Boutique film distribution entities Antenna Releasing and Deaf Crocodile are joining forces for a new video store and microcinema in the Kansas City metro area.
Antenna and Deaf Crocodile are launching a joint crowdfunding campaign for the video store and microcinema called Adventures in Analog, a partnership between the two companies that is set to open this fall in Lee’s Summit, Mo. The space will include a new retail store for the companies, highlighting their individual home video releases, along with carrying a full array of other boutique label Blu-ray and 4K UHD titles. The space will also provide a way to share the theatrical catalogues of both companies via a microcinema space. (Currently, the city has no independent theaters in the city limits.)
Attached to the space will be a new warehouse fulfillment center for both companies. The warehouse has been in operation since earlier this summer.
“Since we launched Deaf Crocodile in 2020 as a home for rare and under-recognized World Cinema and World Animation, Craig Rogers and I have really focused on creating beautiful Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases for the collectors’ market,” said Deaf Crocodile’s co-founder Dennis Bartok in a statement. “We never thought we’d open an actual home video store, though – until we started talking with Ryan and Billy Ray with Antenna! So it’s going to be a whole new exciting chapter for us in the Kansas City area and beyond, with a microcinema and a shipping & fulfillment operation as well.”
“Opening a brick-and-mortar retail shop has been a dream of mine since my youth. I’m beyond excited to partner with Antenna Releasing to make this dream come true. Long live physical media!” added Deaf Crocodile co-founder Craig Rogers.
“After spending more than a decade living in Lee’s Summit and feeling compelled to travel to other cities for independent cinema, I am excited to have the opportunity to give back to a city that I have grown to love more and more by bringing film and home video, two things that have shaped my life dramatically over time,” said Ryan Verrill, chief distribution officer for Antenna Releasing. “Lee’s Summit will be a better place with a home for independent film and a way to showcase home video releases from a wide range of distribution companies from all over the world.”
According to the official release, the crowdfunding campaign will raise funds to “improve the facilities of the video store, both to provide a better customer experience, and to prepare for an increased amount of foot traffic due to an influx of new business creation in the surrounding area.”
The perks of the crowdfunding campaign include the ability to “sponsor a shelf in the video store, your name emblazoned on the wall to something as rare as an original animation cel from Disney’s 1941 animated film ‘Dumbo’ or original paintings commissioned for home video box art,” according to the release.
The crowdfunding campaign launched on July 15th and runs through the end of August on Kickstarter. Any individuals wanting to make tax deductible donations can visit here for more specific information.
The arrival of Adventures in Analog comes at a time when there has been an uptick in interest in physical media and where boutique labels and physical retail spaces are springing up around the country.
The Best Blu-Rays of 2026 — So Far