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Almo Will Dominate Digital Signage Content Creation with Acquisition of Insteo, Inc.

Almo Professional AV announced it has acquired certain assets of Insteo, Inc., a specialized digital signage content and creative company that programs and designs content for digital signage, then provides tools to manage the day-to-day changes in the cloud. As part of the acquisition, the Almo content creation team is being led by Jim Nista,  founder of Insteo. As a result of this acquisition, which is effective immediately, Almo Pro AV is now able to provide the most comprehensive digital signage content service offering available through any distributor in the industry.

According to Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional AV, “The acquisition of Insteo gives us the ability to greatly advance what we can offer our partners in terms of expanded platforms, including Insteo’s proprietary cloud signage. Almo partners can also customize their content for each install and at the outset of every project based specifically on size, scope and budget. Because we now have an entire team of experts on staff, we can offer an expedited quote and project management process with increased responsiveness.”

Taylor said that the acquisition geographically extends Almo’s reach as well. “In addition to the U.S., these services can be accessed throughout Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean and we have plans for expansion.” He added, “Through Jim Nista’s visionary insight and success as the founder of Insteo, this acquisition solidifies our leadership role in the creative content arena with new platforms and other exciting developments on the horizon.”

“Together over the last year, Almo and Insteo have expanded partnerships with AV integrators, IT service providers and traditional print sign shops to help them grow their content and creative services for digital signage,” said Jim Nista, senior director of Content Creation Services, Almo Professional A/V. “Almo’s position in the industry as the largest distributor and a leader in managed services makes the acquisition an ideal next step for partners to offer complete digital signage solutions, increase revenue and become more competitive.”

Jim Nista brings a rich history in content creation to Almo, having worked as a creative director for a large range of clients. In 2002, Nista founded a digital marketing agency, which quickly began taking on software development and digital signage projects and evolved into Insteo, Inc., a leading provider of HTML5-based creative content. Nista serves on the Digital Signage Expo (DSE) Content Advisory Board and assisted in the development and presentation of the Digital Signage Content and Media Expert (DCME) certification program. He is a regular on the tradeshow circuit, having presented at DSE, International Sign Association (ISA), SignExpo and InfoComm. As a result of Nista’s creative leadership, Insteo has received 11 gold, silver and bronze DSE Apex awards.

The Insteo Display CMS platform supports menu boards, directories, interactive wayfinders, digital bulletin boards and more. Insteo also develops content for all major CMS platforms, including BrightSign’s BrightAuthor, Samsung’s MagicInfo, Rise Vision and many others.

Creative content options include:

  • Cloud Templates: Pre-designed content templates for businesses of any size allow for immediate content edits from any web browser. The large library of templates is for digital menu boards, lobby directories, real estate listings project boards and more. Clients can change prices, tenants or any other line item from any web browser and from anywhere in the world.
  • Custom Content: Award-winning designers and programmers help create unique digital signage interactive content for static and interactive displays to fit the exact needs of a project. Custom content includes data integration, touch screens, video development, motion graphics and custom programming.

Almo ProAV is here and Insteo is here.

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