Barcellos was awarded two times with Prêmio Jabuti on reporting, with the books Rota 66:a história da polícia que mata (1992) and Abusado: o dono do Morro Dona Marta (2004).

[2][3] Barcelos was born in Porto Alegre, in the Vila São José do Murialdo neighborhood.

He worked as a taxi driver and graduated in Journalism at the Pontifical Catholic University.

[4] Barcellos started as a reporter for the Porto Alegre newspaper Folha da Manhã, having also written as a freelancer for the magazines Verus, ISTOÉ and Veja and the newspaper Coojornal, of the Rio Grande Do Sul Journalist's Union.

In 1979, Barcellos reported about the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua; in the book Nicarágua:a revolução das crianças.