What Orange Barrel Media does

Orange Barrel Media (OBM) is a privately held U.S. out-of-home (OOH) media and smart-city infrastructure operator founded in 2004 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company designs, develops, and operates architecturally integrated digital and static media assets — including large-format digital spectaculars, wallscapes, bulletins, dominations, kiosks, and transit pillars — in 30+ major U.S. markets, alongside its sister company IKE Smart City, an interactive digital kiosk platform launched in Denver in 2015 that provides wayfinding, transit information, free public Wi-Fi, business listings, and emergency features at no capital cost to municipalities.

OBM runs a dual-sided business model. On the advertising side, it sells placements on its owned-and-operated digital and static inventory to national brand advertisers (Hulu, DoorDash, Spotify, Allstate, Coca-Cola) via a direct regional sales force organized across East, West, Midwest, and Southeast regions. On the municipal side, it partners with city governments and Business Improvement Districts under public-private partnerships in which the cities receive kiosk and digital signage infrastructure at zero cost, with OBM monetizing the inventory through advertising and, in some cases, sharing revenue back with the city (e.g., the Downtown Seattle Association expects approximately $1.1 million per year from the 50-kiosk Seattle network). OBM complements its commercial revenue with a vertically integrated operating model spanning land use, zoning, design, architecture, engineering, construction management, media sales, operations, content management, and a public art program (#OBMarts).

The company is founder-led by CEO Pete Scantland, employs 180+ people across offices in Columbus, New York, and West Hollywood, and reports more than 90% market share of non-traditional OOH in Columbus. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; however, Seattle alone is expected to generate roughly $1.1 million in annual advertising revenue for its municipal partner, and OBM has invested $7 million in donated signage time to Atlanta-area nonprofits and artists since 2019, suggesting a meaningful advertising base across the network. The company appointed its CEO to the OAAA Board of Directors in 2026, positioning itself within the industry's programmatic and audience-measurement shift.

Name

Orange Barrel Media

Legal name

Orange Barrel Media

Website

https://orangebarrelmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Orange Barrel Media designs, builds, and operates architecturally integrated out-of-home advertising displays and IKE Smart City interactive kiosks across 30+ U.S. markets, selling advertising to national brands and partnering with municipalities on revenue-sharing public-private deals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out-of-Home Advertising

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Format / Spectacular OOH (Building Wraps, Digital Spectaculars) (MPAAAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Large-Format & Spectaculars (Building Wraps, 3D, Landmarks) (BPAFALAH), OOH Media Planning, Buying & Inventory Aggregation (BPAFALAJ)

Keywords

• Out-of-home advertising
• Digital billboard displays
• Smart city kiosks
• Urban media networks
• Programmatic outdoor advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue from Digital Displays: OBM generates revenue through advertising sales on its network of digital kiosks, spectaculars, wallscapes, bulletins, and static displays across 30+ U.S. cities. The kiosks cost nothing to cities and are sustained entirely through advertising revenue.
2. Public-Private Partnership Revenue Sharing: OBM shares revenue with city partners through public-private partnerships. In Seattle, DSA expects to generate approximately $1.1 million per year to reinvest into downtown programming from the kiosk network. The company works with municipal governments on creating new arts and entertainment districts with revenue-sharing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orange Barrel Media (OBM) designs, owns and operates a network of architecturally integrated out-of-home media displays — including digital spectaculars, wallscapes, bulletins, and kiosks — across more than 30 U.S. cities, selling advertising placements to national brands. Through its sister company IKE Smart City, OBM also deploys interactive digital kiosks offering wayfinding, transit information, free public Wi-Fi, business listings and emergency features to municipal partners at no cost, sustained by advertising revenue.

Product overview

Orange Barrel Media operates a diversified out-of-home media and smart city technology portfolio. The core offering centers on IKE Smart City, an interactive kiosk platform that connects cities with people through dynamic wayfinding, hyper-local content, and public services including transit information and emergency features. Supporting the IKE platform is a range of traditional out-of-home advertising products including Digital Spectaculars (large-format full-motion digital displays), Static Spectaculars (massive wall-mounted displays up to 20,000+ square feet), Digital Bulletins, Static Wallscapes, Dominations, Static Kiosks, and Transit Pillars. The company also provides turnkey real estate media development services and operates the OBM Arts public art program that integrates art installations into the advertising network. All products operate under a community-oriented model that integrates art, community content, and commercial messaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IKE Smart City Interactive Digital Kiosks Interactive digital kiosk platform delivered to municipal partners at no cost, providing wayfinding, transit information, free public Wi-Fi, business listings and emergency features, funded through advertising on the kiosks.
• Digital Spectaculars Large-format full-motion digital displays providing exceptional visibility in high-traffic urban areas, including dual-sided digital spectaculars integrated into urban architecture.
• Static Spectaculars Static billboard displays in prominent urban locations, including massive wallscapes ranging from 20,000 square feet.
• Digital Bulletins Digital display opportunities in high-traffic areas providing a unique blend of commercial messaging, art, and public service content.
• Static Wallscapes Architecturally integrated wall-mounted displays ranging from large-scale properties in urban cores, positioned to reach engaged audiences in business districts and entertainment areas.
• Dominations Full-format advertising opportunities that dominate visibility in premium urban locations, often across multiple displays or positions in high-traffic entertainment districts.
• Static Transit Pillars Stationary transit-oriented displays extending coverage to neighborhoods including university campuses and entertainment districts.
• Real Estate Media Development Services Turnkey solution for property developers, owners, and municipalities seeking to maximize income and property value through integrated media programs, including land use analysis, zoning, design, architecture, engineering, construction management, media sales, operations, marketing, content management and ongoing maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ market share of non-traditional out-of-home in Columbus
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, notable and minor.

• IKE Smart CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKE Smart City is OBM's sister company that pioneers smart city technology, focused entirely on creating value for municipal clients through interactive kiosk networks and wayfinding systems. The two companies share resources including staff and ownership. OBM provides media expertise and industry leadership while IKE focuses on smart city technology and deployment. IKE Smart City was launched in 2015, initially in Denver.
• Downtown Seattle AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deploy 50 IKE Smart City digital wayfinding kiosks across Seattle neighborhoods. First 30 kiosks installed in downtown Metropolitan Improvement District, with remaining 20 in Ballard, SoDo, University District, and West Seattle. DSA expects to generate approximately $1.1 million per year in advertising revenue to reinvest into downtown programming.
• Arts & Entertainment Atlanta DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBM has invested $7 million in donated signage time to nonprofit organizations, local artists, cultural institutions, and museums to support programs and initiatives throughout Atlanta's Arts & Entertainment District since the launch of the first sign in September 2019.
• Art Production FundnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBM partnered with Art Production Fund for Frieze Los Angeles 2025 free public art program 'Body & Soul,' featuring seven Los Angeles-based artists for site-specific installations.
• For FreedomsnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBM supported For Freedoms 2020 Awakening campaign, which featured over 100 billboards by 85+ artists in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands, designed to drive civic engagement and voter participation.
• Pérez Art Museum MiaminotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBM worked with PAMM to develop a dual-sided architectural spectacular with coordinated lighting elements designed by Arquitectonica. The public-private partnership generates earned income and presents artwork to a broad public throughout the year.
• Living WallsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBM partnered with Living Walls, an organization advocating for social change through public art, to translate artist Gerald Lovell's painting style to architectural scale in Atlanta's Arts & Entertainment District.
• Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA)notableOthersOBM's CEO Pete Scantland was appointed to the OAAA Board of Directors in 2026, representing the industry's shift toward digitally connected networks integrating audience measurement and programmatic advertising.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Outfront Media: Large U.S. out-of-home operator spanning transit, street furniture, and billboards. Overlaps with OBM in transit and street-furniture inventory but operates at much greater scale with a more commoditized portfolio.
• Lamar Advertising Company: Major U.S. outdoor advertising company with a large portfolio of traditional and digital billboards. Comparable to OBM in advertising sales but skewed toward highway and roadside formats rather than urban architectural spectaculars.
• Clear Channel Outdoor: One of the largest U.S. OOH companies with a broad portfolio of billboards, transit, and street-furniture displays. Overlaps with OBM's display formats but is a much larger, broadly diversified incumbent rather than a premium-format specialist.
• Ströer: Major European out-of-home advertising company with strong presence in street furniture, digital billboards, and transit media. Comparable to OBM in combining ad-funded urban infrastructure with display advertising at scale.

Direct peers

• Branded Cities: North American operator of premium, architecturally integrated large-format digital spectaculars and wallscapes in major urban markets (e.g., Yonge-Dundas Square, Times Square). Closely mirrors OBM's focus on non-replicable urban displays.
• Intersection: Operates ad-funded smart city digital kiosks (LinkNYC) and urban media networks across major U.S. cities — the closest analog to OBM's IKE Smart City kiosk model, with a similar self-funded city-partnership structure and premium urban OOH inventory.
• JCDecaux: Global leader in street furniture and digital out-of-home advertising, including municipal transit shelters and interactive kiosks. Highly comparable to OBM in combining large-format urban displays with city partnerships and self-sustaining ad-funded infrastructure.
• Van Wagner Communications: Operates high-profile urban out-of-home displays including large-format spectaculars in Times Square. Closely comparable to OBM's premium-format, architecturally integrated approach in major U.S. markets.
• Big Outdoor: U.S. operator of premium large-format digital spectaculars in top urban markets (e.g., Times Square, NYC). A direct comparable to OBM's spectacular and wallscape business model and customer base.

Regional players

• Pattison Outdoor: Largest Canadian out-of-home advertising company operating billboards, transit, and spectaculars across Canada. Comparable format mix to OBM but geographically concentrated in Canada rather than the U.S.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orange Barrel Media