Anchoring the Port of Seattle’s Digital Media Strategy with PhotoShelter

From Bulk Cargo to Organized Assets

The Port of Seattle, home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, cruise terminals, and bustling marinas, manages a wide range of operations. Their communications team handles a vast archive of media, supporting both internal teams and external partners.

To improve the efficiency of its media management and distribution, the Port of Seattle needed a more scalable and user-friendly digital asset management (DAM) solution.

The Challenge: Effective Content Sharing Across Teams

Devlin Donnelly, Creative Services Manager, oversees the Port’s media operations, managing photography, videography, and graphic design. Managing large archives of similar images—especially those of the airport—became an increasingly frustrating task before PhotoShelter.

• Difficulty sharing files. Internal systems required manual processes, including resending emails and managing multiple access points. “Before, it was really hard to get people access,” says Donnelly. External partners and stakeholders struggled to access files efficiently without a simple way to generate a shareable link for downloads.
• Limited tagging and search capabilities. With using Sharepoint, which has no robust tagging features, the team often had to sift through folders of similar-looking images. The lack of specific search tools made it hard to locate the right content, especially for photos from similar subjects like airport activities.
• Frequent delays in sharing brand assets. The team had to manually email logos and brand guidelines to internal teams and external vendors because there was no central hub for these assets.
• No controls for file access. The team struggled to manage who could access specific files, particularly when sharing assets with external partners. Donnelly noted, “We needed a more streamlined way to manage permissions between external and internal access.”

“When it was all internal and using Sharepoint, it was really hard to tag the photos and make sure people were looking for the right asset… There were a lot of internal barriers to using that as a way to distribute and share materials. So the main thing when looking at other DAM systems… they were just ridiculously expensive. And PhotoShelter was perfect the way it could scale.”

Devlin Donnelly, Creative Services Manager

The Solution: The Port’s New Content Command Center

Previously, their team relied on “an internal-like SharePoint sort of system“ which lacked the necessary features for growth. Now with PhotoShelter, the Port of Seattle’s media team has a centralized and scalable platform to manage their extensive media archive. Here’s how they transformed their workflow:

• Simplified sharing across teams. With PhotoShelter, the Port can now easily share files with external partners. Donnelly highlights this improvement: “We only have to upload it once and then we can just share it out… Internal people have easy access, and we can send them a link with a password.”

• Scalable permissions and access control. The flexible permissions system was a game-changer. “We could just change the permissions site-wide. So any gallery, we can just share it and say, ‘Here’s the password,’” says Donnelly. This feature ensures that only the right people have access to specific galleries, simplifying both internal and external collaborations.
• PhotoShelter as a hub for brand assets. Donnelly explains, “We put all of our brand logos and guidelines up there… we just send the link, and it’s super easy.” Media partners now have direct access to approved assets for consistent brand representation.

• Improved storytelling with appropriate tags and AI. “Tagging is a big thing, especially now with AI helping to distill down specific photos,” Donnelly notes. The AI-powered search tools have greatly improved their ability to locate specific images, ensuring the legacy of over 100 years is well documented and accessible.

“With PhotoShelter, our workflow is a lot easier. We only have to upload assets once, and then we can just share them out. Our partners know the password, and our internal people have easy access to those assets too.”

Devlin Donnelly, Creative Services Manager

PhotoShelter Delivers a Better Content System for the Port of Seattle

PhotoShelter has transformed the way the Port of Seattle manages its media, making content sharing faster, more secure, and far more efficient. With streamlined workflows, easy access controls, and a centralized hub for assets, the Port’s communications team can now focus on what really matters—supporting their diverse operations and telling the stories that define their brand.

“PhotoShelter is the best way to share images and videos with a wide range of people. It’s really easy to use and it’s always there. We haven’t had any sort of downtime or lagging… Recently, we actually had a cyber incident internally, but PhotoShelter is securely hosted somewhere else, so while we didn’t have access to our emails and things like that, PhotoShelter allowed us to get photos, upload them and share them with our teams and with other people… We didn’t have to worry about how to share it.”

Devlin Donnelly, Creative Services Manager