Saturday, October 18, 2008 was a day more than 100,000 people in St. Louis will never forget. On that day, an entire city of people crowded under the Gateway Arch to hear Barack Obama. He will ultimately become the first black president of the United States, but at the time he was on the final leg of his campaign trail with a mere 17 days remaining until election day.
Videographer Brian Young was one of the people who stood elbow to elbow n even cheek to cheek n but he had the agenda of ensuring that the special day lives on by way of his craft.
“A lot of people haven’t sat down and listened to his whole speech,” Young said. “I did it so that people can get up close and personal with Barack Obama n to understand what he is doing and what his plan is.”
He admitted that while going through the motions with security, his piece of history almost didn’t happen.
“It took me almost three hours to get into the grounds,” Young said. “I started to just leave.”
But after being misdirected and falling victim to the added security measures, Young made his way to make sure that one of the proudest moments in St. Louis history can be seen again and again.
“It’s tough being a part of the process n when you’re in it you’re really not thinking about it,” Young said. “But when I sat down and looked at it, I was like, ‘This is some historic stuff.’”
The film features Obama’s entire speech as well as notable politicians U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, Missouri Gov.-elect Jay Nixon and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, sports legend Jackie Joyner Kersee and others participating in the activities surrounding the speech.
“This Obama footage is different from what I usually do,” Young said. “So a lot of people are going to take me more seriously.”
An independent videographer for the past five years, Young has shot videos for the likes of rappers like Nelly, T-Pain, Jus Bleezy and Rick Ross through his company Underfire Entertainment.
He considers it a blessing to be in his line of work at this historic time in politics. He also worked as a volunteer for the local branch of Obama’s campaign.
Young proudly boasted that he shot Obama all three times that he was in St. Louis and to have footage from the largest rally in the campaign for change other than the victory gathering in Chicago is something that he will cherish for a lifetime.
He said, “Me having a live taping in St. Louis is just moving, and it is going to be a family heirloom for my family for the rest of my life.”
Young is now preparing for his trip to the inauguration in Washington, D.C. in less than two weeks. Unlike in St. Louis, Young will be making the journey without credentials.
“At 1:03 a.m. on the 16th I found out that the deadline was December 15,” Young said. “What I’m planning to do is to see if I can shadow Congressman William Lacy Clay during the inauguration. He was one of the first people in the country to endorse Obama.”
It’s a longshot, but Young is taking a cue from president-elect in his hopefulness to have access to the inauguration festivities by way of Clay.
At the end of the day, Young wants young people to take stock in the political process. He was inspired to do so after attending a local hip-hop and politics forum and hopes that through his video viewers will learn a valuable lesson from Obama.
“It’s about owning a piece of history n one of the proudest moments of my career n but it’s also about listening to the first African-American president and hearing his plan, remembering that this guy had a plan,” Young said. “Whatever you choose to do, you need to have a plan.”
To purchase Brian Young’s Obama 08: Gateway to Change DVD, call 727-1814 or e-mail underfireent@yahoo.com.
