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Barack and Michelle Obama are transitioning their production company, Higher Ground Productions, into an independent production after eight years with Netflix.
The former president spoke about the transition during the HistoryTalks 2026 event on Saturday (April 18), held in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Obama said that while he and Michelle are “very grateful for the launch that happened,” they are now looking into starting “the process now of transitioning to a more independent [company] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”
The Obamas originally inked their production deal with Netflix in 2018, which was extended in 2024 to a multiyear first-look deal covering all film and TV projects.
Among Higher Ground’s recent projects with Netflix are the 2019 Oscar-and Emmy-winning film American Factory by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar; 2020 Oscar-nominated film Crip Camp, directed by James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham; 2023 Oscar-nominated films Rustin and American Symphony, directed by George C. Wolfe and Matthew Heineman, respectively; the Will Forte series Bodkin; and the apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind, directed by Sam Esmail.
Outside of Netflix, Higher Ground has been developing projects for other platforms as the transition progresses, including the HBO sketch comedy series Life, Larry, and The Pursuit of Unhappiness, created by Larry David and Jeff Schaffer.
The series was announced in March 2026 during an SXSW panel with David and Schaffer, and is slated to premiere in June, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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