What Pearl Media LLC does

Pearl Media LLC is a US-based, privately held out-of-home (OOH) advertising and experiential marketing company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Montclair, New Jersey, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. The company develops, owns, and sells premium street-level and eye-level OOH media inventory across the top US markets (including NYC, LA, Nashville, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco), with a portfolio organized across Eye Level Media (street billboards, streetscapes, storefronts, and the proprietary MTWN Digital Network of 40 LED screens across 20 Midtown Manhattan locations delivering 422M+ impressions every four weeks), Transit Advertising (Nashville trolleys), Venues (Brookfield Place, Chelsea Market, Atlantic Terminal, Salesforce Transit Center, Nashville Yards, Assembly Food Hall), Large Format OOH (wallscapes and supergraphics), Storefront Advertising, and Real Estate Advertising Solutions for building owners. Pearl's differentiating technical capability is proprietary 3D architectural projection mapping and interactive experiential design — the company claims to have executed more 3D projections than any other company globally and holds a Guinness World Record, a 2012 Platinum Event Technology Award, and a 2013 DSE Gold Award for the Chevy Sonic Giant Claw Game activation.

Pearl's business model operates on two complementary sides. On the demand side, the company sells advertising placements and bespoke experiential campaigns directly to Fortune 100 and large enterprise brands — including Disney, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Coca-Cola, AT&T, GM, Verizon, McDonald's, Adidas, Nike, Google, and many others — via a national sales team led by a dedicated CRO, with pricing negotiated per placement or per campaign on a quote-based model (no public rate card). On the supply side, Pearl partners with commercial real estate owners and property managers to convert vacant storefronts, building facades, and premium urban surfaces into revenue-generating advertising inventory, handling permitting, engineering, installation, sales marketing, and reporting on a fully managed basis while property owners earn a passive revenue share.

The company is founder-led (Joshua Cohen, Founder/President/CEO) with a senior team including CRO Anthony Petrillo (since 2008), COO Jen Lee Almeida (since 2009), EVP Real Estate Brian Cohen, and SVP Jay Carella, supported by newly added CMO Joe DePreta. In April 2022, Pearl acquired LURE Outdoor in partnership with Seaport Capital — the company's first disclosed institutional capital event — establishing it as one of the largest street-level OOH media operators in the US and signaling intent for further organic and inorganic expansion. Operations remain domestic (United States only), and Pearl does not disclose financials.

Name

Pearl Media LLC

Legal name

Pearl Media LLC

Website

https://pearlmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pearl Media is a US-based out-of-home advertising and experiential marketing company that develops premium street-level media inventory and proprietary 3D projection mapping for Fortune 100 brands across top US markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out-of-Home Advertising

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Advertising Agencies (541810), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

OOH Media Planning, Buying & Inventory Aggregation (BPAFALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Out-of-Home (OOH), DOOH & Ambient Advertising (BPAFAAAI), Large-Format / Spectacular OOH (Building Wraps, Digital Spectaculars) (MPAAAKAF), OOH Production, Printing & Installation Services (BPAFALAL)

Keywords

• Out-of-home advertising
• 3D projection mapping
• Experiential marketing
• Digital out-of-home network
• Commercial real estate media

Headquarters

HQ city

Montclair

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. OOH Advertising Space Sales: Pearl Media sells advertising space across its portfolio of street-level billboards, storefronts, large format walls, digital displays, and transit media to enterprise brands. Revenue is generated through media rental contracts, typically billed on a per-placement or per-campaign basis. The company prioritizes quality over quantity, targeting premium urban locations in top US cities.
2. Real Estate Media Partnerships: Pearl partners with commercial real estate owners (building owners, property managers) to digitize their vacant storefronts and premium locations into advertising inventory. Pearl handles permitting, engineering, installation, sales, and reporting while the building owner earns a share of advertising revenue — described as a 'hands-off' revenue stream for property owners.
3. Experiential Activations: Pearl creates bespoke experiential marketing campaigns for brands — including 3D projection installations, interactive activations, and event-based activations (e.g., Super Bowl, Art Basel, Comic-Con) — typically as a premium, project-based service.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pearl Media operates a national out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform that combines owned and partnered media placements, a proprietary 3D projection mapping division (Pearl Media ARTS), and a digital OOH network called MTWN. The company sells advertising space on commercial real estate assets, transit, storefronts, and large-format surfaces, and creates experiential and 3D mapped activations for brands. Its offerings are sold to enterprise brand marketers and commercial real estate partners across major U.S. markets.

Product overview

Pearl Media LLC is an experiential and traditional out-of-home (OOH) media company that develops, manages, and sells unique marketing and digital media opportunities. The company operates a portfolio of premium OOH media products organized across several categories: Eye Level Media (street billboards, streetscapes, storefronts, and the MTWN Digital Network), Transit Advertising (Nashville Trolleys), Venues (Brookfield Place, Chelsea Market, Atlantic Terminal, Salesforce Transit Center, Nashville Yards, Assembly Food Hall), Large Format OOH (wallscapes and supergraphics), Storefront Advertising, 3D Projection Mapping, and Interactive Experiences. The company also offers Real Estate Advertising Solutions as an add-on service for building owners. Founded in 2007, Pearl Media targets and transforms premium large format static properties and vacant storefronts into best-in-market out-of-home advertising opportunities across top US markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eye Level Media
• MTWN Digital Network
• Large Format OOH Advertising
• Storefront Advertising
• Transit Advertising
• Venues Advertising
• 3D Projection Mapping (Pearl Media ARTS)
• Interactive and Immersive Experiences
• Real Estate Media Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 422M+ impressions every four weeks (MTWN Digital Network)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers112 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered key.

• Old Town Trolley (Nashville)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2021Pearl Media entered a partnership with Old Town Trolley, Nashville in August 2021 to introduce large format out-of-home advertising on over 20 transportation vehicles throughout Nashville. Standing over 13 feet tall, the trolleys operate a dedicated 12-mile loop around Downtown Nashville, stopping at 14 notable attractions including the Country Music Hall of Fame and Honky Tonk Row. The partnership expanded Pearl's already dominant footprint at Fifth + Broadway, offering clients unique options to reach all areas of Downtown Nashville.
• The Richards GroupkeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPearl Media partnered with The Richards Group (advertising agency) to execute the Patron 'Simply Perfect' Art Project in 2011. The activation featured live, working art studios in vacant storefront windows across Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, with Pearl handling complete campaign execution while The Richards Group served as the agency of record.
• Initiative (Media Agency)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative, a media communications company, conceived and planned the Hyundai 3D Art Installation at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2011. Pearl Media was responsible for the technical execution, utilizing their proprietary 3D architectural mapping technology to project 8-bit gaming graphics onto the Tides Hotel (8,000 sq ft). The program was the first-ever 3D art installation at Art Basel and was witnessed by thousands in person and via viral video.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lamar Advertising Company: The largest US out-of-home advertising operator with billboards, digital displays, and transit media across all major US markets. Broadly comparable to Pearl as an OOH media owner/aggregator, but at vastly larger national scale and with a publicly traded balance sheet.
• Outfront Media: One of the largest US OOH companies (and Pearl SVP Jay Carella's former employer, Viacom Outdoor). Directly comparable as a multi-format OOH owner with strong urban/transit presence; Pearl competes for the same Fortune 100 brand budgets at a smaller premium-urban niche.
• Clear Channel Outdoor (iHeartMedia): Global OOH operator with billboards, transit, street furniture, and airports — comparable as a large-scale OOH media seller with a programmatic platform (VIEW) competing for similar enterprise brand budgets.
• JCDecaux: World's largest outdoor advertising company, dominant in street furniture and transit advertising. Comparable as a premium urban OOH operator; competes with Pearl for venue-based media and sponsorships in NYC, LA, and Chicago.

Direct peers

• Branded Cities: North American OOH/digital OOH media owner focused on iconic urban inventory and large-format spectaculars (e.g., Reuters Building in Times Square). Direct peer to Pearl's street-level and large-format OOH business in major US cities.
• BIG Outdoor: NYC-focused street-level OOH media company operating premium urban inventory in Manhattan and other major US markets. Closely comparable to Pearl's street-level, eye-level OOH model — effectively Pearl's nearest direct same-segment competitor.
• Link Media: Street-level and storefront OOH media operator in major US cities with an inventory aggregation model analogous to Pearl's hands-off real estate partnership approach.
• Van Wagner Communications: Mid-sized US OOH and place-based media company with strong presence in NYC and key markets. Comparable as a direct competitor for premium street-level, rooftop, and place-based advertising inventory.

Regional players

• Ströer SE & Co. KGaA: Major European out-of-home and digital out-of-home operator with growing US presence (DPAA member, programmatic DOOH). Comparable product offering (DOOH, street furniture, transit) though primarily competing for global brand budgets rather than Pearl's US-only footprint.

Others

• Prism Media: Sibling company to Pearl Media — Jay Carella serves as both President/CEO of Prism Media and VP of Sales at Pearl. A directly related OOH media counterpart sharing leadership and overlapping NJ/billboard inventory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pearlmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/pearlmediaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pearl-media-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Pearl Media LLC