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March 2007
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Syndication

Wed, 28 March 2007
Like to Watch?

Look for Dreaming Ant's new print ad in The Pitt News - our first real advertising ever! The ad, designed by our very own style-king Bill Bittner, features our regular muse/mascot (Big Vic) flanked by two beautiful young companions (Chantelle & Anna) and his personal bodyguard/son (Chris J).

The photo shoot spawning this ad, in addition to our most recent flier & the 20"x30" photo on display at our Oakland store, was only possible thanks to a massive team effort. Born from the minds of the inimitable Jae Ruberto and yours truly, this fantastical dreamscape culminated only after numerous brainstorming sessions, endless hours of planning and the gracious participation of 18 humans, 1 dog-boy and 1 Pit bull. The shoot itself took place on a rather brisk evening (12/20/06) in Bloomfield's Darsie Street parking lot.

Domo arigato, Mr. Ruberto. As many of you already know, Jae is one of my favorite collaborators and Dreaming Ant's de facto photo-biographer. Distinct characters, sublime illumination and provocative imagery color his work, and not so coincidentally, mirror Dreaming Ant's spirit. Combined with Bittner's graphic design, Jae's photographs have come to define Dreaming Ant's visual identity. His Victor Mohawk photograph was the inspiration behind Dreaming Ant's Employee-of-the-Month photo series - a collection of portraits I commissioned from him for permanent display at Dreaming Ant Bloomfield. His work is regularly featured in Dreaming Ant's promotional materials & merchandise (including our Bums are People Too t-shirt) and is occasionally published alongside articles about Dreaming Ant in local magazines such as Pittsburgh Magazine & Metropolitan. I guess what I'm getting at is that we're eternally grateful to Jae for his prolific generosity & mind bending artistry. Please do yourselves a favor, and check out more of Jae's work on his flickr.com page....and BUY his art if you like it!

The Models (all of whom either work for or patronize D'Ant): David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer's hubbie), Candice Pulkowski (Crazy Mocha Bloomfield barista & makeup/hair/costume), Lindsey Hawkins (CM Shadyside barista), Che Elias (author/publisher), Will Simmons (D'Ant web stud), Merissa Lombardo (assistant art director on upcoming film Smart People), Andrew McKeon aka "Fan Favorite" (Ant Staff & writer-extraordinaire), Ashley Brickman (Ant Staff & legendary video artiste), Chris Johns (BFF), Chantelle Simpson (one of Studio Ant's Beautiful People), Victor E. Navarro, Jr. (D'Great White Ant...the real King of All Media & host of Dreaming Ant afterhours), Anna Ngo (one of Studio Ant's Beautiful People), Ben Rod aka "Oral B" aka "B. Roid" (Ant Staff & resident superhero-cum-artist), Jennifer Bechak (Ant Staff, sculptor & art professor), dB (Antman), Hilary Buttenfield (CM Bloomfield barista & all-around badass), Wynne Lanros (CM Bloomfield barista & coffee shop philosopher), Pat McFalls aka "Slop" (anarcho attorney-cum-financial adviser), Nathan Kukulski (occasional Ant Staff & future designer of the Isolation Chamber 2021), Tom Savini ("The Godfather of Gore" & Deputy Tolo in upcoming Tarantino/Rodriguez joint Grindhouse)...and Eric Buttenfield's pup, Cassius. Thanks, all!!

The ad will run on the following dates, so check it out.
Friday, March 30th
Thursday, April 5th
Friday, April 6th
Thursday, April 12th

Editor's Note: This announcement comes shortly after Dreaming Ant's 4-Year Anniversary, which quietly passed on March 24th! Thanks to all of our staff and members for allowing us to continue providing cool movies to the Pittsburgh area! And I promise, next year, I will not let our anniversary sneak past us again...we will definitely do something special for our 5-Year Anniversary!
Category: News -- posted at: 1:35 PM
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Fri, 23 March 2007
Dreaming Ant >> In the News

March 2007. Bill O'Driscoll offers an overview of Pittsburgh's independent video stores in his recent Pittsburgh City Paper article: Video Futures.

Category: News -- posted at: 3:37 PM
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Fri, 23 March 2007
Dreaming Ant Oakland Is Open For Business!

It's true! Pittsburgh City Paper's Bill O'Driscoll summed it up well in his recent article - Video Futures - when he wrote: "In January, Dreaming Ant quietly added a South Craig Street location to its Bloomfield flagship." Quiet we were. But, now it's time to make some noise!

We're in the same building as Phantom of the Attic Comics, Brave New World Music & History Bead Trading Company. Our building is sandwiched between Caliban Book Shop & Ali Baba Restaurant.

Dreaming Ant Oakland
412-683-2200
406 South Craig Street, 2nd Floor
Open Daily 12PM-8PM

In addition to an ever-growing selection of movies for rent, Dreaming Ant Oakland also sells a few select snacky cakes, blank media (CD-R / DVD-R), DVD cases, Dreaming Ant micro-fiber cleaning cloths & T-shirts and a limited selection of new and previously-viewed DVD titles such as Loose Change. We're also thinking of adding cold beverages and additional movie titles for sale...and as always, we welcome your suggestions!


FAQs
Q1. If I signed up in Bloomfield, can I rent at the Oakland store too?
A1. Yes. All Dreaming Ant members can rent at both locations. You only need to complete one membership application. If you're a new member, however, it might take up to a week before your account is active at both locations.

Q2. If I rented a DVD from one location, can I return it to the other location?
A2. Yes. Rentals may be returned to either store.

Q3. How will my Frequent Renter Points (FRP) accumulate if I rent from both locations?
A3. Your FRPs will accumulate separately at each store and are not transferable between stores.

Q4. If I purchase Prepaid Rentals, can I use them at both stores?
A4. Prepaid Rentals must be redeemed at the store where they're purchased (at least for the time being). If you're a Prepaid Plan member and anticipate frequenting both stores, email me. We'll work something out to accommodate you.

Q5. I want to rent a movie but Dreaming Ant's only copy is at the other location. Is it possible to rent it without going to the other store?
A5. Yes. Dreaming Ant members can access our entire inventory from either location. Provide the name of the movie you're interested in renting - either in person or via phone - and assuming it's available, we'll have it transferred by the next day so you can rent it from your regular location.

I have numerous people to thank, and a few new Ants - Ashley, Bill & Amy - to introduce, so you'll be hearing from me again soon...

Live the Dream! And thanks for your continued support of Dreaming Ant!
dB

Category: News -- posted at: 1:09 PM
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