Arun Chaudhary – First ever official White House Videographer

This podcast is recorded exactly 6 miles from the White House.  My day job office building is literally a pitching wedge away from the front steps of the President’s home.  And yet, every time I pass those huge white pillars and that rolling green lawn, I can’t help but to stop and stare and wonder.  What is going on inside there?  Is Barry in? Is a sniper pointing his gun at me right now?  Thousands flock to the gates of the White House every year and ask themselves these same questions (except perhaps the sniper part, that might just be me).  And it’s no wonder we are all enamored.  This building houses arguably the most powerful man in the world, President Barack Obama.  A man so cool, that he actually does NOT put his pants on one leg at a time – he jumps into both (listen to find out of this is true).  But if you want to catch a glimpse of the POTUS and learn more about who he really is, don’t feel like you have to fly to our Nation’s Capital – just go to YouTube!

President Barack Obama has been dubbed the YouTube president.  His YouTube channel, BarackObama.com has nearly a quarter of a million subscribers and over 225 million views (slightly more than our YouTube channel which will soon have all of our episodes available – along with video of recent interviews! Check out our trailer here).  Many have credited his tech savvy “New Media” team for utilizing things like YouTube, facebook and other social media tools, in helping Obama win the presidency.  So it’s only fitting that he is the first President to have his very own dedicated videographer to record his every move.

This week’s guest, Arun Chaudhary, served as the first official White House videographer from 2009 to 2011 and was also a key member of Obama’s New Media team during the 2008 campaign.  He recently released his book, First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time. He previously worked in film in New York and was a member of the NYU Graduate Film Department faculty.  He received his MBA in filmmaking from NYU and his BA in film theory from Cornell University.  He has been profiled by The New York Times, the BBC, National Journal, Politico, Fortune, and now….. Smart People Podcast.  Enjoy.