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Audible announced on Tuesday that the company has signed an exclusive, multi-project, multi-year first-look production deal with Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s media company.
Higher Ground’s podcasts include: The Big Hit Show, a series of audio documentaries hosted by Alex Pappademas, Tell Them, I Am, a podcast collection of universal stories from Muslim voices; Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between President Obama and Bruce Springsteen: _The Michelle Obama Podcast, _and the upcoming The Sum of Us podcast series, based on Heather McGhee’s New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.
The former President said, “At Higher Ground, we have always sought to lift up voices that deserve to be heard — and Audible is invested in realizing that vision alongside us. I’m looking forward to partnering with them to tell stories that not only entertain but also inspire.”
“We are so proud of the stories we have been able to tell at Higher Ground, and there’s no one we’d rather write our next chapter with than Audible. Together, we will keep striving to tell compelling, provocative, and soulful stories—while doing everything we can to make sure they reach the folks who need to hear them,” said Michelle Obama.
“We have long recognized President and Mrs. Obama’s historic capacity to captivate,” commented Don Katz, Audible’s Founder and Executive Chairman. “We are thrilled to welcome two of the most profound voices of moral and intellectual leadership of our times into the Audible fold, and to be able to elevate President and Mrs. Obama’s singular ability to provide hope and uplifting guidance—needed now more than ever—through their voices.”
“For so long we have been inspired by the Obamas. Their passion, curatorial style and ingenuity is reflected in the content they have created across all mediums, as well as the talented team they have assembled at Higher Ground. We are beyond thrilled to collaborate on audio-first original content that highlights their profoundly unique content and vision,” said Zola Mashariki, Head of Audible Studios.
“We couldn’t be more excited to grow Higher Ground’s ability to tell great stories in audio,” said Joe Paulsen, Higher Ground’s head of business and strategy and Dan Fierman, Higher Ground’s Head of Audio. “Audible shares our mission to support artists and take all the right kinds of creative risks and we couldn’t have found a better partner to help us further build the Higher Ground audio platform and tell the kinds of stories we believe in.”