Obama visit to DreamWorks Animation spotlights studio run by top Hollywood donor Katzenberg ranks among the president's most valuable political donors and fundraisers, jumping in early to raise money for his first White House bid and pulling in more than $500,000 in donations in both 2008 and 2012. Katzenberg also provided the crucial seed money for the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action in 2011, eventually pumping $3 million into the group. The decision by the White House to put the presidential spotlight on his company underscores how well many top campaign donors have fared in Obama's administration, despite the president's early pledge to temper the influence of wealthy interests on the political system. Since 2008, Obama has appointed at least three dozen big check writers and fundraisers to coveted ambassadorships in spots such as the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Earlier this year, Obama also gave the commerce secretary nod to Chicago hotel heiress Penny Pritzker, who served as national finance chairwoman of his first White House bid and raised more than $500,000 for his reelection. Obama's stop at DreamWorks Animation is "payback for somebody who was a very early supporter of his, and somebody with very deep pockets," said Bill Allison, editorial director at the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan group that advocates for transparency in government. What it says is that money is alive and well as a way of buying access in Washington. White House officials said Katzenberg's financial support has nothing to do with the visit to his studio, where Obama will make his only public appearance during two days in Los Angeles. They said the purpose of the stop is to highlight the growth of the motion picture, sound recording and broadcasting industries, which added 4,100 jobs in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Contributing to the president's campaign or being a political supporter of the president doesn't guarantee you a presidential visit, but it shouldn't exclude you from one either," said spokesman Joshua Earnest, who added: Mr. Katzenberg's support for the president's policies has no bearing on our decision to visit there. Rather, it's an opportunity to highlight the success of one business and the success that they're having in creating jobs in Southern California. DreamWorks Animation is a publicly traded company spun off from a studio that Katzenberg founded with moguls Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, also generous backers of Obama. Katzenberg adviser Andy Spahn said in an e-mail that DreamWorks Animation is "an ideal place for the president to address the nation's economy and the impact of the entertainment industry," citing its Fortune magazine ranking as one of the 50 best U.S. companies to work for in the past five years.