Access to Power: At last, a short film on YouTube chronicles the story of Barack Obama's YouTube interviews

Brett T. | 8:36 PM on December 21, 2016

This year we’ve already been treated to Barack Obama on the big screen in the form of “Southside With You,” the story of the president’s first date with the future first lady, which grossed more than $6 million. (It could be worse — gun control action-drama “Miss Sloane” has barely cleared $3 million since Thanksgiving.)

If that weren’t enough, Netflix is streaming “Barry,” the story of a young college junior named Barack Obama, to a TV near you.

But there’s no substitute for the real thing, is there? That must be why the director of Google News Lab is so excited to present “Access to Power,” a (very) short film going behind the scenes of President Obama’s YouTube interviews.

Excited to share "Access to Power", our short film about the @YouTube Interviews w/ @POTUS: https://t.co/1gfj4HUk4U pic.twitter.com/zwWoOErHdh

— Steve Grove (@grove) December 21, 2016

The title is of course a reference to Barack Obama being given direct access to some of YouTube’s biggest stars, including, yes, the young woman who bathes in a tub of Froot Loops and milk.

The film features @hankgreen @bethanymota @glozelll @ingridnilsen @sWooz1e @smartereveryday & more: https://t.co/1gfj4HUk4U

— Steve Grove (@grove) December 21, 2016

Steve Grove notes that the proposition was risky from the start, seeing as “a sitting president had never granted an interview to a social media platform before.”

However, the experiment did prove fruitful, as young social media stars like Ingrid Nilsen were able to ask the president face-to-face about issues important to them, such as why some state tax tampons as luxury items, how dogs would wear pants, and other topics that slipped past mainstream interviewers like Jimmy Kimmel and Zach Galifianakis.