Arun Chaudhary

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Arun Chaudhary
West Wing Week - Arun Chaudhary and Josh Earnest
Born (1975-11-06) November 6, 1975 (age 48)
New York City, U.S.

Arun Chaudhary (born November 6, 1975) is an American political operative and filmmaker. After serving on President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, he was asked to become the first official videographer of the White House, a position he held from 2009-2011.[1] He left in August 2011 to join mobile-messaging startup Revolution Messaging as senior vice president of communications.[2] He later served as Creative Director for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.[3]

Chaudhary is perhaps best known for his ability to bring art into the world of political campaigns. In an interview with Disruption Magazine, David Axelrod, his manager from the 2008 presidential campaign, said, “We hired Chaudhary for his artistic eye... He was able to contribute a compelling and authentic story to voters and that proved invaluable.”[4]

First Cameraman[edit]

President Obama with Arun, his wife Laura Moser and son Leo in 2011

His first book, First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time, was published in August 2012 by Times Books. In The Washington Post, Rutgers University professor David Greenberg said "Its singular, quirky take on Obama's brief career adds a smidgen of useful information to the historical record."[5] The Atlantic's Nancy Scola, in reviewing the book, observed that "Chaudhary writes with the looseness of someone whose political experience consists of being told to tell stories, which means there's plenty of gossipy bits for campaign enthusiasts.[6]"

The book was also reviewed by NPR's Morning Edition,[7] Kirkus Reviews,[8] Booklist,[9] Publishers Weekly.[10]

Personal life[edit]

Chaudhary was born November 6, 1975. His parents and older sister are both computer scientists; his younger brother, Ajay Chaudhary, founded the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. His father is an Indian immigrant and his mother is Jewish.[11][12]

He has a B.A. from Cornell University and an MFA from New York University, and has worked as a writer, director, location sound recordist, post-production sound designer, and film critic.[13] He is a former New York University film professor.[14] While at Cornell University, he was the bassist and vocalist of punk rock band IFarm.[15]

Chaudary is married to Laura Moser, founder of Daily Action, a digital messaging site that caters to liberal causes highlighted during the Trump administration.[16] Laura was a candidate in the Democratic primary for Texas Congressional District 7, held by John Culberson, but lost the nomination to Lizzie Fletcher, who later defeated Culberson in the November 2018 midterm election.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Parker, Ashley (November 11, 2010). "His Job Is to Make Public Obama's Candid Side". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  2. ^ Sarah Lai Stirland (March 27, 2012). "White House Videographer Joins Revolution Messaging". techPresident. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  3. ^ "How the Sanders Campaign Got a Punk Sensibility". The New Yorker. August 2016.
  4. ^ "The Art Behind Bernie Sanders' Presidential Campaign". 10 March 2016.
  5. ^ David Greenberg (August 24, 2012). "'First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time,' by Arun Chaudhary". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  6. ^ Nancy Scola (August 21, 2012). "What It's Like to Be Filmmaker to the President". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  7. ^ NPR Staff (September 2, 2012). "Behind The Lens With Obama's 'First Cameraman'". Weekend Edition (NPR). Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  8. ^ Staff writer (July 15, 2012). "First Cameraman". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  9. ^ "First Cameraman", Booklist, July 1, 2012. Vol. 108 Issue 21, p2, 1p
  10. ^ Staff writer (June 4, 2012). "First Cameraman: The Improbable Story of How a Disheveled Film Professor Became the First Official White House Videographer". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  11. ^ Tim Leberecht (May 24, 2008). "Politics 2.0: Barack Obama's videographer". CNET News. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  12. ^ Adam Langer (October 30, 2012). "Half-Jewish On His President's Side". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  13. ^ Ready for His Close Up by Beth Saulnier, Cornell Alumni Magazine; Sept/Oct 2012
  14. ^ Alex Weisler (September 6, 2012). "N.Y. filmmaker captures public, private Obama". The Journal News (via USA Today). Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  15. ^ "IFarm Band Page". Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  16. ^ "Capitol Hill mom directs thousands of anti-Trump activists with texts sent from her living room". The Washington Post. January 28, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
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