Gadsden State Moves to a Modern DAM Solution with PhotoShelter

Gadsden State Community College, located in Northeast Alabama, is a vital hub for academics, health sciences, and workforce development.

With over 70 programs of study and a growing population of over 5,000 students, their PR & Marketing team operates like a full-time in-house agency, tasked with everything from driving enrollment to managing campus-wide communications.

“Our brand focuses on accessibility, affordability, workforce readiness, and student success,” said Austin Tillison, Director of Public Relations and Marketing.

To support those values, Austin’s team needed a digital asset management (DAM) system that could meet the demands of a modern community college.

The challenge: A DAM that slowed them down

Gadsden State was already using a DAM before making the switch to PhotoShelter, but it wasn’t working the way the team needed it to.

According to Austin, “the interface and overall usability were “limiting” in their previous system.

This led to creative bottlenecks. Files were hard to find, and managing a steady stream of content requests wasn’t easy. The team set out to find a platform that wouldn’t just store photos, but help them work faster and smarter every day.

Why Gadsden State chose PhotoShelter

Having seen the product in action at a previous school, Austin already knew it was a “trusted, higher-education–focused platform.”

“Compared to our previous DAM, the interface was significantly smoother.”

Austin Tillison, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, Gadsden State Community College

Austin told us, “User experience and price were major factors in our decision.”

By making the move to PhotoShelter, Gadsden State is bringing scattered assets into one place and “reducing duplicate requests and reshoots.” Now, photos are easier to find and share, so the team can spend less time tracking down files and more time telling stories.

“We’re proud to welcome Gadsden State to a growing community of colleges and universities that trust PhotoShelter with their content,” said PhotoShelter CEO Andrew Fingerman. “As we continue to innovate, it’s a joy to see our new interface make an impact.”

Founded in 2005, PhotoShelter is a leading digital asset management (DAM) platform for marketers and creatives. Our AI-driven solution simplifies content collection, organization, and distribution. Trusted by global brands like the NFL, MLB, Purdue University, and Wendy’s, we securely manage over 6.7+ billion assets and support nearly 100 million annual downloads.