Stumbling Blocks: How Great Leaders Are Made

Mark Farkas, Executive Producer, CSPAN: What I learned in the East Wing

Stumbling Blocks: How Great Leaders Are Made

Show Notes

We’ve all seen the White House from the outside. But what's it really like on the inside? Especially the East Wing?

Mark Farkas knows. As the producer of the first-ever HD documentary on the White House, he spent 9 months filming in rooms most people will never see. The "stumbling block" was navigating the immense security and hidden protocols of the most secure building on Earth.

Mark gives us an unprecedented virtual tour, from the private movie theater to the official White House Chocolate Shop. He offers behind the scenes anecdotes of the First Lady and the President. This is the human side of the People's House. Listen for these "insider" stories: The tense moment the Secret Service almost shut down filming on the Truman Balcony. What it was really like to interview President and Mrs. Bush in their private residence. The secrets of the (now-demolished) East Wing.

Links to Mark's documentary are below. The White House Art and Architecture

President Bush on Living in the White House

White House Tour with Laura Bush

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