TCNJ

17 FALL 2023 camera that cut to former President Obama. That was the first time that I got my hands on a camera here, too. As everyone was looking at the portraits being unveiled, my camera was focused on Biden and Obama's faces. It was surreal. Rarely do you get two presidents in the same room. TM: I bet it was hard to beat that. AW: The real pinching-myself moment was after the unveiling, when I went to Adam Schultz's office. He's President Biden's official photographer. Pete Souza, 3 former President Obama's photographer, was there. He's someone I really look up to. I'm a video producer and director, but I also have a photography mindset, 4 and so to see these photographers interact was such a cool moment. TM: Have you been in the actual Oval Office? AW: Yes, I have. The thing is, you never really know when you will be going into the Oval Office. Sometimes it's on the schedule. There may be a bilateral meeting (where leaders of two different countries get together); or when Biden hosted the cast of Ted Lasso to talk about mental health. That was from the Oval. But then there are times where the night before you think it is going to be a normal day and then boom, you're in there. TM: Is there a "normal" day for you? AW: There's no normal day here. The hours can vary from day to day. For example, when the French delegation came for a state visit, we had an early start. And there have been times when we've arrived back from a trip late. When I went to Kenya, we got back to the White the Oval Office . … and then boom, you're in there." House around midnight, so one of the photographers and I were literally lugging our suitcases on the North Lawn in the middle of the night. TM: Explain what type of videos you are producing, and how they are used. AW: My goal is to communicate the work the administration is doing in a concise way. My team's videos are shown on the White House, POTUS, and FLOTUS social media channels. I think about how to best show an interaction in a 30-second video, but there's also the reality that I am docu- menting history. For example, my team filmed the last COVID-19 update from Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser. That was a historic moment. Another time, President Biden and Vice President Harris met with the "Tennessee Three" (Representatives Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria John who joined demonstrators outside of the statehouse to demand stricter gun laws). I was the only videographer in the Oval Office for a portion of the meeting. I captured varied shots and angles to create a short video. But I also kept rolling for the historical record. 3 This was the second time Watson had met Pete Souza. Previously, the two attended a virtual event for the retirement of TCNJ professor John Filo. 4 There's more equipment in the EEOB than in TCNJ's Office of Communications, Marketing, and Brand Management, where Watson worked as a photographer just prior to his job at the White House. 3 4

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