Arun Chaudhary (born November 6, 1975) is an American political operative and filmmaker. After serving on President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's 2008 presidential campaign, he was asked to become the first official videographer of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, a position he held from 2009-2011. He left in August 2011 to join mobile-messaging startup Revolution Messaging as senior vice president of communications. He later served as Creative Director for Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

' 2016 presidential campaign. 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.”

''First Cameraman''

His first book, ''First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time'', was published in August 2012 by

Times Books Times Books (previously the New York Times Book Company) is a publishing imprint owned by the New York Times Company and licensed to Henry Holt and Company. Times Books began as the New York Times Book Company in 1969, when The New York Times Co ...

. In ''

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'', 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." ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

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." The book was also reviewed by NPR's ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...

'', ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''.

Personal life

Chaudhary was born November 6, 1975. His parents and older sister are both computer scientists; his younger brother, Ajay Singh Chaudhary, founded the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. His father is an Indian immigrant and his mother is Jewish. He has a B.A. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and an MFA from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and has worked as a writer, director, location sound recordist, post-production sound designer, and film critic. He is a former New York University film professor. While at Cornell University, he was the bassist and vocalist of punk rock band IFarm. Chaudary is married to

Laura Moser Laura Moser is an American author and politician who founded the anti-Trump resistance movement Daily Action. She was a candidate for the United States Congress in Texas's 7th congressional district. Early life and education Moser was born in ...

, founder of Daily Action, a digital messaging site that caters to liberal causes highlighted during the Trump administration. Laura was a candidate in the Democratic primary for Texas Congressional District 7, held by John Culberson, but lost the nomination to

Lizzie Fletcher Elizabeth Ann Fletcher (née Pannill; born February 13, 1975) is an American attorney and politician from Texas. A Democrat, she has represented in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. The district, which was once represented b ...

, who later defeated Culberson in the November 2018 midterm election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhary, Arun American public relations people Videographers 1975 births Living people Obama administration personnel Tisch School of the Arts faculty Tisch School of the Arts alumni Cornell University alumni Journalists from the Bronx American politicians of Indian descent 21st-century American journalists 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews