A Bristol Native’s Storytelling Gets Him to the Big Screen

Marcel Arsenault grew up in a Bristol home where the art of storytelling through music, acting and writing were encouraged and celebrated by his parents Bob and Denise. This love of telling a story took shape with the family singing folk songs and playing instruments to Marcel acting in Mt. Hope High School productions. These days Marcel is bringing storytelling to a worldwide audience as the Director of Development for Sharp Entertainment, one of the fastest growing production companies of unscripted and reality television in the country.

Having made household names of Adam Richman and Man vs. Food, Doomsday Preppers, “Turtleman” Ernie Brown, Jr. of Call of the Wildman and Punkin Chunkin, to name just a few of the popular shows behind Sharp, Marcel and the company are building on Richman’s popularity with Fandemonium, which debuted in July on The Travel Channel.

In 2007 after graduating from Georgetown University, where he majored in American Studies with a focus on music, film and television, Marcel returned to Bristol with the intention of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles or New York. “I applied for any job that said entertainment, television, film or music.”

The application process played out like an episode of a Sharp production. After realizing he was not getting interviews with New York City companies with his home address, he put a New York address on his resume. Then one ad really caught his eye: Executive Assistant to the President at Sharp. It requested a creative cover letter be sent to the then current EA, a woman named Marisa. Marcel penned and recorded a love song on why he should be considered for the job. Within an hour of hearing the emailed song he was called for an interview and after another round of interviews he had the position which came with the job description: “Doing anything that didn’t fall under the job description of anyone else.” So began the glamorous life of answering the phones, running the intern program and yes, getting coffee for the boss.

The 2003 Mt. Hope High School graduate gives credit to his family and the teachers of his Bristol youth. “I was able to succeed and get to where I am because of the support of my family and the teachers I had at Kickemuit Middle School and Mt. Hope. When I look back at those years the things that most prepared me for what I do today were my experiences with the performance arts. But beyond that, in class we were given projects to learn about a subject and it was not limited to traditional reports or tests. We would write a song on a subject, for example, or do creative sketches in English class. Those were things I worked the hardest on, and to have teachers have an open format helped me develop as a storyteller.”

Having made an impression with his work on developing Punkin Chunkin, which is a yearly special on Discovery Channel, Marcel was promoted to Director of Development a year ago. What makes a good story for reality shows? “I am aware of my reaction to things I read about or videos I watch. I also think while people want to be entertained, a lot of people also want to learn and that is what sets Sharp Entertainment apart from other companies.” His future goals are to develop scripted stories for television and cable networks. “As a storyteller I want to tell my own stories.”

While the big city has a lot to offer, Marcel always misses Bristol’s waterfront, being able to see the stars at night and Rhode Island cuisine. “Whenever I come home I have to have clam cakes and chowder. When I see it on a menu elsewhere I have to try it, but it’s never as good.”