Growing up, David Litt had dreams of working in comedy. But he didn’t quite anticipate the jokes he’d end writing would be for the President of the United States.
At the age of 24, Litt found himself working as a speechwriter for members of Pres. Barack Obama’s staff and eventually wrote speeches for the President himself, including for four of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinners.
Litt wrote a book about his experiences called, Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years. He recently came to Houston to speak at the annual Jewish Book & Arts Festival at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.
In the audio above, he tells Houston Matters producer Joshua Zinn about the challenges of writing for another person, about Pres. Obama’s sense of humor, and about his new work with the comedy website Funny or Die.