01 / City of Philadelphia
Making City Hall Worth Paying Attention To
Digital Strategy & Creative Leadership
See How We Did It
Content
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Stories in motion.
Digital Director, Mayor's Office of Communications · City of Philadelphia
Shaping storiesthat move people,culture & cities.
Storyteller ✦ Strategist ✦ Connector
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, those ideas become strategy, film, photography, and spaces where people get to be more than their titles.
My story
02 — Impact
City of Philadelphia + Mayor of Philadelphia social channels
The work. The reach. The responsibility.
I approach government like a showrunner: building formats, voices, and content that connect. 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
02 / YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School
More Than a Diploma
Documentary Storytelling / Creative Direction / Film / Photography
See the StoryBehind the work
The Archive
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Photographed by Rashiid.
Vice President Kamala Harris 
Will Smith 
JAY-Z 
Robert De Niro 
Usher 
Bruce Springsteen 
Tyler Perry & Steve Harvey with Earn Your Leisure 
Kerry Washington 
John Legend 
LL Cool J 
Busta Rhymes 
Tessa Thompson 
Jalen Hurts 
Saquon Barkley 
Paige Bueckers 
Meek Mill 
Eve 
Ashanti 
Black Thought 
Jazmine Sullivan 
Lonzo Ball 
Ryan Howard 
Tierra Whack 
Terrence J 
Inky Johnson 
19 Keys 
Phillie Phanatic 
Uganda with Juglife 
Danny Rumph Tournament
04 — Field Notes
How I think, in writing.
Not every idea needs a camera. Some of them just need somewhere to land.
I'm a part-time yapper working on my writing. 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.
New Field Notes, in your inbox.
No noise. Just the next idea.
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.
I photograph everything my kids do, so they'll always remember all the space they took up. From the lessons I'm trying to teach them to the ones they keep teaching me, fatherhood is at the center of who I'm becoming. This is some of that story.
05 — Work With Me
Have something important to say? Let’s figure out the story, how to tell it, and what it takes to bring it to life.
- 01
Kind of Genius
Strategy & advisory
You know your work matters. The challenge is helping other people understand why. I help leaders and organizations clarify their message, understand their audience, and build a storytelling approach with a clear purpose. With an MBA in finance and a storyteller’s instincts, I bring the numbers and the narrative into the same room.
Let’s Talk Strategy- Ways we can work together
- Strategy sessions, communications and content reviews, campaign planning, and ongoing advisory.
- What we work toward
- A clearer message, stronger story ideas, and a plan your team can use.
- 02
Common Thread
Storytelling & digital direction
Your team is creating. But does the work add up to a clear story? I help organizations find the thread that connects their message, content, and creative decisions, so every piece has a purpose.
Find the Thread- Ways we can work together
- Developing recurring content series, shaping campaigns, establishing an editorial approach, and guiding an internal creative team.
- What we work toward
- Clear priorities, recognizable storytelling formats, and a team that understands what it’s making and why.
- 03
Creative AF
Photography & production
From the first conversation to the final edit, I help turn an idea into something people can see, hear, and feel. I develop and produce films, photography, and digital content built around the story you need to tell, so you can always look back and see exactly who and where you were at that time.
Start a Project- Projects include
- Documentary and brand films, interviews, event coverage, portraits, and social content.
- What we work toward
- Finished creative work shaped for its audience and where it will live.
See the work: YouthBuild case study · Films · The Archive
- 04
The Third Space
Speaking, workshops & community
Most of us spend our days inside our titles. The Third Space is the room outside of that. I speak about earning attention, building belief through story, and leading creative work that connects with people. Drawing from my experience across government, brands, and community storytelling, I bring practical lessons and real examples into the room.
Bring Me Into the Room- Building Belief Through Story: Finding the human story that helps people understand why your work matters.
- Earning Attention: Making important messages relevant to the people you need to reach.
- Leading Creative Teams: Giving people clear direction and room to do their best work.
- Formats
- Available for talks, panels, team workshops, and community gatherings.
- What people leave with
- A clearer way to find their story, and practical steps they can use the next day.
Once we start working, you're family.
06 — Contact