Personality Profile – Caroline Marcello

Promoting Lafayette to the World

Marcello proves she’s so much more than a news girl

By Patrice Doucet

Photos by CourtBrooke Photography

She’s reported on cities ravaged by hurricanes, covered a high-profile murder case, interviewed some of the area’s most successful CEOs, worked Lafayette’s thriving arts and businesses beat, and now former TV reporter Caroline Marcello is promoting Acadiana in a new way.

Many of you may remember Marcello as the morning news anchor on Channel 10 for three years. It was a career that began right after the Thibodeaux native graduated from Nicholls State in public relations. Having reported on women’s sports for HTV 10, in Houma, she would soon realize the importance of her job.

In her first summer at KLFY, Marcello covered the Daisy Lynn Landry disappearance and murder case. “I covered the story extensively for months and interviewed her mother while the search was going on. I was right out of college, 21 or 22, and it hit home when I talked to her,” she recalls.

Marcello traveled to Florida after Hurricane Michael, the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the U.S., devastated the area. A month after Hurricane Ida hit LaFourche Parish, she traveled back to her hometown to report the damage. The images are still clear as she says, “I was walking in debris and toxic sludge – that I thought was mud – and watching people just trying to survive.”

“These are heavy topics that I’ve covered,” Marcello continues, prompting her to point out that there is not enough mental health support for young reporters who cover hard-hitting news. “How at 22, after spending all day with the worst situation are you supposed to tune that out?” she wonders.

It was her work on “Acadiana Creates,” highlighting local mural artists, that she says made her realize she could shift her focus to more light-hearted, feel-good stories.

Looking back, one of her fondest memories in reporting was interviewing the children of the Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana in a segment called “All for the Kids.” While she admits it was a challenge interviewing kids at first, she says, “I understood just how much the Club meant to them. It was home; it’s where they got a meal after school, and homework help.”

After a career move to a different department, Marcello began to feel herself being called back to the work of celebrating Acadiana. When a job at Lafayette Travel came available that she says “made her creative heart flutter.” She shares, “I struggled leaving the anchor desk, because my identity was so tied to that. I’m proud of myself, though, for trying something new in sales, yet realizing that it wasn’t the time or place for me and knowing when to make a scary move. I left knowing I was Caroline, not just a news girl, and I was proud of myself for knowing my worth.”

Last August she became social media manager for Lafayette Travel and the campaign Eat Lafayette. She describes her job as “promoting Lafayette to the world,” through social media. “I get to talk about fun things and food all day,” she exclaims with her signature smile and enthusiasm.

“It’s been so fun and refreshing to work in the travel sector. I’m going for the good news this time, and it’s everywhere you look. I still get to interview new business owners and highlight art.”

As a member of this year’s Louisiana Tourism Association Leadership Class, Marcello has been traveling to different cities networking on how they market and brand themselves. “It’s been the coolest thing ever; it feels like a Louisiana history class in real life,” she says.

Most recently she’s taken on a cohost seat on 107.9 with DJ Digital on weekday mornings, before going to her office. “It amplifies everything I do with Lafayette Travel and scratches my itch for broadcast. We get people jolly in the morning while talking about current events,” she says.

For the past two years, Marcello has been involved with Junior Achievement of Acadiana’s Leading Ladies program, designed to help 9th to 12th grade girls in Lafayette Parish schools expand their horizons when considering career opportunities. “They learn about budgeting, develop interview skills and have the opportunity to connect with successful, professional women across various industries in the community,” she explains.

For young women interested in a broadcast journalism career Marcello offers advice. “As hard as it is, work hard and keep your head down. You’re there for either the best days or the worst moments. Don’t be flashy – let your work speak for itself. My work at TV 10 taught me that the only way it’s going to work is if you are genuinely yourself. I started with a voice and a look that I thought I had to have, but in the end, I had to be myself.”

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Favorite Destination- Mountains in North Carolina

Hobbies- Playing with her yorkie, traveling with friends, yoga

Favorite Cajun Food – Her dad’s crawfish étouffée (with crawfish from his backyard pond)

Few People Know- Played clarinet in high school and performed with the band at Carnegie Hall

Favorite Local Band- The Debtors