Gabe Wasylko, senior manager of social media at Destination Cleveland, visited Cleveland State University on Sept. 12 to walk students through his unconventional path into photography and to offer practical advice for building a creative career in the city.

Wasylko spoke to Professor Beth Thomas’ Promotional Production 447 class as part of the PRSSA speaker series. Thomas, who holds a Ph.D. and serves as an associate professor of public relations and digital content, introduced Wasylko before giving students context on his background. He then greeted the class and shared how his career took shape in unexpected ways.

He described how a self-directed project during the pandemic helped him find his voice. 

“I decided to work on photography by posting one photo a day to Twitter,” he said, a daily practice that sent him into Cleveland each morning to shoot sunrises, neighborhoods, and city landmarks. 

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He watched his online following climb — from about 1,000 followers to roughly 25,000 — and said the routine taught him technical skills and gave him a more profound knowledge of the region he now markets.

Wasylko freelances as a photographer in addition to his full-time role at Destination. He told students of his journey from Brunswick High School to Ohio’s College of Wooster and into minor-league sports media. At Wooster, he contributed to the Wooster Voice, worked as a peer mentor and completed internships at STEM Zone and Stone Sports Management. 

After graduating from Wooster in 2019 with majors in mathematics and political science, he took a position with the Akron RubberDucks, eventually serving as the team’s creative services coordinator.

He told students that the job at the RubberDucks — which required him to learn video editing, graphics and production on the fly — gave him the hands-on experience to pursue a creative career even though he did not initially see himself as a photographer. 
 

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Wasylko said he considered more traditional routes early on, including pre-med coursework and law school, but ultimately leaned into creative work while also earning a Master of Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

At Destination Cleveland, Wasylko oversees social media work aimed at showcasing neighborhoods, restaurants, attractions and people, in hopes of changing perceptions about the city. He encouraged students to think of photography as a form of storytelling that can influence how outsiders and residents perceive Cleveland.

During his presentation, he outlined an assignment students will complete for critique: capture Cleveland scenes — cityscapes, sporting events or neighborhood moments — post the images on LinkedIn, and submit a URL for review in two weeks. 

Wasylko emphasized that students should “use what you have,” saying phones are perfectly acceptable when a larger camera is not available, and that developing a consistent online presence is part of building a professional brand.

Technical tips in the session ranged from aperture choices for portraits and landscapes to when a tripod is necessary for long exposures. Wasylko also described leading occasional photo walks downtown and on the west side, where he asks participants to focus on composition, light and the small details that make a photograph tell a story.

Beyond technique, he urged students to be open to new assignments and to treat early jobs as opportunities to learn. He said reliability, curiosity and a willingness to say yes to unfamiliar projects helped him move from minor-league creative work to a role that connects tourism marketing and community storytelling.
 

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Closing his talk, Wasylko framed the work as civic as well as creative, encouraging students to use their time at CSU to experiment, build a portfolio, and start the professional brand that will follow them after graduation. 

“Your work can shape how people see Cleveland, Wasylko said. “That’s powerful. Take pride in it.”