Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Anthony Marcello. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joseph Anthony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project is the one I am currently working on. Named T1Determined, my attempt is to build a platform where Type-1 Diabetic Athletes can share and learn from their experiences in their desired sports. The mediums include documentaries, podcasts, and written forms.

We are beginning a documentary titled, “Low Blood Sugar at High Altitude,” which is about tracking blood sugar on a Denali Climb. This topic is essential to me in many ways.

In 2019, at the age of 21, my life flipped upside down when I got diagnosed with the auto-immune disease Type-1 Diabetes. So far, I am the only person in my family to have this condition. For the past five years, adapting to a new lifestyle has been very difficult.

Yet, throughout the ups and downs, I discovered multiple passions growing within me. One passion is to escape to the mountains whenever I have the chance. This often means hiking and climbing in New Hampshire while trying to also plan big climbs once a year to larger arenas like Mount Rainier in Washington. The other passion is to live a healthy lifestyle and to bring out the best sports performance possible.

Combining these two passions, I see an avenue for controlling my Type-1 Diabetes and optimizing my performance in hiking and climbing. This leads me to beautiful places across the country including mountains in Colorado, California, Washington, and Alaska.

I now want to track my blood sugar through a 21+ day expedition on Denali (the continent’s tallest mountain) in hopes of discovering necessary information about Type-1 Diabetes in extreme environments and the overall functioning of the human body.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an award-winning filmmaker from Boston, Massachusetts. Owning my own production company, Angel Entertainment, I provide the services of Corporate Video, Cinematography, and Editing working both in the corporate industry in Boston as well as the independent film industry in Massachusetts. I have an MS and a BFA in film from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Since I was young, I knew that I wanted to tell stories. To me, stories are a way of showcasing the human experience. From cave drawings to Shakespearean theatre, stories have been at the essence of human evolution. In fact, stories have been shown to even sync audiences’ heartbeats into the same rhythm while listening to the same story. All of this fascinates me.

In high school, I volunteered at my Local Access Station learning the basics of film and video. By the time I got to college, I was able to jump right into creativity. University was my Renaissance. Discovering my style, and figuring out which tactics I’d call my signature, I learned how to create realistic dramas. I love bringing a sense of realism into film.

After graduation, I decided to start my own company right away. I grew up in a blue-collar family, and I looked up to my father who ran his own carpentry business. From studying film at school, I then had to teach myself the world of business. I am proud to say that Angel Entertainment is successful and growing.

Since my near-death experience of ketoacidosis and the diagnosis of Type-1 Diabetes, I learned that life is fragile. We are here for a short time, and we do not control when that time is up. Therefore, we must take every moment in with a grain of salt and appreciate the gift of life. With an entrepreneurial mind and a storytelling heart, I want to use this life to reach for my dreams of being a successful filmmaker.

On top of this, I love sports. I started hiking in high school before my Type-1 diagnosis, but when I got diagnosed, I used hiking as an outlet to learn control. My side hobby became a life mission. I have since climbed and been to some of the largest mountains in the country with the aim of reaching the tallest around the world. My goal in life is to find a way to combine all of my passions of storytelling, entrepreneurship, mountaineering, and (of course the most important) family.

My previous personally directed short films have led to screenings and awards in Hollywood. As I grow my career, I am now being hired to edit and DP (Director of Photography) on feature films with similar themes to my mission. One project I am currently working on is titled “My Life Between the Reins” directed by Marilyn Swick, and is about Paige Baylis; an equestrian living with Cerebral Palsy. I have worked on small independent productions as well as large multimillion-dollar sets. With a plethora of experience and a neverending drive, I am enthusiastic to jump into the realm of directing my own features. My directorial debut will be this upcoming documentary about Type-1 Diabetes and mountaineering, “Low Blood Sugar at High Altitude.”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Last year my grandfather passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was my best friend. I was lucky enough to have a grandfather in my life for 26 years, and he was 86 when he passed. He was the person I aspired to be. We would do everything together… watch old Westerns and even go to the gym together. Every week, multiple times a week, we would go fishing on his little boat for largemouth bass or trout. Before his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, an early sign was a diagnosis of Type-2 Diabetes. Though Type-1 and Type-2 are fundamentally different, I was amazed at his quick understanding of blood sugar control and his ability to adapt even at 86. Up until the end, he was completely coherent and himself.

His resilience taught me to be resilient. In business and athleticism, I take the seriousness and concentration that he had with me in everything I attempt. Six months after his passing, I decided in a spur-of-the-moment decision to run a marathon. With less than three weeks of training, and never having run more than 10 miles at once, I ended up conquering the marathon in less than 4-hours while controlling my Type-1 Diabetes. He was with me then, and he will always be with me in my heart. He is the person to teach me to get after my goals. He is the person to teach me determination, mental endurance, and resilience.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I want to help others and share a positive message. Storytelling is not just about sharing my story, but it’s about building a community of others and exploring all the avenues of creativity that are possible.

Personally, I want to discover and spread awareness of the ability to live a healthy lifestyle with Type-1 Diabetes. There is a lot of discipline needed, but it is possible. Much of the world does not know about Type-1 and does not understand the fine details that go into self-glucose control. The awareness just isn’t there. But when it is, people can see the amazing feats that individuals are accomplishing across the globe.

Part of my mission is to find other inspirational stories and share them. I want to raise awareness in hopes of displaying possibilities to all those who think they are disadvantaged. Beyond diabetes, I want to showcase the strength and grit of humanity as a whole.

This hope drives me both in my career and in my personal life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelentertainment.studio
• Instagram: @T1DeterminedBrand @Joemarcello18
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joey.marcello.3/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-marcello/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@T1Determined
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/t1determinedpodcast?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: T1Determined.nethttps://linktr.ee/t1determined

Image Credits

1. Photo-01 (Headshot): Jesus Paez-Cortez [JPC Photography]
2. Photo-02 (Camera & Horse): Beverly Nault
3. Photo-03 (Steadicam): Thao Pham

All others are not applicable.