Captain Obama Along With Wife Embarks on The Voyage of Netflix Streaming with Legendary Industry Veterans
Barack and Michelle Obama have Something Great to Unravel
The former US President, Barack Obama and Former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama signed a pact with Netflix for content development last year, on May 21st.
The initial statement announcing the multiyear deal between Higher Grounds and Netflix left the door open for developing almost all types of content, from scripted and unscripted series, to docu-series, documentary films, and features to highlight issues and themes the president pursued during his eight years in office.
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The appointment of experienced and over the top staff indicate first signs of The Obamas to be considerate about producing projects that empower “new and diverse voices”.
In May of last year, Netflix announced it would be adding Obama admin’s United Nations ambassador Susan Rice to its board of directors.
“I am thrilled to be joining the board of directors of Netflix, a cutting-edge company whose leadership, high-quality productions, and unique culture I deeply admire,” said former Ambassador Rice.
“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,” Barack Obama said in a statement.
“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,” he added in the statement.
Obama’s Production Company Staffs Up Following Netflix Deal
Priya Swaminathan, a former director of development at Annapurna, and Tonia Davis, who previously oversaw development for TV and film productions at Chernin Entertainment, have been appointed as co-heads of the Obamas’ production venture.
Before joining Higher Ground, Swaminathan oversaw the film development slate at Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Productions. Swaminathan developed and produced fiction and documentary projects for filmmakers including Spike Jonze, Bennett Miller and George Clooney.
In addition to producing Showtime’s 2007 teen prostitution documentary “Very Young Girls,” Swaminathan has also produced documentaries for MTV and ESPN. She’s done visual effects for Bollywood movies like the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “My Name is Khan” and other films like “De Dana Dan” and “Hum Tum Aur Ghost.”
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How many of you remember the dialogue”My name is Khan, and I’m not a terrorist!”
She has also worked for Dickhouse Productions.She’s a social activist who has worked closely with the #TimesUp and Me Too movement, as well.
At Chernin, Davis served as an executive producer on the Amy Schumer comedy “Snatched,” as well as on the original musical “The Greatest Showman” starring Hugh Jackman.
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” -P.T. Barnum(Hugh Jackman)
Remember the life changing dialogue from the film?What a wonderful piece of art!
Davis previously worked for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, where she played a key role in the production of their recent live action feature remakes including “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Remember Mowgli swinging on branches and Belle suffer in the dungeon but eventually a HAPPY ENDING comes to all and so it did to,Belle. She found her PRINCE CHARMING.She also was an organizer in New Mexico during the 2004 presidential cycle.
Shamsid-Deen joins Higher Ground Productions from Ryan Murphy Television’s Half Initiative, where she served as a program director for the prolific producers efforts to nurture the careers of female directors and before that worked with Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson at Color Force.
Shamsid-Deen has worked on multiple film and television projects including “Carissa,” “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story,” “Pose,” “9-1-1,” “The Mick,” “Murder in the First,” “Constantine,” “Table 19,” “Criminal Minds” and “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving.”
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“With Higher Ground Productions, we hope to bring people together around common values and uncommon stories—and Priya, Tonia and Q are precisely the people to bring that vision to life,” President Obama said. “They’re masterful storytellers. They’re veterans in the industry. And they not only bring their unique perspectives and life experiences to every project, but they’re committed to finding new voices who have their own stories to tell. Michelle and I couldn’t be more excited about the team we’re assembling.”
“Our goal isn’t just to make people think—we want to make people feel and reach outside of their comfort zone,” Michelle Obama said. “With their thoughtfulness, creativity and empathy, we know that Priya, Tonia and Q will find the common thread within every story to inspire us to be something more. I’m thrilled about this team as professionals—and as people. They’re wonderful.”
Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer for Netflix, said the deal will benefit the service’s audience.
“Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” he said. “We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities.”
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However,no further information has been passed over by the Higher Grounds regarding its initial project. We can always wait for the best!
As Barack Obama quotes,”A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things.” Let’s see Barack Obama hit the box office this time!
Source : Dailywire
