Company name: ADI.tv
Headquarters: Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Founded: 1991
ADI.tv is a UK-based company that’s made a name for itself in LED screen technologies, live event production, and creative content services. With over 30 years of experience, they’ve been the go-to for helping global brands, events, and venues connect with their audiences in unforgettable ways.
We had the chance to chat with Oliver Brindley, ADI.tv’s Head of Marketing, who gave us an inside look at how their team uses Pics.io DAM to keep everything running seamlessly behind the scenes.
- Could you tell us more about your organization?
ADI specializes in large-venue digital transformation, primarily using LED screen technology. We work with football clubs, events, leisure, and retail venues. Our services include installing large-scale digital screens, creating content for them, and managing them for our clients.
For instance,, in a football stadium, this covers everything from stadium screens to digital perimeter boards. We also handle digital ceilings in leisure venues and mobile LED screens for both small and large events—including up to 70–80 screens at the British Grand Prix. Additionally, we operate globally, supporting events such as the UCI Mountain Biking World Cup.
- That sounds amazing! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your role at ADI, and what are your main responsibilities?
I’m the Head of Marketing at ADI, a role I’ve held for about 25 years. My responsibilities include overseeing everything related to the ADI brand—outward communications, social media, the website, and print materials. I also support our sales teams with tenders and proposals. Since we’re in a highly visual business, managing photos and videos is a critical part of what we do.
- What challenges were you facing before using Pics.io?
Before Pics.io, we tried several solutions, including an open-source tool hosted on our servers and Google Photos. Managing everything on our own servers was challenging, so we wanted a solution that improved workflows and centralized storage. Our primary issue was handling the massive volume of photos we receive, categorizing them, and making them easily accessible to the team.
- Why did you choose Pics.io?
Pics.io offered a good price point and integrated seamlessly with Google Drive, which was a big plus. We liked that our existing file structure on Google Drive remained intact in Pics.io. This alignment made transitioning easier and kept our workflows consistent.
"Pics.io offered a good price point and integrated seamlessly with Google Drive, which was a big plus. We liked that our existing file structure on Google Drive remained intact in Pics.io."
- What does your current workflow with Pics.io look like?
We have an upload folder where our screen technicians, drivers, operators, colleagues, and freelancers can submit photos. We then upload these to Pics.io, tag them, and organize them into collections. Given our large team of around 150 people, we share our library as a web collection instead of adding everyone as a user. This setup works well, but we see room for improvement.
- What types of files do you manage in Pics.io?
Mainly photos. We’ve tried using Pics.io for video, but the video streaming quality hasn’t met our expectations. While Pics.io works well for photos, we’ve found it less effective for video management.
- Which departments at ADI.tv use Pics.io?
The marketing department primarily uses Pics.io. Our sales team and other employees access the library via the web collection. However, we’re still considering whether to unify all our sales and marketing assets on Pics.io or use another platform like SharePoint.
- How do you collaborate with freelancers or contractors using Pics.io?
Freelancers and contractors mainly contribute by uploading photos and videos from events. We provide them with a short link to our upload folder, making it easy for them to submit their work.
- What are the key advantages of using a DAM system like Pics.io?
Pics.io helps centralize our storage, making our photos and other assets easy to archive and retrieve. The integration with Google Drive ensures everything is backed up and safe. We also appreciate the tagging and custom fields, which make it easier to organize and search for assets.
- Do you use any advanced features, such as controlled vocabulary or AI tagging?
We use custom fields for tagging but haven’t implemented controlled vocabulary. AI features aren’t part of our regular workflow.
- Do you use any integrations, such as Slack or Adobe products?
We hoped to integrate Pics.io with Adobe products like InDesign, but the functionality didn’t meet our expectations. The integration feels like a one-way street, and once a file is edited, it loses its link to the DAM.
- What is your favorite feature in Pics.io?
The integration with Google Drive is our favorite feature. It provides a sense of control over our content while ensuring everything is securely backed up.
"Pics.io helps centralize our storage, making our photos and other assets easy to archive and retrieve. The integration with Google Drive ensures everything is backed up and safe. We also appreciate the tagging and custom fields, which make it easier to organize and search for assets."
- What feedback would you like to share about Pics.io?
Pics.io is a solid product, but there are a few things we’d love to see improved. For instance, video streaming could be smoother, especially with longer files.
We’ve also noticed some glitches when scrolling through large galleries—like when the screen doesn’t reset properly after clicking into a new collection. However, we’ve found that clearing the browser cache usually fixes it. Bulk renaming files would be a huge time-saver, as doing it one by one is tedious. We’ve found a workaround using Windows Google Drive Sync and renaming files in Explorer, but it’d be great to have this feature built right into Pics.io.
Another improvement would be more control over the front page of web collections. Being able to choose how it looks, rather than showing everything in default order, would be great. Lastly, the user model could be more flexible. It’d be helpful to have a mix of admin users and guest accounts, with limited access for guests to interact with the system.
- Would you recommend Pics.io to others?
Yes, Pics.io offers excellent value for money and works well for photo management. That said, addressing some of the areas we’ve discussed would make it even better.
- Thank you, Oliver! We appreciate your insights and feedback. Your thoughts will help us continue improving Pics.io to better serve ADI.tv and other customers.
Did you enjoy this interview? Give Pics.io a try! — Or book a demo with us, and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
