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President Obama’s recent visit to Walt Disney World to discuss a plan to boost tourism was certainly a major event, not only for the announcement but also around Disney’s theme parks in preparing for the President’s appearance. Extra hours were added to three of the Walt Disney World theme parks and even a special one-night-only fireworks show was added to draw guests away from the park where Obama would be speaking.
But as fun as a visit to Walt Disney World sounds, the trip for President Obama, or the usual array of White House media correspondents that followed him, wasn’t all a walk in the park. ABC News reporter Jake Tapper documented his short trip to “The Most Magical Place On Earth,” with cameras capturing his late-night arrival, increased security, and backstage media hub.
He shares his experience in the “Political Punch” video below:
Tapper’s goal in producing this video is one I can personally relate to. While the excitement captured during a Walt Disney World media event often looks like nothing but fun in the finished coverage, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work involved. It certainly isn’t all a “ride on Space Mountain” when it comes to covering theme park news, even less so when a Presidential visit is involved. Neither Tapper nor I are complaining about the opportunity to cover Disney-related events, but it’s worth noting that there are often hours of downtime, waiting, and certainly work involved in covering each one. But at least for me, it’s all in in the name of bringing the “magic” to readers like you. (And I’m sure Tapper found a few moments to enjoy his time in the Magic Kingdom too.)