One of Us

Ronald Reagan gave me the worst job I ever had. He awarded my firm a contract to produce his video appearances from the White House. I thought it was a dream assignment until the first time I sent a crew into the Oval Office. That’s when it dawned on me. There were only two possible outcomes to every shoot: The public would whistle appreciatively, “That Reagan. What a great communicator!” Or they’d snarl, “Who did that to him? What’s the name of that nitwit producer?” We considered it a small triumph that we managed to labor for years in fearful anonymity. The alternative was to find instant fame as the guys who managed to make Ronald Reagan look bad on television.

For all its high anxiety, the job had its moments. For openers, we got to hang out with the Leader of the Free World. We were under strict Jim Bakerly instructions to discuss only the shoot itself, no freelance “face time,” in the phrase of the day. Fat chance. We chatted up the president on sports and comics and, finding him completely approachable, moved on to personnel, policies (where there was a distinction), and other radioactive matter. He had, as has been noted by another commentator or two, a winning personality.

About the Author

Neal B. Freeman

Neal B. Freeman, businessman and journalist, was a director of National Review Inc. for 38 years.

Ronald Reagan gave me the worst job I ever had. He awarded my firm a contract to produce his video appearances from the White House. I thought it was a dream assignment until the first time I sent a crew into the Oval Office. That’s when it dawned on me. There were only two possible outcomes to every shoot: The public would whistle appreciatively, “That Reagan. What a great communicator!” Or they’d snarl, “Who did that to him? What’s the name of that nitwit producer?” We considered it a small triumph that we managed to labor for years in fearful anonymity. The alternative was to find instant fame as the guys who managed to make Ronald Reagan look bad on television.

For all its high anxiety, the job had its moments. For openers, we got to hang out with the Leader of the Free World. We were under strict Jim Bakerly instructions to discuss only the shoot itself, no freelance “face time,” in the phrase of the day. Fat chance. We chatted up the president on sports and comics and, finding him completely approachable, moved on to personnel, policies (where there was a distinction), and other radioactive matter. He had, as has been noted by another commentator or two, a winning personality.