The Man Behind the Magical Words

WHIZ-KID. The 27-year-old Jon Favreau (right) is the person behind Obama's imposing speech -and he has proven to us that if you are truly eager to reach your career's pinnacle; your age doesn't really play a part in accomplishing that dream.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy; tonight is your answer.

...it's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment; change has come to America."

(Barack Obama, acceptance speech, November 4 2008)

In this world, there are two types of profession. The first is the ones who work right underneath the highlight and savor recognition and popularity through his job –people like news announcer, actors, or sport athletes are within this category.

And there are people who work in background; the ones who actually play the role as important as the first type’s yet do not receive much recognition or popularity due to their behind-the-scene job.

As a president of the United States, Barack Obama can be considered very much the first type. Those moving speeches of his, like the lines that were written at the beginning, inspires many people not only Americans but also all the citizens of world.

But he wasn't really the one who made it –it’s the second-type person who actually wrote those imposing words to him.

Of all the shivering Americans who were awed by Barack Obama's inspirational speech, few realized that Jonathan Favreau, 27, was the man who played the most essential role behind the assembly of all those imposing words. Favreau, who was dubbed as the youngest-person speechwriter ever for US presidential inauguration few months ago, has achieved something that can be considered atypical for a person who is still on his relatively young age.

From college to White House, from jeans and polo-shirt to a formal suit with tie; now the merely 27-year old guy has an almost unlimited access to the oval office -Barack Obama’s prestigious workplace- as he is appointed as the director of speechwriting for the new president.

“Barack trusts him,” said David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist. “And Barack doesn’t trust too many folks with that — the notion of surrendering that much authority over his own words.”

"I call him Mozart because he's just this young creative genius." He added. (quoted from The New York Times)

True, this guy has humbly been working in the background and received less recognition than the one who enunciated his words, yet TIME Magazine still acknowledged him as his powerful words earned him a place in the magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2009.

And that’s a hell of achievement for a young person who, unlike his allies in the 100 list, spent his working time in Starbucks writing and researching with a coffee and a bottle of Red Bull as his companies (what a cool way to work indeed). You know, surely most of the person who are listed in TIME Magazine’s 100 list do not have time to hang out in the café like Starbucks.

But it wasn’t the café that matters; he went there as part of his job anyway –besides, the only peculiar thing about his habit of going to Starbucks is the place is considered an uncommon place to be your office. Talking about his work, it is said that when Obama’s campaign intensified he stayed late until 3am to finish his writing and woke up as early as 5am, and even worked 16 hours a day during that time.

The upshot was worth the sweat however; now the girls can only go crazy after him as this Adam Levine look-alike White House executive, still on his mid 20s, has been able to stamp his name in the US history as one of the youngest US President’s speechwriter directors ever.

Questioned why he's still single, the cool answer that Favreau uttered may break many young girls’ hearts, “The rigors of this campaign have prevented any sort of serious relationship.”(quoted from The New York Times)

Yes, Jon Favreau is an eager beaver; and the success that he titled should be an example to follow for every young man who aims high for his future. The lesson he taught us is straightforward, do more than just dream and put every bit of your expressions into action. Do not just dream and stand still –you have to make headway in your attempt to bring a successful career into reality.