TCNJ

16 The College of New Jersey Magazine TCNJ Magazine: Tell us about the moment when you first stepped into the White House. Aaron Wilson Watson: Actually, it was nerve-racking. There's a lot of security when you come into the White House. There's a line to show your ID card, and you have to put in codes in different places in order to enter. The first days, I was shuffling, I was dropping my card. I was fumbling with the code. TM: Is your office in the White House? Do you look around each day and wonder, "How did I get here?" AW: My office is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. 1 It's next door to the White House, and that's where most of the adminis- tration's staff offices are located. On my first day, while I was in line to get my badge, I started talking to the person next to me; his cousin was my fourth-grade teacher at Lawrence Intermediate School, Ericka Smoots. It was a nice moment where I was in this larger-than-life building with a larger-than-life opportunity, and I thought, "Oh, wait. I belong in this space and my people are here." TM: This is all a big change from your office in Green Hall. AW: Yes, in some ways it is. But, in other ways it is similar. The building is a place that represents the past and future. However, the kindness of the people reminds me of TCNJ. I imagined this place to be very serious. But I work in what people call the "video palace," which is a creative oasis. The Office of Digital Strategy has a special type of creative energy that has to be there because of the nature of the work that we do. We have all these souvenirs from various shoots over the years. So there's slime from when Nickelodeon visited, images from when Lady Gaga sang at the inauguration, and memes posted around. And I'm the only guy on my team, which is really awesome in the sense that film and video tend to be a male-dominated space. My team is made up of powerful women and there is a culture here that is far more collaborative than you might otherwise see. I am constantly learning from them all. TM: Talk about your first event in the East Room. AW: The first time I was in the East Room was noteworthy. President Biden invited the Obamas back to the White House for the official unveiling of their portraits. It was on my second day here, September 7, 2022. And everyone's there 2 — President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Barack and Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. TM: How did you even know what to do if it was only your second day? AW: It was quite something to see how the team came together. You could tell there was clear muscle memory for covering East Room events. I suggested that we do an Obama-focused camera for the event, and so I worked the "You never really know when you will be going into 1 The cafeteria in the EEOB is called "Ike's," making Watson feel at home after his four years of eating at TCNJ's "Eick." 2 Watson served as a stand-in for former President Barack Obama as the video team set up for the shoot. 2 1

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