Austin FC’s Playbook for Visual Storytelling Success with PhotoShelter

The rise of visual storytelling at Austin FC

Austin FC is a Major League Soccer club based in Austin, Texas, and the first professional sports franchise in the city. Since launching in 2021, the team has built a passionate fan base and a dynamic brand presence, requiring a robust system for managing and distributing visual assets. With a high volume of matchday photography, lifestyle shoots, and sponsorship activations, Austin FC needed a centralized, efficient way to organize and share its vast library of content across departments, partners, and players.

The challenge: Managing visual assets on the back foot

Austin FC’s photography team, led by Jacob Gonzalez and JJ Moothart, plays a critical role in capturing the club’s identity and storytelling. Their daily workflow includes covering matchdays, training sessions, marketing campaigns, and community events. However, before implementing PhotoShelter, outdated processes made asset management a challenge.

• Multiple storage solutions made image retrieval difficult. Previously, Austin FC stored assets across a number of platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, and personal hard drives, making it difficult for stakeholders to locate images when needed. “It was a mix of different processes for match days and photos. People had to dig through them to find photos… they were scattered around all different hard drives and servers too,” said Gonzalez.
• Tagging photos was manual, adding extra steps. Manually “tagging each photo individually, with the players’ names” and event details was time-consuming and inconsistent. Without a structured system, the team faced challenges in quickly sorting and retrieving relevant images.
• No easy way to share photos with players and stakeholders. Before PhotoShelter, distributing images to players involved manually compiling and sending files. “I was digging through different hard drives and servers for around four months straight, just trying to update our system and bring everything up to speed,” Moothart recalled.

Photo by JJ Moothart/Austin FC

“After each game, I would search ‘Brad Stuver’ from that match gallery and then manually move or add those photos to his collection. So it took me like half an hour after every game, when I wanted to go home, but I had to do that really quickly before I left.”

Jacob Gonzalez, Lead Photographer, Austin FC

The solution: PhotoShelter enters the field for Austin FC 

With PhotoShelter, Austin FC transformed its asset management, enabling instant access, automated organization, and seamless sharing across the club.

• Real-time remote workflow made image management easier. Now, photographers FTP images directly into an incoming files gallery in PhotoShelter. From there, an editor, often working remotely, processes and distributes the images in real time. “With PhotoShelter, our editor can really edit from anywhere. We just plug in our Ethernet cables on the field, and we’re good to go. We can send photos anywhere, really,” said Gonzalez.
• AI-driven organization with Smart Galleries automated sorting. With AI-powered metadata tagging, Austin FC now automates the sorting of images into player-specific folders. “A big thing that we do differently than most teams is we have all of our players set up on PhotoShelter. Using Smart Galleries, the metadata, and AI, all the photos tagged with a player’s name go right into their matchday folder,” Gonzalez explained.
• FileFlow app gave players instant access to images. Players now have real-time access to their photos through the FileFlow app, allowing them to download and share images instantly. This streamlined approach has also amplified Austin FC’s social reach. “All of the players have access to their photos, and when they post them, they help us get more reach from their audiences as well. Their audience becomes our audience,” Gonzalez noted.
• Collaboration across departments and stakeholders became seamless. Whether it’s internal teams, sponsors, or media outlets, sharing images is now effortless. The marketing team can quickly pull visuals for campaigns, while partners access high-quality assets via branded portals. “Now, everything’s quick – we send a link out, and we’re done with it. A couple of years ago, we had to download specific photos and send them manually. So it takes work off our plate,” said Gonzalez.
• Analytics provided measurable ROI on photography efforts. With built-in analytics, Austin FC can now track asset usage, downloads, and search trends. “Every year, I do a recap of how many photos we uploaded, how many people searched on the site, and how many downloads there were. It helps show leadership how effective PhotoShelter is,” Gonzalez stated.

“On the incoming files, with FTP, you can see the thumbnails, which is really helpful. Say we score a goal, you can see it instantly, pick one or two of the best photos, and download them. A lot of other FTP options, you just see the file names and you don’t see the thumbnails. So seeing that preview of the photo really saves a lot of time from downloading 20 photos versus downloading one and getting it up fast enough.”

Jacob Gonzalez, Lead Photographer, Austin FC

Building a lasting legacy with visuals

Austin FC’s ability to deliver impactful content in real time has elevated its fan experience and strengthened its partnerships. As Moothart put it, “It is a foundational tool required for organizations with as many photo needs as we have.” With automated workflows, real-time remote access, and AI-driven organization, the club can focus more on storytelling and less on logistics. Players, partners, and internal teams now have seamless access to high-quality imagery, amplifying the club’s reach and brand engagement.

“Now with PhotoShelter, everything’s quick – we send a link out and we’re done with it. A couple of years ago, we would have to download specific photos and send them to whoever needs them. So it makes things more efficient so we can focus more on shooting and on that next portrait shoot.”

Jacob Gonzalez, Lead Photographer, Austin FC

Photo by Jacob Gonzalez/Austin FC