Producing at least seven television series and films as part of their massive Netflix deal isn’t all that President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are doing for streaming. On Thursday, Spotify announced that the former First Family’s production company, Higher Ground, had signed a new deal for exclusively producing podcasts for the audio streaming giant. So, not only will we be seeing more of the Obamas’ work in the near future, but we’re also going to be hearing it.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the new multiyear deal will also include the Obamas as podcast hosts — or, at least as occasional guests — since they’ll also be “[lending] their voices to select podcasts.” As for which podcasts the pair will be amplifying with their vocal talents, the release doesn’t offer any details. In fact, it doesn’t yet include any information about what new shows will be resulting from Spotify and Higher Ground’s new partnership, but it’s still early days.
“We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation,” President Obama said in a statement. “It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas. We’re excited about Higher Ground Audio because podcasts offer an extraordinary opportunity to foster productive dialogue, make people smile and make people think, and, hopefully, bring us all a little closer together.”
Michelle Obama added that they’re both “thrilled to have the opportunity to amplify voices that are too often ignored or silenced altogether, and through Spotify, we can share those stories with the world. Our hope is that through compelling, inspirational storytelling, Higher Ground Audio will not only produce engaging podcasts, but help people connect emotionally and open up their minds — and their hearts.”
No word yet on when Spotify and Higher Ground will announce the first podcasts to result from the new deal, or when they might premiere.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
