From Cleaner to Creative - Gary’s Journey at MoMac
At MoMac, we believe talent can come from anywhere. Sometimes it just needs the right environment, support, and opportunity to grow.
This story is about Gary Patel.
Gary originally joined MoMac as our cleaner. In mid-2025, after finishing his evening cleaning shift, Gary approached our founder Ryan McDonald to ask for advice. He wanted to turn a long-time photography hobby into a professional career and was considering enrolling at polytechnic and taking on a student loan to make it happen.
Rather than jumping straight into study, Ryan suggested a different path. Gary was offered work experience with our content team so he could see what commercial photography is really like day to day. The goal was simple. Learn the basics, build real skills, and decide if this was a career worth committing to.
We expected Gary to come in one day a week for a few hours.
Instead, he showed up almost every day.
In between cleaning jobs, Gary spent his time learning, shooting, editing, and asking questions. His improvement was fast, but what stood out most was his attitude. He welcomed feedback, applied it immediately, and always turned up with a positive mindset and a genuine desire to improve.
As his skills developed, Gary began assisting on client shoots and took on a large portion of our photo editing work. He never asked for payment and was simply grateful for the opportunity to learn and be part of the team.
When his work experience came to an end, we surprised Gary with a $1,000 gift as a thank you for his dedication, effort, and contribution.
Not long after, Gary officially joined MoMac as a paid part-time member of our content team.
Today, Gary is a valued part of the business. He is hardworking, positive, easy to work with, and committed to developing his craft. He is a great culture fit and a strong example of what can happen when effort meets opportunity.
If you are a MoMac client, you will likely see Gary on site with the team. He has a great eye, a strong work ethic, and a big future ahead of him.
Well done, Gary. Your journey so far is well earned, and we are proud to be part of it.
