Video Visions Corporate Profile

learn why you should consider Video Visions

Video Visions, Inc. integration business handles projects from design through completion providing system design, installation and post-installation services. Projects are professionally managed by experienced personnel who understand all aspects of the production process. Systems are engineered correctly from the top down and strict fabrication procedures are managed and executed in our facility prior to installation. Founded by Arthur Milanese in Philadelphia in 1973 under its parent name, Milanese Associates, Inc. operated as a manufacturer’s representative to market, reseller, and distributor of professional video displays and media products. In 1986, Milanese Associates pioneered the application of video wall technologies, bringing the first video wall splitters and professional display wall monitors to America. Five years later, Video Visions, Inc. was formed specifically to design and manufacture quality video wall products in the United States.

Today, Video Visions, Inc. prides itself on being a professional A/V company, specializing in offering professional products and solutions including video walls and large screen displays systems. Credited with manufacturer direct dealer status aligned with the A/V industry’s top video display manufacturers, our sales, engineering, and technical staff; have successfully completed manufacturer certified training with all the best manufacturers in the A/V market. Video Vision’s remains agnostic when it comes to equipment selection and partners for our projects. Our philosophy is to select the most appropriate technology, regardless of the manufacturer, offering the best value for the client’s investment.

Therefore, during the years, we have created a long-term partner network with the best manufacturers on the market. This ensures that our customers always receive the best solutions and expertise from Video Visions.

Specializing in video wall displays, systems, and large screen display products sales and service, our engineering team and installation crews are experienced with all phases of the project process. Our dedicated design and engineering teams work closely with architects and A/V designers providing system design and pre-install support. After a successful installation Video Visions, Inc. offers full system support through our in-house service department. Video Visions, Inc. is a proud member of Avixa and NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) and is both a Certified Small Business (SBA) and a Certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBENC).

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, with sales representation in New York and Florida, Video Visions, Inc. is a privately held small business, woman-owned company.

Great pride is taken with every project, offering professional quality products combined with professional system design and custom installation services. We offer our clients turnkey solutions as a full-service audiovisual contractor.

Management Teamour fantastic staff that go above & beyond for our clients

President

Mary Ellen began her career with Video Visions in 1997 as a Service Coordinator.  Mary Ellen’s enthusiasm to learn everything that she could about the Pro AV market along with her dedication to the organization that her Father had founded was clearly evident from the early stages of her career with Video Visions, Inc.    Her leadership abilities combined with her impeccable detail to the organization quickly led her to surpass the Service Coordinator position in which she began her AV career and allowed her to grow within the organization. She was named as the Operations Manager in 1998.

While holding the position of Operations Manager, Mary Ellen quickly developed close relationships with all of the major Professional Audio Visual Manufactures in the United States and throughout the world.  With her background is in the marketing field, Mary Ellen’s people skills and the relationships that she built with the Pro AV manufacturers allowed for Video Visions to continue to excel in their area of expertise –Videowalls & large screen displays – as she was always able to procure the best pricing for the specialty products that were sold on a regular basis to Video Visions’ clients.

Between 1998 & 2008 Mary Ellen ran many facets of the organization.  Although she remained named as the organization’s Operations Manager she became involved in many more areas within the company.   Human Resources, Marketing, Purchasing, Overseeing of Project Management, P&L and Risk Management to name a few.  Although she technically ran the position for a long time, in 2008 Mary Ellen was officially named as Vice President of Video Visions, Inc., and in 2009 with the untimely passing of the company’s founder, Mary Ellen was specifically named by the founder to carry on his legacy as the President of the organization.

Mary Ellen holds a BS in Management & Marketing from Holy Family University.  Her dedication and commitment to the organization have allowed for unremarkable growth and respect within the Pro AV industry.  Mary Ellen is 100% committed to Video Visions, Inc. as well as to the professional audiovisual industry as a whole.  Mary Ellen is actively involved in Avixa to help the Pro AV industry grow and to further educate herself as a Pro AV professional.   She is actively involved in InfoComms’ efforts for mentorship for the next generation of professional audiovisual candidates as well as in the growth of women in the professional audiovisual market.  The Company is not just her future, it is her life.  She will not accept an unhappy client as an option.  She will go out of her way to make sure that every job not only meets but exceeds their client’s expectations.

When not hard at work, Mary Ellen’s greatest enjoyment is spending time with her Daughter Hannah & her Husband Vincent.   She makes the most of every weekend with regular trips to places such as The Franklin Institute and she loves to vacation with her family.

Vice President

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Vincent DiStasio began his career with Video Visions in 1992 as an entry-level Technician Assistant.  It was quickly evident that his dedication and work ethic was going to make him a valuable asset to the organization.  Vince rapidly worked his way up in the company, becoming a Technician, a Lead Technician and eventually becoming a Systems Designer.  He was named Director of Systems Design in late 2008 and to Vice President in 2009.  Vince is an Avixa CTS-I Certified Technician.

Vince was involved in the early stages of the Videowall processors; he manufactured the Universal Basic & Universal Platinum Videowall processors from the board level.   This was one of the first Videowall splitters manufactured in the US.  Through the years, Vince has been manufacturer trained on every type of Videowall processor as well as all types of Videowall display devices.  Some manufacturers include; ICS Technologies, Element Labs, Sony, ICT Split Machine & HR1500’s, Orion Plasma Display, Pioneer, NEC Display, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Data Wall, Christie MicroTiles, Gundermann, Barco, GVC, RGB Spectrum, Planar/Leyard, Jupiter, Hitachi, Dotronix, D3 LED, Christie/Vista Spyder & Hantarex. His experience in Videowall displays spans from the early days of stacking CRT monitors to the current cutting edge technology of LED displays, seamless plasma & seamless LCD displays.

The larger the hurdle, the more Vince enjoys the task!  In 1992 during his apprentice days, he was involved with a national rollout for Wet Seal, installing 4×6 Videowalls of 27” CRT monitors with processors across the US – from California to Florida – and everywhere in-between. In 1995 Vince was a part of the team that installed a Videowall including 144 27” CRT monitors with nine Universal Videowall Processors into the NCAA Hall of Fame.  In 2007 Vince lead the team that installed the largest VersaTile screen in the US into an elite Philadelphia night club.  He was one of the first non-Panasonic technicians to install a 103” plasma panel and is one of the only non-Sharp technicians to have installed a 108” LCD panel.  His experience is second to none in large screen displays and Videowall display systems.  A recent accomplishment includes an outdoor double sided 8mm LED display at the Franklin Institute – the first of its kind on the Parkway in Philadelphia.  Throughout his nearly 25 years with the company, he has traveled across the entire United States and through most of Europe either installing audiovisual equipment into client’s facilities or attending manufacturer training sessions.

As a Systems Designer Vince has worked on projects ranging from military installations such as Kennedy Space Center to retail stores such as Versace and Jones Apparel.  Vince led the audiovisual team that allowed the Major League Baseball Network to launch on time; he was hands-on involved with every aspect of their AV System.  He was the first field Systems Designer to successfully install a Christie MicroTile Videowall Display without manufacturer involvement.  A few recent accomplishments would include the overseeing of a full system re-design at the Federal Aviation Authority’s command and control center as well as a full system re-design for the New Jersey State Police Command and Control Center.

Beginning his career in the field, his knowledge of the professional audiovisual industry is vast as he truly understands every project that he designs with our sales team.  He still enjoys being a road warrior and getting his hands dirty out in the field with our installation crews.  He works with our sales and engineering teams on a daily basis to help them achieve our client’s goals.  His commitment to his clients is often referred to as above and beyond.

In his spare time, Vince enjoys spending time with his wife & their daughter Hannah. He enjoys bowling, golf, fishing, baseball, hockey, football and any other sports you can think of!

General Manager

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Vince joined Video Visions in February of 2013 as an Account Relationship Manager. Prior to joining the Video Visions team, Vince had a long-standing relationship with Video Visions.  They were an account for him while he was a manufacturers representative and he worked on many successful projects with them.  Vince also maintained a working relationship with Video Visions when working with another local audiovisual integrator in the area.

Vince began his career in the audiovisual world at a very young age. Repairing broken VCR’s and splicing damaged videotapes back together proved to be a good opportunity to make money!  And while in college spending money was earned by helping all of his fellow students set up their video equipment in their dorm rooms.

While still in college Vince began working at Peirce-Phelps Inc., one of the largest system integrators in the US for video conferencing.  This is when Vince realized that the audiovisual world was where he wanted to make his career.  Vince started off working on bids and learning about the audiovisual industry and quickly moved into an inside sales position and then into an outside sales position.  Sales proved to be Vince’s forte, with his primary focus being the Fortune 500 marketplace Vince won the Achiever’s Circle Award!

After graduating from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor’s degree in Management & Information Systems and with some work experience under his belt, Vince decided he wanted to see the world.  This led him to a position as a manufacturer representative with SYMCO. During his tenure at SYMCO, he covered the Pennsylvania and Upstate New York territories, representing over 60 manufacturers to systems integrators.  Vince held the position of Territory Manager with SYMCO for 8 years.

Once Vince met his wife and started a family he decided that a life behind a windshield was not as exciting as it used to be and he then pursued an opportunity to work as an inside sales associate specializing in Digital Signage for  Advanced Audio Visual.  Vince brought his expertise of digital signage to their expanding systems integration corporation and was in a supporting sales role for all digital signage opportunities.  While working at Advanced AV, Vince was involved in rollouts at The University of Pennsylvania, Astra Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Covance and SCA.  He also won a DigiAward for a project with Swiss Farms.

In early 2013 Vince decided it was time for a change as he wanted to further grow his AV portfolio and decided to join the team at Video Visions.  In late 2014 when Video Visions was in the planning stages to hire a General Manager it seemed only natural to try to promote from within and the position was awarded to Vince.  Vince has excelled in working closely with the management team at Video Visions as well as with all of the employees.  He also works very meticulously with several key clients to maintain a high level of client involvement for the executive team at Video Visions, Inc.

In his spare time, Vince enjoys spending time with his wife and his 3 beautiful children.  When he can find any other free time he is pursuing a black belt in Kenpo Karate to compliment his existing black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Director of Sales & Systems Engineering

Ted Manahan is the Director of Sales and Engineering at Video Visions. In early 2009 Ted joined our organization after a move back to the east coast.  Ted brought a large volume of experience with him when joining our team.  He has been in the professional audiovisual business for better than 20 years.  Ted is manufacturer trained on Planar Display Systems, Orion Plasma Display Panels, Christie MicroTiles, Panasonic Professional Display Systems, NEC Display Systems, RGB Spectrum Processing & ICS Technologies Processing to name a few.

In his past experience, he has served as Director of Audio Visual and Convention Services at major Las Vegas Hotels including Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch.  He also managed their convention services, trade shows, live corporate events, and general sessions. In these positions, Ted was solely responsible for all audiovisual products within the hotels.

Ted served as Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Wall One Inc., managing the sales, design and systems programming for the company’s west coast operations. A large accomplishment during his time at Mobile Wall One was the sale, installation, and servicing of 4 high x 20 wide Pioneer Videowall into the lobby of the MGM Hotel & Casino.

Ted’s career has taken him to over 350 arenas, stadiums, universities and convention centers throughout the country and the world. His extensive experience in live production includes being a cameraman for every major sports championship in professional and intercollegiate athletics including the NFL Super Bowl (30 times), the NCAA Basketball Final Four (19 times), the NHL Stanley Cup Finals (8 times), the MLB World Series (4 times), the NBA Finals (4 times, the Olympic Games (3 times), the NBA All-Star Game, the NHL All-Star Game, Horse Racing Breeder’s Cup (13 times) and the PGA Golf Championship (6 times). He has covered the NFL as a cameraman for NFL Films for 47 years, network television for over 25 years and music videos for over 25 years. Ted has received three Emmy awards for cinematography and production as well as numerous other individual awards for technical achievement.

Some accomplishments of Ted’s would include the design & implementation of an 8 high x 10 wide Christie MicroTile Videowall display into the Hayden Planetarium at The American Museum Of Natural History, a nationwide videowall roll out for General Growth Properties installing video wall displays in the food courts of their malls, as well as the implementation of all aspects of audio-visual for the Student Center at Clarkson University.

Ted holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Kentucky.

In his spare time, Ted enjoys playing golf with his wife, Pat, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.  He also enjoys traveling, cooking, and great movies!

Director of Strategic Accounts

Joseph McConahy is our Florida based Director of Strategic Accounts. He has worked with Video Visions since 2001, specializing in Videowall applications, touch solutions, and large screen displays.  Joe’s core clientele include government and military industries, as well as retail chain corporations.  He is well versed in cutting edge technologies, being on the forefront of the Panasonic 103” plasma display panels, digital signage, Holopro technology, Plasmaxx display systems and nearly all forms of Videowall technology, such as DLP, LED, LCD and plasma based systems.

Prior to Joe joining Video Visions, He worked for ICT of North America in their Orlando, Florida office.  ICT is a world-renowned German-based manufacturer of Videowall processors, control systems, and media presentation devices.  He began his career with ICT as an Account Manager and worked his way up to Director of Sales.  When ICT closed their Orlando, FL North American office, Video Visions was delighted to bring him on board as an addition to our sales team.

With 20 plus years’ experience in the professional AV market, Joe’s background in both the rental and permanent installation market add a great value to his salesmanship.  He is well versed in all aspects of the profession, ranging from union requirements, labor scheduling, shipping management, and show/installation support.  Joe’s dedication to his clients is clearly evident through the deep and longstanding relationships he forms.

Joe continually spends time researching the latest and greatest technologies.  He makes time to attend trade shows such as Avixa and attends many industry and manufacturer courses such as Panasonic, Extron, Planar/Leyard, and Mitsubishi.

Joe graduated Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida in 1997 with a major in Finance, and a minor in International Business with a Russian emphasis.

In his spare time, Joe especially enjoys camping with his wife, Marina, and their young triplets!  Joe also enjoys watching football and tinkering with his home entertainment system.  Although family life does not allow much time for travel, he enjoys trips with the family to remote destinations when time permits such as the Amazon, horseback riding in British Columbia and Central American excursions.