During the 2008 election I was a multimedia editor/designer for The Washington Times in Washington DC. I lived just 3 blocks from the US Capitol so I was within walking distance to all the public inaugural events. It was a really amazing time. I did several videos leading up to the actual event for The Washington Times. Here are a couple…(I was just getting my feet wet with video production at the time so please don’t judge):
“The Eve of the Inauguration”
Because I lived so close to the Capitol, I was able to hang out on the block outside my apartment the night before and see all the excitement surrounding the inauguration.
“Waiting for History – The Inauguration of Barack Obama”
I woke up around 3:30am to walk over to the north side (Senate Side) of the Capitol to wait in line to get into the swearing in ceremony. It was freezing, the temperatures where in the teens, I believe. I spent an hour or so just talking to and interviewing people along with capturing the sights and sounds.
Estimates of the attendance varied from 1.2 to 1.8 million people but most experts agreed that it was the largest audience of any event ever held in Washington, D.C.
A couple days before the Inauguration I was also able to attend the “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.” ALL the famous people where there…Denzel Washington, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Foxx and Steve Carell were just a few of the actors and musicians that performed and spoke. 
A couple weeks before the inauguration I also had the opportunity to interview the long time Inaugural parade announcer Charlie Brotman. Brotman announced 10 presidents and 15 inauguration parades dating back to Dwight Eisenhower.
Charlie Brotman – The President’s Announcer
