11-Year-Old Photographer’s Dream Comes True With Impromptu ‘Today’ Show Trip
In an impromptu dream come true, 11-year-old photographer Mason Johnson went behind the scenes at the “Today” show.
While visiting New York City, 11-year-old photographer Mason Johnson had one wish: to visit Rockefeller Plaza in the hopes of seeing a “Today” show anchor. The iconic buildings’ windows are the backdrop of “Today,” the young boy’s favorite.
“He’s been actually watching the ‘Today’ show his entire life,” his mother, Crystal Johnson, shared with “Today.”
Therefore, while visiting the city all the way from Wichita Falls, Texas, Mason Johnson’s mother, Crystal, took the fifth grader to visit Rockefeller Plaza. They arrived early before the show’s live morning filming, while her husband and daughters slept back at the hotel. She never expected that the family vacation would turn into a monumental moment for the boy.
While waiting at security, the mother and son duo struck up a casual conversation with security manager Jack Radin. With his mother’s camera in hand, Mason shared his love of photography, his dream of becoming a news anchor, and that the trip was special just for a chance to glimpse the “Today” show anchors. Inspired by the young photographer, Radin escorted them inside the building to watch the live broadcast in Studio 1A. As if a dream had come true, “Today” photographer Nate Congleton even took the boy under his wing as they watched the broadcast.
Crystal Johnson says, “Mason just popped into work mode, like he was showing up to work, and it was just another day at the office.”
After the taping, back outside at the plaza, the anchors even met with Mason and his mother. The cherry on top was meeting with “Today” co-host Craig Melvin.
Once home, the young boy’s spur-of-the-moment adventure was the talk of the town.
“My phone starts blowing up from all the local news stations. They start running stories about it. It’s just been kind of crazy,” Crystal Johnson describes.
“Today” reports Mason even got a standing ovation from his class at church on Sunday and that his friends began asking for his autograph. As his mother aptly described:
“Just the fact that you guys cared, no matter what his age was, and just didn’t blow him off because he’s a child… It was literally the coolest thing that could have ever happened to my kid.”
Image credits: Today
