Obamas Ink Deal With Netflix to Produce TV Shows and Films
More than a year after leaving the White House, the Obamas are ready for their next act—as Netflix producers. The former president and First Lady have signed a deal with the streaming service that’s brought you House of Cards and The West Wing reruns to deliver some real Oval Office insight.
“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” a statement from Barack Obama to The New York Times reads. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix—we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”
News of a possible partnership between the Obamas first broke in March, with former adviser Eric Schultz adding a little insight into why they might be pursuing a space in the streaming world when he told the Times, “Throughout their lives, they have lifted up stories of people whose efforts to make a difference are quietly changing the world for the better. As they consider their future personal plans, they continue to explore new ways to help others tell and share their stories.”
Though the forms the Obama-produced content will take will be varied, both films and series, scripted and unscripted, according to the Times, the content of those projects remains unknown. Netflix has created plenty of original content with a very political bent, including its recent documentary Trump: The American Dream, but the Obamas have been relatively quite on political issues since the end of Obama’s second term.
While this marks the couple’s first foray into producing for Netflix, under the umbrella of their new production company, Higher Ground Productions, it isn’t the first time they’ve been a part of Netflix streaming options. The former president was the first guest on the Netflix original series My Next Guest With David Letterman, and his life as a young college student was depicted in the 2016 Netflix film Barry.
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