The Obamas are taking their production company independent!
Barack and Michelle Obama‘s Higher Ground is currently in a first-look deal with Netflix, but the partnership is set to end later this year, and they’re branching out, according to Deadline.
Keep reading to find out more…
Barack recently shared about the upcoming change while appearing at History Channel’s special edition of HistoryTalks in Philadelphia over the weekend.
The former President said they started the company “with the intention of trying to see if we could lift up some stories that help make America look at itself and excavate those better angels of our nature.”
“And we were in partnership with Netflix,” he continued. “We’re in a process now of transitioning to a more independent [future] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”
The Obamas started their company in 2018 with an exclusive overall deal with Netflix, before moving into a first-look deal in 2024.
They have produced such projects as Starting 5, The Later Daters, Rustin, Leave the World Behind, American Symphony, Our Oceans, Bodkin and more.
Outside of Netflix, they recently produced the upcoming HBO limited series Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America with Larry David. Barack is also set to guest star with a cameo appearance.
They are also producers on the Broadway play Proof, which just opened this past week.