Power couple Michelle and Barack Obama have done quite a lot in the two years after the former president’s term ended in 2017. Not only have they founded their very own production company, they also managed to snag some big deals with other media companies.
Exclusive Deal
Their most recent pact is with the popular audio streaming platform, Spotify. Ready to jump into the growing podcasting niche, the couple is set to produce some exclusive content for the platform through their production company, Higher Ground Productions.
The multi-year deal will see the former first couple developing, producing and even lending their voice to a variety of podcasts covering a wide range of topics. Higher Ground Audio, a new division within their company, will be the one in charge of the new partnership.
The Expected Content
Spotify and the Obamas haven’t released any specific details yet about the possible content for the upcoming podcasts. However, the Swedish company said that the programming they have planned will be both diverse topic-wise and original.
The deal is another one of Spotify’s moves to broaden their content from just music to other audio-based entertainment content. They also see the value of having exclusive podcast content on their platform.
What more, they consider the Obamas to be some of the ‘most important’ voices in the world and thus, find it a privilege to be working with them to inspire their audiences in many different ways.
Earlier this year, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek announced that the company is planning to spend $500 million on hosting and developing podcasts for the platform. Recently, they acquired Gimlet Media, which sits behind the highly-popular podcast ‘Reply All’, and Anchor, an app aimed at novice podcasters, for more than $300 million.
According to Second Annual Podcast Revenue Study, revenue from podcasting is set to grow to $659 million by 2020. And that’s only when considering revenue within the United States.
Higher Ground Productions
Aside from their recent Spotify deal, the Obamas have also inked a partnership with video streaming service Netflix to produce a series of films and documentaries for the platform.
People can look forward to content like the documentary ‘American Factory’ which talks about a Chinese billionaire who opened a factory in Ohio. Although the film has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival, its Netflix launch would be its first screening for public audiences.
Then there’s the drama and period series, ‘Bloom’, which chronicles the experiences of women and people of color in a post-World War II New York City. ‘Thelma & Louise’ writer Callie Khouri will serve as the show’s producer.
There’s also the half-hour series for younger audiences called ‘Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents’. The show will take both parents and their preschool-aged kids to a virtual global adventure discussing the topic of food.
