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While student-athletes juggle practice, games, and academics, few could imagine that balance translating into a career curating social media magic — but for Gabe Alada ’22, that’s exactly what his liberal arts education prepared him for.

Alada spends his days immersed in the world of TikTok trends, video edits, and digital storytelling, all in the hopes of captivating fans of the NBA and WNBA through innovative social media campaigns. It’s all in a day’s work in his role as a content creator for Bally Sports North and the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx.

“Every day in my job, there’s something new. St. Olaf has put me leaps and bounds ahead to succeed.”

Gabe Alada ’22

During his time on the Hill, Alada majored in English and played three varsity sports: football, basketball, and track and field. In his free time, he pursued his passion for sports writing at the Olaf Messenger student newspaper. 

“St. Olaf definitely made me prepared for the multitasking required in the world I’m in now,” Alada says. “My job is actually kind of easy compared to what I was doing on the Hill.”

While the experiences he had on the Hill helped Alada discern the type of work he’s passionate about, it was an internship experience in Chicago that truly opened his eyes to the power of storytelling through social media.

“I got to work with Kyle Prater, a former NFL wide receiver and award-winning filmmaker,” Alada says. “Just being able to follow him and learn how to edit videos in Premiere Pro — after starting out in iMovie — was huge for expanding my skills.”

Those skills in video production, editing, and creating engaging visual content quickly became invaluable after Alada landed his dream role with the Timberwolves. With the team enjoying a wildly successful season and making waves across the league, Alada has found himself working alongside NBA superstars like Anthony Edwards, who was recently ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s Top 25 Under 25. The Timberwolves have over 3 million Instagram followers alone, so Alada is always looking out for the next big trend to keep the superfans engaged.

“I’m looking at what’s happening on TikTok, what videos are going viral, what music is being used,” Alada says. “You just gotta always be looking for inspiration.”

Alada has used that inspiration to put his own spin on trends — in one video, he remixed a popular transition style by making the light in the stadium dramatically dim as his phone’s brightness dims, racking up thousands of views.

For now, Alada’s sights are set on continuing to climb the ranks, with dreams of potentially becoming a social media manager for a professional sports franchise down the road. His passion for this cross-section of sports, media, and digital culture combined with what he gained from his time on the Hill set him up for professional success.

“Every day in my job, there’s something new,” says Alada. “St. Olaf has put me leaps and bounds ahead to succeed.”