The Obamas’ Higher Ground Production Company Parts With Netflix After Nearly A Decade – AfroTech
Higher Ground, the production company founded by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is parting ways with Netflix after eight years, transitioning into an independent entity when its current first-look deal expires later this year.
Barack Obama discussed the shift during a special edition of the speaker series HistoryTalks hosted by the History Channel in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 18, 2026, where he reflected on the company’s original mission, Deadline reports.
During a conversation with historian Jon Meacham, the former president said he and Michelle started Higher Ground “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,” Obama continued, per Deadline. “We’re in a process now of transitioning to a more independent [future] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”
Higher Ground’s Projects With Netflix
Launched in 2018, Higher Ground initially signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix before transitioning to a first-look agreement in 2024, according to the outlet. Creative Artists Agency and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole represent the production company.
During its partnership with Netflix, Higher Ground secured 24 projects spanning film, television, documentaries, scripted and unscripted content, sports, and family programming, per Deadline. Projects include the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory,” which explores changes in industrial America, and titles like “Rustin,” featuring Colman Domingo as civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.
Collectively, the projects have earned three Academy Award nominations, including one win, along with 12 Emmy nominations and six wins, the outlet notes.
Speaking at HistoryTalks, Obama expressed pride in the company’s partnership with Netflix and its body of work. “We’re very grateful for the launch that happened,” he said, per Deadline.
As it prepares to operate independently, Higher Ground has already begun testing a broader distribution model, setting up projects across multiple platforms, including Apple TV+, Amazon Studios, HBO, FX, Disney, 20th Century Studios, AMC, CBS Studios, and YouTube, among others, according to the outlet.
Beyond film and television, Higher Ground has also expanded into audio, with projects including an upcoming seven-part series on Reconstruction, which Obama described as essential to understanding modern America and current events, Deadline reports. The company’s podcast slate also includes “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” which she hosts with her brother.
Additionally, Higher Ground is co-producing the Broadway reinterpretation of “PROOF,” written by David Auburn and starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle. The production officially opened on Thursday, April 16, and runs through July 19, 2026, per the outlet.
How AI Is Reshaping The Media Landscape
“I think ultimately, particularly in this new media environment that’s just going to accelerate with AI and new-fangled gadgets to distract and entertain, I think us being able to tell stories that recognize, at the heart of our democratic project, it’s not just policy, but it’s a set of moral commitments, and it’s a set of values and ethical norms,” Obama said at HistoryTalks, referencing Higher Ground’s goals.
According to Deadline, sources say Higher Ground will continue collaborating with Netflix on existing projects after its current deal expires.
The outlet couldn’t reach Higher Ground and Netflix representatives for comment, it notes.
