Digital Director for the City of Philadelphia

I shape storiesthat move people,culture & cities.

Leonardo DiCaprio, photographed by Rashiid Marcell

Storyteller ✦ Strategist ✦ Connector

In the room with

President Barack Obama Vice President Kamala Harris Mayor Cherelle L. Parker Leonardo DiCaprio Will Smith Robert De Niro Tessa Thompson JAY-Z John Legend LL Cool J Eve Meek Mill Jazmine Sullivan Ashanti Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley

President Barack Obama✦Vice President Kamala Harris✦Mayor Cherelle L. Parker✦Leonardo DiCaprio✦Will Smith✦Robert De Niro✦Tessa Thompson✦JAY-Z✦President Barack Obama✦Vice President Kamala Harris✦Mayor Cherelle L. Parker✦Leonardo DiCaprio✦Will Smith✦Robert De Niro✦Tessa Thompson✦JAY-Z✦

John Legend✦LL Cool J✦Eve✦Meek Mill✦Jazmine Sullivan✦Ashanti✦Jalen Hurts✦Saquon Barkley✦John Legend✦LL Cool J✦Eve✦Meek Mill✦Jazmine Sullivan✦Ashanti✦Jalen Hurts✦Saquon Barkley✦

Brands & partners

Stories for people, culture, and cities.
Strategy, direction, and production.

Rashiid Marcell

I work at the intersection of

Storytelling.

Finding the story worth believing in.

Culture.

Meeting people where they already are.

Leadership.

Helping leaders say what matters, clearly.

Impact.

Work measured by what it changes.

01 — Point of View

Attention is earned. I help cities and brands earn it with stories people believe.

I'm a storyteller, strategist, and connector. Through Marcell Creative, my studio and production arm, those ideas become film, photography, and digital experiences.

My story

02 — Impact

City of Philadelphia + Mayor of Philadelphia social channels

The work. The reach. The responsibility.

The goal has never been to create content just for the sake of creating it. It's to get people to pay attention, understand what matters, and connect with the stories being told.

55.6M

Views

1.8M

Interactions

111K+

New followers

Across the City of Philadelphia and Mayor of Philadelphia social channels, April 2025 to April 2026. Collective team performance during my tenure as Digital Director.

Explore the City case study →

03 — Selected Work

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker with two young residents at the Block Party Bonanza

01 / City of Philadelphia

Making City Hall Worth Paying Attention To

Digital Strategy & Creative Leadership

Challenge: Government has no shortage of important stories to tell. Getting people to pay attention to them is an entirely different challenge.
Strategy: Put people before policy. Rethink how City Hall shows up online by connecting public information to culture, community, and the conversations people are already having.
Role: Digital Director / Creative Strategy / Editorial Direction / Team Leadership
Impact: From policy explainers to cultural moments, we worked to make government communications more human, accessible, and relevant to the people they serve.

See How We Did It

Aliyus, a YouthBuild Philadelphia student, during an interview in the welding shop

02 / YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

More Than a Diploma

Documentary Storytelling / Creative Direction / Film / Photography

Challenge: YouthBuild provides young people with more than an education. It creates pathways to careers, certifications, higher education, and new opportunities. How do you communicate all of that in a way people can understand and connect with?
Strategy: Start with the people, not the program. Combine interviews, documentary storytelling, and graduation coverage to make the opportunities feel personal, relatable, and real.
Role: Creative Direction / Film / Photography / Storytelling
Impact: A multi-format storytelling production designed to celebrate student achievement and communicate the opportunities that extend beyond graduation.

See the Story

Behind the work

Through my lens

Swipe →

Photographed by Rashiid.

President Barack Obama
Vice President Kamala Harris
Jalen Hurts
Will Smith
Tessa Thompson
Saquon Barkley
JAY-Z
Robert De Niro
LL Cool J
Jazmine Sullivan
Eve
Ashanti
Jalen Hurts

Content

Swipe → · Tap to play

Stories in motion.

Portrait of a GraduateBoys’ Latin of Philadelphia · Short documentary · 3:29 · Marcell Creative

Julian King x Jack’dJulian King · Branded film · 3:40 · Marcell Creative

Philly PostcardsPhiladelphia · Aerial film · 0:26 · Marcell Creative

HBCU Battle of the LegendsEvent film · 0:31

Joe Frazier Statue MoveShort documentary · 1:52

04 — Field Notes

How I think, in writing.

Not every idea needs a camera. Some of them just need somewhere to land.

Field Notes is where I work through what I'm learning about storytelling, leadership, culture, fatherhood, and the process of becoming who I want to be. Some thoughts are lessons. Some are questions I'm still trying to answer. All of them are mine.

At the center: Fatherhood

Before any title, I'm Dad.

More than anything else I do, being a father shapes the way I see the world. It's made me more patient, more curious, more intentional, and a little more aware of how much I still have to learn.

From the lessons I'm trying to teach my kids to the ones they keep teaching me, fatherhood is at the center of who I'm becoming. This is some of that story.

What does happiness feel like?Asking my kids · 0:41

Hendrix & Coach AshleyFamily film · 0:30

Dad Hacks: Wait to Have KidsOn camera · 1:31

Rashiid Marcell with his kids beside a classic car

05 — Work With Me

Rashiid Marcell leading a session at the Innovation Lab

01
Strategy & Advisory
For organizations and leaders looking to make their message matter. I help find the story, develop the strategy, and connect it to the right audience.
02
Speaking
Conversations and workshops about storytelling, culture, attention, leadership, and building belief.
03
Digital Direction
From strategy to execution, I help teams create content and digital experiences that connect with people.
04
Production
Films, photography, campaigns, and digital content through Marcell Creative.

06 — Contact

Let's tellyour story.

Or reach me directly

hello@rashiidmarcell.com 445-285-8391