CALENDAR

Editor 's note: submit events, meetings, workshops and conferences at least one month in advance to cibm@news-gazette.com for inclusion in Mark Your Calendar.

Untitled < Dec Jan Feb >

January 6
Government Council Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign

January 7
Champaign County FIRST 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign The committee meets to keep up to date on issues that affect Champaign County and to determine how to influence key decision makers to bring economic prosperity to our communities through public projects and/or government policies.

January 21
Agribusiness Council 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201, Champaign

January 21
Business After Hours 5 to 7 p.m.
Devonshire Group, Huntington Towers 201 W. Springfield Ave., Champaign Join fellow Chamber members and their guests in this networking opportunity hosted this month by Devonshire Group. Proceeds from the $5 per person donation at the door will help fund Chamber programs. Donation for non-members and guests is $8.

January 25
Community Spanish: A Survival Guide for English Speakers - Session 1 6 to 9 p.m.
Every Monday, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 22. Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Community Spanish is designed to prepare English-speaking people to speak and understand small amounts of basic Spanish found in most routine interchanges in daily life. In addition, Community Spanish provides basic cultural information about Spanish-speaking groups in the hope of informing and educating English-speakers about the unique aspects of Latino culture. Join Ana Langlois as she guides you step-by-step through the process. Grammar is not covered, and no prior knowledge of Spanish is required. Class fee is $225, including book and CD, and the deadline to sign up is Jan. 19. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 25
Accounting and Financial Management Applications (QuickBooks Premier 2008) - Session 1: 6 to 10 p.m. Session 2 - Jan. 28
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Steve Heidbreder, CPA, will help you explore QuickBooks, the leading choice for managing your books. Learn how to manage business accounts and checkbooks; reconcile bank statements; produce budgets; manage cash flow, create the financial management reports required by banks and the government; and share data with Microsoft Office applications. Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista or equivalent knowledge. Class fee is $225, including book. Deadline to register is Jan. 15. For more information call (217) 351-2235.

January 26
Microsoft Access 2007: Level 1 - Session 1: 8 a.m. To 12:30 p.m. Session 2 - Jan. 28
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Join Wanda Plawer to examine basic database concepts, and create and modify databases and their various objects using the Microsoft(r) Office Access 2007 relational database application. Upon successful completion of this workshop, you will be able to understand basic database concepts and explore the Microsoft Office Access 2007 environment; design a simple database; build a new database with related tables; manage data in a table; query a database using different methods; and design forms and generate reports. Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista or equivalent knowledge. Class fee is $159, including book, and the deadline to register is Jan. 19. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 26
Intro to the World of Grants 6 to 8 p.m.
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign New to the world of grants? Looking to start a new nonprofit or small business? Looking to expand your group's programs or diversify your funding? Elizabeth Simpson from do good Consulting will introduce you to the language of RFP's, 501c(3)s, and needs statements and help you launch your grant writing journey. This two-hour workshop provides a good introduction to the Grant Writing and Proposal Development for Non-Profits course. Prerequisite: Basic computer skills. Fee is $45 and the deadline to register is Jan. 19. For more information call (217) 351-2235.

January 27
A Manager's Guide to Human Behavior 8 a.m. to 5:05 p.m.
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Join Chuck Baldwin and discover how to inspire employees to higher performance; maximize your positive impact on others; develop more productive working relationships by communicating in sensitive, nonthreatening ways; establish rapport and mutual trust; give and receive performance feedback; and really understand people's needs. Class fee is $225, including book. Deadline to sign up is Jan. 20. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

January 28
Communicating for Superior Teamwork: Managing Your Communication Style 8 a.m. to noon
Parkland Community College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign Let Steven Welland show you how to work smarter and faster, relying more on the knowledge and skills of teams, by identifying your primary communication style and those of your team members. Then, develop plans to build better working relationships with other team members. Paid registrants will be issued an access code in order to complete an online DISC personal profile assessment. The assessment must be completed by Jan 22. Class fee is $175, including a workbook. Deadline to register is Jan. 14. For more information, call (217) 351-2235.

INNOVATION > THE OUTER LIMITS September 2010

mini-Hollywood in the Midwest

Dreamscape makes feature films right here in Champaign

By Sarah Lohman
CIB Staff Writer

Robin Christian's goal is to make Champaign a mini-Hollywood.

Christian is the CEO of Dreamscape, a local company that produces award-winning movies and interactive media. The company started as an ad agency in Champaign, but after the recession in 1990, Christian decided to hire more programmers and move into the new era of marketing -- interactive designs. He also decided to try his hand at moviemaking -- a dream of his since he was 12 years old. He is now also producer, director and writer for the company.

Years ago, they were making 3-D images with their own software on floppy disks, Christian said. They were always a step ahead.

Today, technology moves so fast no one is a step ahead for very long, so Dreamscape has found another way to keep ahead of the curve.

"If everyone's caught up, what can you be better at? Creating," Christian said. "That's what we bring to it. ... We're really trying to not just do a cool program, but how can you do business with this and how can you wow people with creativity?"

They have a service side and a product side. On the service side they have produce high-tech visuals such as commercials, 3D renderings and websites. They have designed and hosted websites for national companies like NASA and M & M Mars and local companies such as Carle. They have also built applications to be used with a touchscreens, iPods or the Droid operating system. They also do high-end TV spots for some of their clients.

On the product side, the company makes movies. Right now they are working on a family fantasy, and have already produced several thrillers.

"Movies are not a typical thing you find in the middle of the country," Christian said, so actors are surprised when they are called to the Midwest to make a film. "And then they get here and they love it."

Dreamscape has four regular employees, but they sometimes have as many as 60 people working on a feature film.

The company usually has one marketing intern and four interns working on movies. Christian also mentors local students on the filmmaking process, and they get hands-on experience with all stages of a film.

The company moved to the UI Research Park late last year.

"With the research park, we're pushing the envelope and, besides the fact that we're always trying to develop things ahead of the curve, we're trying to do it in a way it's never been done before, trying to research new methods for video," Christian said. "The research park, being able to research all this, really helps us."

They also opened an office in Hollywood last year that serves as a meeting place for Christian to attract talent.

"I'm always trying to find a way to get bigger names," Christian said.

In the future, they hope to expand into a larger space and to make a film in 3-D. Christian said he hopes to keep the company in Champaign.

They also hope to educate local investors on what they do.

"If you are going to make an investment in something, why wouldn't you make it in one that is helping college kids, helping the community, making you look good because you're making a movie and currently affecting life by a high production value movie that was made right here?" Christian said.