was about our beautiful city! Very knowledgeable about film, I'm guessing Colleen would fancy a good discussion about world cinema's representation of Israeli-Palestinian relations, how culture-jamming and experimental cinema might be used to criticize the likes of Netflix and Blockbuster, or simply to chat about her favorite recent movies. I know she's also eager to immerse herself in Pittsburgh's talented pool of film, video and media aficionados as soon as she's settled at school, so do yourself a favor and introduce yourself.

Welcome, Colleen!

dB

It's a very exciting time for Dreaming Ant. In addition to the very real prospect of physical expansion, our website (dreamingant.com) has been developing at a remarkable pace lately. This, of course, is thanks to two of Dreaming Ant's most valuable human friends, the dynamic duo of computer programming: Will Simmons (a 'Perl' amongst bits) and the original 'Wizard' himself Eric Kaun (aka 'Erk') who is back in d'game after a bit of a hiatus.

Erk's first coup (happy Charlotte? ;-)) upon returning to the underground of Bloomfield's most visible ant farm was his effortless implementation of Dreaming Ant's new staff blog (powered by WordPress) -  Virtual Pheromone. This ant communique is already home to a couple insightful examinations of French director Jacques Tati and his film oeuvre by Dreaming Ant's incomparable wordsmith Andrew. I suspect the best is yet to come, so I'd definitely recommend everyone check it out. And please, if you have a few minutes, it would be totally tubular if you were to offer Andrew your feedback...even the effervescent ant needs love too, ya know?

Most of you, at this point, are probably familiar with Dreaming Ant's MyAccount member area that Will developed, enabling you to access your Rental History and to maintain a WishList of movies that you want to check out. And I'll bet at least a few of you have monitored the semi real-time Top Rentals Lists that he created. If you haven't, you can now see what was 'popular' at D'Ant...the past coupla weeks, annually or since we opened! We plan to add even more functionality in the future - such as member-contributed movie reviews & ratings, staff recommendations, improved community film/video related news & links, and more extensive browsing options - features that we hope will compliment the living community we've nurtured at the store. But first, we need to focus on backend improvements to enable dreamingant.com to accommodate a second store, among other things. After a recent Vulcan mind-meld with Will 'n Erk, development is underway. We'll keep you posted as it progresses...

As always, thanks for supporting Dreaming Ant, and for visiting dreamingant.com!

dB

Prepoduction of writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber's (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) adaptation of Michael Chabon's first novel The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is apparently underway. And it appears that shooting will begin sometime this month in Pittsburgh. "Michael Chabon's debut novel is set in Pittsburgh in the mid-1980s and chronicles the joy, sexual awakening, and heartache of growing up for the story's central character, Art Bechstein." (Rebecca Murray) Another Chabon novel - Wonder Boys - was also made into a film and shot in Pittsburgh.

Peter Sarsgaard has been cast as Cleveland and Sienna Miller will be playing the role of Jane. "As for Max Minghella (originally cast as Art Bechstein), unfortunately we've lost him. His school schedule at Columbia has caused him to have to drop out of the film." (Rawson Marshall Thurber)

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Donna Belajac Casting is accepting submissions for speaking parts. Experienced actors not represented by agents may send their picture and resume to:
Donna Belajac Casting
109 Market Street, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE.
We are especially interested in submissions for the character "Lurch" a 7-foot-tall African American thug. No lines, so while acting experience is not necessary, it would be a plus. The character beats up one of the lead characters. Will be hired under a SAG contract as a day player.

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I'm going to do my best to set up some interviews for the Dreaming Ant podcast with cast and crew members, so keep your fingers crossed...or even better, help us make it happen! I'll keep you posted with any new developments. dB

Dean: You can learn a lot from ants. These Brazilian fire ants can teach you a lot about successful societal structure. You see? There's one queen in there. The rest are dedicated worker ants. Everybody pulls their weight; nobody complains; there's harmony and growth. Same here at [Dreaming Ant]...only you are the worker ants...the backbone.

Russ: And...you're the queen?

from D3: The Mighty Ducks

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A lot of deliberation goes into the hiring at Dreaming Ant, and I'm proud as a queen of our small, zealous, at times dysfunctional, family. We've reached another crossroads, requiring me to devote more attention to addressing our declining industry and limited space. As such, I decided it was time to finally add another worker ant. His name is Rod. Ben Rod.

Many of you already know Ben, but for those who don't, it's time for yinz to take off your helmets (not motorcycle helmets, Ben! the other Ben, that is), loosen your grip on the ole handlebars, and have faith as Ben's cool breeze guides you (like a Jedi knight) through the expansive virtual terrain of Bloomfield's best, albeit only, DVD store. Oi. Like you've never been a cheese ball before!

How does Rod measure up? Dreaming Ant member since October 2003 and a live, in-store blogger...before blogging went digital. Along with roommate Drew Pavelchak, he built Dreaming Ant's impressive black counter in December 2004, demonstrating his acute attention to detail and sincere commitment to quality. Graduated from CMU with some kinda art degree thingy. He has an insatiable appetite for all things edible and an exotic passion for Asian cinema, especially films with an austere and/or lyrical tone. Andrew and I are both excited to welcome Ben to the fold, as we hope yinz are too.

Ben will be your Sunday afternoon host at Dreaming Ant...this of course, freeing up Andrew to watch the Steelers in the Fall and The Sopranos in the Winter. After a week of training, Rod will fly his first solo shift at Dreaming Ant on Sunday, August 27th from noon to 6:00PM. Please take it easy on the lad during his early days, while learning his way around our Byzantine antfarm. Email Ben

Our number one ant, Andrew (aka tender ant), another CMU grad as well as a freelance writer, recently returned from a cross-country pilgrimage to his hometown Dallas, TX in his a/c-free car. Upon returning from his next excursion - to Maine to visit his parents - later this month, Andrew will be launching a Dreaming Ant blog - an intercourse, or forum mind you, where he'll be able to utilize his prodigious writing talents to express his thoughts relating to film and video. In the meantime, check out his transcendent music reviews in the Pittsburgh CIty Paper. Email Andrew

Some of you may not know her, but the intensely focused and always studious young lady surrounded by stacks of DVDs cluttering the back table is our very own Zen ant of DVD cleansing - the great Jenn! Among other things, Jenn is also a sculptor. Looking for an art professor? Email Jenn

If you were wondering whatever happened to Jess, a longtime Dreaming Ant friend and occasional substitute ant, she's been in San Fran the past three months interning for Apple Computer. When she returns next week, she'll be finishing up her final semester at...you guessed it...CMU, so we might still have a few months left to spend with her. Email Jess

As mentioned earlier, I've been struggling with how to expand in the midst of numerous local closings and increasingly limited space. Please email any suggestions/advice you might have to me at dean@dreamingant.com. One thought, especially considering the recent local Blockbuster closings, is to work more closely with the universities to make Dreaming Ant's eclectic collection readily available to students and professors. Again, your feedback is welcome...

As always, thanks for your continued support of Dreaming Ant!

dB

Episode 03 of Dreaming Ant afterhours with Viktor Najanski, M.D. continues the lascivious adventures of Saint Vik at the abandoned Lowe's Theater in North Versailles, PA where he interviewed Cameron Romero, director of the upcoming independent horror film The Screening.

Originally shot: 12.16.05 on the set of The Screening
Shot, edited & directed by: dean Brandt

Special thanks to Cameron Romero and Patrick Jordan for making this possible...and to Angela Diaz, Jessica DiCarlo and Nikki McIntyre for their guest appearances!

Episode 02 of Dreaming Ant afterhours with Viktor Najanski, M.D. finds old man Vik trekking out to the abandoned Lowe's Theater in North Versailles, PA to interview Patrick Jordan & Nikki McIntyre about their starring roles in Cameron Romero's upcoming horror film The Screening.

Originally shot: 12.16.05 on the set of The Screening
Shot, edited & directed by: dean Brandt

Special thanks to Patrick Jordan and Cameron Romero for making this possible!

05.17.06 Ever come across a cool movie while browsing our site (www.dreamingant.com)...and then forget its bloody name the second you walk in the store? Oi!

Whale. No mo. Thanks to the incredible work of Will Simmons, this week www.dreamingant.com launched its Member Login Area where Dreaming Ant members can now keep track of their movie Wish Lists.

Login. Click an ADD button (to add a movie to your Wish List). And wallah...next time you visit the store, ask us to pull up your Wish List. No more racking your brains trying to remember that movie you wanted to see!

MEMBER AREA ACCOUNT SETUP & LOGIN
We're still tweeking the login process, so please forgive us for any confusion. Follow the instructions below for the time being and feel free to email me with any suggestions.

1. Click on this Create New Account link

2. Fill out small form & Click "Submit"
In order to register, you must be a Dreaming Ant member with a current email address listed on your account. The email address entered on the form above must match the one we have on file.

3. You're now ready to start using your Wish List. Click the Login link again.

4. Enter your email address and password. Once you're logged in, you can...

  Add a movie to your Wish List by clicking on the ADD button at the bottom of its page.

  Remove a movie from your Wish List by clicking on the REMOVE button next to it.


5. You will automatically be logged out when you close your browser


If you have any questions or feedback, please email me at dean@dreamingant.com

Pittsburgh Creative Commons Film Festival
Volume 1: Public Domain, Private Dominion

14 filmmakers in Pittsburgh. 2 public domain films. 14 days to make new film from this footage. You choose the winners.

Sunday, June 11, 2006 @ 8PM
Melwood Screening Room, Oakland
$4 / $3 students

Visit www.ambulantic.libsyn.com for a selection of the films to be shown.

Prepare yourselves. Episode 01 of Dreaming Ant after hours  with Viktor Najanski, M.D. is finally live! Check out the ole  codger as he interviews Ghost Whisperer co-star and  Pittsburgh native David Conrad.

Originally shot on 12.11.05 @ Dreaming Ant
Shooters: Che Elias & Jae Ruberto
Audience: Shannon Lyons & Hilary Buttenfield

Special thanks to Dave Mansueto and the libsyn team  for hookin us up with their killer podcasting site!

Created for the 2006 Pittsburgh Creative Commons Film Festival: Public Domain, Private Dominion podcast.

Featuring Dreaming Ant Employee-of-the-Month photos by Jae Ruberto.

Models include [in order] Dean Brandt, Angela Diaz, Chris Johns, Chris Belasco, Tom Savini, Shannon Lyons, Al Gill & Victor Navarro. Dreaming Ant jingle by Will Simmons. Edited by dB.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Thanks to our fantastic members - all of you who've proven loyal to our li'l independent DVD store despite the numerous choices out there today - we managed to remain another year, and possibly even showed a profit in 2005! Woohoo!

Thank You!!
dB

March 2006. Mike Shanley wrote a most gracious piece on Dreaming Ant in The Pittsburgh Metropolitan entitled DVDs | A Little Off-Center

February 2006. Bridget Colvin wrote a glowing (& generous) story on Dreaming Ant in New People: Business as Usual: Inspiring Political Thought, Fostering Community