Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, will manage ad sales and content distribution for Higher Ground podcasts.
The relationship between Acast and Higher Ground is a win for listeners across the United States and around the globe. Acast will make several Higher Ground podcasts available to audiences for free on all podcast platforms and listening apps globally. Select Higher Ground podcasts will now support sponsorships, advertising, and branded integrations through Acast’s industry-leading technology, which allows brands to reach listeners of those podcasts across all platforms.
Higher Ground produces some of the most popular and iconic podcasts in the industry — including the recently launched Audible Original series Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast; the hit series Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen and released as a New York Times bestselling book based on the podcast; The Michelle Obama Podcast; Tell Them,...
The relationship between Acast and Higher Ground is a win for listeners across the United States and around the globe. Acast will make several Higher Ground podcasts available to audiences for free on all podcast platforms and listening apps globally. Select Higher Ground podcasts will now support sponsorships, advertising, and branded integrations through Acast’s industry-leading technology, which allows brands to reach listeners of those podcasts across all platforms.
Higher Ground produces some of the most popular and iconic podcasts in the industry — including the recently launched Audible Original series Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast; the hit series Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen and released as a New York Times bestselling book based on the podcast; The Michelle Obama Podcast; Tell Them,...
- 4/5/2023
- Podnews.net
Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, has struck its latest audio deal with the podcasting platform Acast.
Acast will handle ad sales and distribution for Higher Ground’s library of podcasts, which includes The Big Hit Show with Alex Pappademas, Renegades: Born in the USA with President Obama and Bruce Springsteen and The Sum of Us with Heather McGhee. The pact with Acast is separate from Higher Ground’s multiyear first-look deal with Audible, which began last June after the production company parted ways with Spotify. The first project from the Higher Ground–Audible partnership, Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, was released in March; new episodes of The Light Podcast will have an exclusive two-week window on Audible before being released widely on all major platforms by Acast.
On the advertising and sponsorship side, marketers will be able to use Acast’s ad placement technology on select shows like Renegades,...
Acast will handle ad sales and distribution for Higher Ground’s library of podcasts, which includes The Big Hit Show with Alex Pappademas, Renegades: Born in the USA with President Obama and Bruce Springsteen and The Sum of Us with Heather McGhee. The pact with Acast is separate from Higher Ground’s multiyear first-look deal with Audible, which began last June after the production company parted ways with Spotify. The first project from the Higher Ground–Audible partnership, Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, was released in March; new episodes of The Light Podcast will have an exclusive two-week window on Audible before being released widely on all major platforms by Acast.
On the advertising and sponsorship side, marketers will be able to use Acast’s ad placement technology on select shows like Renegades,...
- 4/4/2023
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Al Franken spent nine years as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota, and it all finally paid off in recent weeks when he logged a stint as a guest host on “The Daily Show.”
Franken turned in some robust impressions of Charles Schumer, Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins during one sketch on the Comedy Central program that suggested he was taking some pretty interesting notes when he served in that chamber. “I didn’t give them a heads up,” Franken says in a recent interview, after his run. “I served wth those people. Some I could do. I’m not one othose impressionists who can do everyone. I do who I can do.”
While Franken is one of a number of noted hosts who have helped the show keep spinning after the depature last year of Trevor Noah, you might say he has been training for such an appearance for much of his professional life.
Franken turned in some robust impressions of Charles Schumer, Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins during one sketch on the Comedy Central program that suggested he was taking some pretty interesting notes when he served in that chamber. “I didn’t give them a heads up,” Franken says in a recent interview, after his run. “I served wth those people. Some I could do. I’m not one othose impressionists who can do everyone. I do who I can do.”
While Franken is one of a number of noted hosts who have helped the show keep spinning after the depature last year of Trevor Noah, you might say he has been training for such an appearance for much of his professional life.
- 4/3/2023
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Michelle Obama visited the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday to talk about her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, which released in Nov.
During her interview with Kimmel, Obama shared stories of her first visit to Hawaii to visit Barack’s grandparents during Christmas and how it has become an annual family tradition ever since. Kimmel, of course, took the opportunity to ask if her husband ever wrapped gifts in “top secret documents he borrowed from the White House?” Obama laughed and said, “We don’t have any,...
During her interview with Kimmel, Obama shared stories of her first visit to Hawaii to visit Barack’s grandparents during Christmas and how it has become an annual family tradition ever since. Kimmel, of course, took the opportunity to ask if her husband ever wrapped gifts in “top secret documents he borrowed from the White House?” Obama laughed and said, “We don’t have any,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres are among the moderators tapped to appear with former first lady Michelle Obama on her upcoming tour for her book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.
Other speakers scheduled to moderate tour events include poet Elizabeth Alexander, Gayle King, Hoda Hotb, Tyler Perry, Heather McGhee, Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michele Norris.
It was announced today by Live Nation and book publisher Crown that Obama has added seven dates across the six cities on her tour. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. tour will kick off in Washington, D.C., with three nights at Warner Theatre from Tuesday, November 15, the book’s publishing date, through Thursday, November 17, with DeGeneres moderating the first two and Alexander on the third.
“For me, The Light We Carry book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into the questions that...
Other speakers scheduled to moderate tour events include poet Elizabeth Alexander, Gayle King, Hoda Hotb, Tyler Perry, Heather McGhee, Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michele Norris.
It was announced today by Live Nation and book publisher Crown that Obama has added seven dates across the six cities on her tour. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. tour will kick off in Washington, D.C., with three nights at Warner Theatre from Tuesday, November 15, the book’s publishing date, through Thursday, November 17, with DeGeneres moderating the first two and Alexander on the third.
“For me, The Light We Carry book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into the questions that...
- 10/5/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Michelle Obama has recruited a star-studded collection of celebrity moderators to join her upcoming book tour in support of The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, set for release on Nov. 15.
The 13-date tour will feature appearances from varying guests for each Live Nation-produced event, including Ellen DeGeneres, Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Letterman, Tyler Perry, Hoda Kotb, Michele Norris, Heather McGhee, and poet Elizabeth Alexander.
“For me, ‘The Light We Carry’ book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into...
The 13-date tour will feature appearances from varying guests for each Live Nation-produced event, including Ellen DeGeneres, Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Letterman, Tyler Perry, Hoda Kotb, Michele Norris, Heather McGhee, and poet Elizabeth Alexander.
“For me, ‘The Light We Carry’ book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into...
- 10/5/2022
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres are among the celebrity moderators joining former first lady Michelle Obama on tour for her upcoming book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.
Other guests include Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross, journalists Gayle King and Michelle Norris, Today host Hoda Kotb, poet Elizabeth Alexander and advocate Heather McGhee.
“For me, The Light We Carry book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into the questions that all of us are grappling with as we live through uncertain times,” Obama said in a statement released Wednesday by her publisher, Crown, and the tour’s producer, Live Nation. “I can’t wait to get back on the road and dive into it with such a thoughtful, impressive group of moderators.”
On Wednesday, Crown and Live Nation also announced that Obama has added seven stops to her monthlong,...
Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres are among the celebrity moderators joining former first lady Michelle Obama on tour for her upcoming book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.
Other guests include Conan O’Brien, Tracee Ellis Ross, journalists Gayle King and Michelle Norris, Today host Hoda Kotb, poet Elizabeth Alexander and advocate Heather McGhee.
“For me, The Light We Carry book tour will be about starting important conversations and digging deeper into the questions that all of us are grappling with as we live through uncertain times,” Obama said in a statement released Wednesday by her publisher, Crown, and the tour’s producer, Live Nation. “I can’t wait to get back on the road and dive into it with such a thoughtful, impressive group of moderators.”
On Wednesday, Crown and Live Nation also announced that Obama has added seven stops to her monthlong,...
- 10/5/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
On Sept. 15, Propper Daley’s second A Day of Unreasonable Conversation gathering will return to Los Angeles, after being canceled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The invite-only event — produced in collaboration with social impact and culture change agency Invisible Hand — will take place at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and will feature a day full of programming designed to unite television creators (writers, producers, executives) with cultural changemakers to participate in conversations. Conversations will center on intellectual humility, mental health, social and economic division, reproductive rights, climate change, responsible tech, and more. These discussions, coupled with a networking reception to follow, are intended to positively influence future television storylines and help maintain authenticity in narratives seen on screen.
“Now more than ever, television creators are telling the stories that shape our culture and influence what we feel,...
On Sept. 15, Propper Daley’s second A Day of Unreasonable Conversation gathering will return to Los Angeles, after being canceled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The invite-only event — produced in collaboration with social impact and culture change agency Invisible Hand — will take place at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and will feature a day full of programming designed to unite television creators (writers, producers, executives) with cultural changemakers to participate in conversations. Conversations will center on intellectual humility, mental health, social and economic division, reproductive rights, climate change, responsible tech, and more. These discussions, coupled with a networking reception to follow, are intended to positively influence future television storylines and help maintain authenticity in narratives seen on screen.
“Now more than ever, television creators are telling the stories that shape our culture and influence what we feel,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
The Obamas’ Higher Ground has struck an exclusive, multiyear first-look deal with Audible, marking a major win for the Amazon-owned audio company as it continues on a streak of production deals with high-profile talent in Hollywood.
The move to Audible follows Higher Ground’s exit from Spotify, where the production company — founded by Barack and Michelle Obama — previously had a multiyear deal to create podcasts exclusively for the Stockholm-based audio giant. Though Audible’s original content, known as Audible Originals, is typically made available only for subscribers, the Amazon-owned company does offer some of its original content on all major audio platforms, providing the Obamas with the opportunity to reach a broader audience in comparison to shows that have previously launched exclusively on Spotify.
In a statement Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama alluded to as much, noting how the deal with Audible...
The Obamas’ Higher Ground has struck an exclusive, multiyear first-look deal with Audible, marking a major win for the Amazon-owned audio company as it continues on a streak of production deals with high-profile talent in Hollywood.
The move to Audible follows Higher Ground’s exit from Spotify, where the production company — founded by Barack and Michelle Obama — previously had a multiyear deal to create podcasts exclusively for the Stockholm-based audio giant. Though Audible’s original content, known as Audible Originals, is typically made available only for subscribers, the Amazon-owned company does offer some of its original content on all major audio platforms, providing the Obamas with the opportunity to reach a broader audience in comparison to shows that have previously launched exclusively on Spotify.
In a statement Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama alluded to as much, noting how the deal with Audible...
- 6/21/2022
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
President Barack Obama & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground has found a new podcast home.
The company, which is behind audio series such as Renegades: Born in the USA with Bruce Springsteen, has struck a first-look deal with Amazon’s Audible.
The deal comes after the former President and his wife parted ways with Spotify, where they previously struck a deal in 2019. There had long been rumors that the former Commander-in-Chief was unhappy with his company’s deal with Spotify.
It’s not clear whether the deal will give the Obama’s more flexibility in terms of distribution – given that Audible is also a walled-garden platform – but the fact that it is a first-look deal rather than an overall pact, means that it might be able to sell shows to other platforms outside of the arrangement.
Audible noted that the Higher Ground slate of shows would “the companies’ shared mission to...
The company, which is behind audio series such as Renegades: Born in the USA with Bruce Springsteen, has struck a first-look deal with Amazon’s Audible.
The deal comes after the former President and his wife parted ways with Spotify, where they previously struck a deal in 2019. There had long been rumors that the former Commander-in-Chief was unhappy with his company’s deal with Spotify.
It’s not clear whether the deal will give the Obama’s more flexibility in terms of distribution – given that Audible is also a walled-garden platform – but the fact that it is a first-look deal rather than an overall pact, means that it might be able to sell shows to other platforms outside of the arrangement.
Audible noted that the Higher Ground slate of shows would “the companies’ shared mission to...
- 6/21/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been nearly a year since Lars Blomgren was named Banijay’s head of scripted for the company and, according to the veteran TV exec, it’s been a fruitful start. He’s no stranger to the role, having previously been head of scripted Emea at Endemol Shine Group, before Banijay seized control of that company in a mega $2.2Bn deal last year. There, he led the company’s non-English scripted production division. He’s been behind productions such as Danish hit series Bron (The Bridge), Dutch drama Penoza, religious fundamentalist story Caliphate, Norwegian mystery Beforeigners and Israeli drama Queens, the latter of which is being developed for a U.S. remake with Gal Gadot.
Blomgren, who previously headed Esg-owned Swedish producer Filmlance, is experienced in building local content that has potential to break out globally and it’s his wealth of experience and building partnerships and broadening business...
Blomgren, who previously headed Esg-owned Swedish producer Filmlance, is experienced in building local content that has potential to break out globally and it’s his wealth of experience and building partnerships and broadening business...
- 8/31/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
WME and Endeavor Content will be recognizing the one-year anniversary of #BlackoutTuesday on June 1 by teaming with Color of Change and its #ChangeHollywood initiative to pause work for a “day on,” which will consist of workshops and programming focused on achieving racial equity.
The day’s programing will feature a conversation with Michael B. Jordan, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson and Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell; and a review of McKinsey’s “Leaving $10B On the Table,” a study of Hollywood’s economic losses from Black inequity, with co-authors Sheldon Lyn, Nony Onyeador and Ammanuel Zegeye and moderated by WME client and The Sum of Us author Heather McGhee.
Additionally, there will be discussions about colorism in entertainment with The Grapevine, filmmaker and WME client Dream Hampton and Robinson talking power and responsibility in Hollywood in a panel moderated by Endeavor chief inclusion officer Alicin Williamson, and a workshop titled “Tools for Talent,...
The day’s programing will feature a conversation with Michael B. Jordan, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson and Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell; and a review of McKinsey’s “Leaving $10B On the Table,” a study of Hollywood’s economic losses from Black inequity, with co-authors Sheldon Lyn, Nony Onyeador and Ammanuel Zegeye and moderated by WME client and The Sum of Us author Heather McGhee.
Additionally, there will be discussions about colorism in entertainment with The Grapevine, filmmaker and WME client Dream Hampton and Robinson talking power and responsibility in Hollywood in a panel moderated by Endeavor chief inclusion officer Alicin Williamson, and a workshop titled “Tools for Talent,...
- 5/26/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Heather McGhee’s New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together is getting the audio series treatment.
Higher Ground, the production company set up by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, has struck an option deal to turn the non-fiction book into a Spotify podcast series.
The deal is unusual as while it’s commonplace for books to be optioned for scripted series and movies as well as documentaries, it’s rare from book-to-podcast.
The book, which was published by One World / Penguin Random House, in February, offers an exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color.
McGhee, an expert in economic and social policy and the former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, embarks on a deeply personal journey...
Higher Ground, the production company set up by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, has struck an option deal to turn the non-fiction book into a Spotify podcast series.
The deal is unusual as while it’s commonplace for books to be optioned for scripted series and movies as well as documentaries, it’s rare from book-to-podcast.
The book, which was published by One World / Penguin Random House, in February, offers an exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color.
McGhee, an expert in economic and social policy and the former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, embarks on a deeply personal journey...
- 5/4/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Facebook Watch has teamed with Will Packer Media and Jesse Collins on a one-hour special to commemorate the historic 1963 March on Washington and its impact on the civil rights movement.
Hosted by Queen Latifah, Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today will premiere Thursday, August 27 on Facebook Watch.
Latifah will be joined by civil rights activists, educators, entertainers and speakers who will address the history and harmful effects of systemic racism, outline ways we can address social injustices in the U.S., and inspire viewers to make their voices heard in the upcoming election by making sure they’re registered to vote and then getting out to the polls. There also will be a roundtable conversation, one-on-one interviews between public figures and activists, special archived footage, as well as a musical performance by artist Chika.
“I can’t think of a more important time than now to recognize...
Hosted by Queen Latifah, Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today will premiere Thursday, August 27 on Facebook Watch.
Latifah will be joined by civil rights activists, educators, entertainers and speakers who will address the history and harmful effects of systemic racism, outline ways we can address social injustices in the U.S., and inspire viewers to make their voices heard in the upcoming election by making sure they’re registered to vote and then getting out to the polls. There also will be a roundtable conversation, one-on-one interviews between public figures and activists, special archived footage, as well as a musical performance by artist Chika.
“I can’t think of a more important time than now to recognize...
- 8/25/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
To commemorate the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, in which about 250,000 people demonstrated in front of the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, Facebook Watch will stream a one-hour special hosted by Queen Latifah at on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Executive produced by Will Packer Media, Jesse Collins Entertainment, and dream hampton, “Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today” will feature civil rights activists, educators, entertainers and speakers who will address the history and impact of systemic racism, and encourage viewers to vote.
“I can’t think of a more important time than now to recognize the powerful changemakers from the ’60s and how we can bring the same needed energy to the present,” said Latifah. “I hope you love watching this program as much as I loved hosting it.”
Among the guests slated to appear on the Facebook Watch special are Amanda Seales,...
Executive produced by Will Packer Media, Jesse Collins Entertainment, and dream hampton, “Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today” will feature civil rights activists, educators, entertainers and speakers who will address the history and impact of systemic racism, and encourage viewers to vote.
“I can’t think of a more important time than now to recognize the powerful changemakers from the ’60s and how we can bring the same needed energy to the present,” said Latifah. “I hope you love watching this program as much as I loved hosting it.”
Among the guests slated to appear on the Facebook Watch special are Amanda Seales,...
- 8/25/2020
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
Amid an election cycle dominated by racially divisive rhetoric and accusations of racial prejudice, there’s at least one beacon of non-racist hope, courtesy of C-span, a North Carolina caller named Gary, and president of public policy organization Demos Action Heather McGhee. On last Thursday’s edition of the public affairs channel’s “Washington Journal,” host Greta Wodele Brawner brought McGhee on to discuss progressive issues in this election cycle and field some calls. McGhee is African-American, so there was a moment of tension when self-described white man “Gary” called in to explain that he himself is prejudiced. But the...
- 8/25/2016
- by Oriana Schwindt
- The Wrap
It’s time to meet Jane Tennison (again).
Stefanie Martini, (Doctor Throne, Emerald City) will in effect playa young Helen Mirren in ITV’s Prime Suspect prequel, tentatively titled Tennison and written by creator Lynda La Plante. The six-part series will follow the title character, played by Mirren from 1991 to 2006, at the beginning of her police career in London circa the 1970s.
RelatedFall TV 2016: Your Handy Calendar of 90+ Season and Series Premiere Dates
Sam Reid (The Astronaut Wives Club), Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Alun Armstrong (Penny Dreadful), Ruth Sheen (Unforgotten), Lex Shrapnel (Hunted) and Jay Taylor (The Bill) are set to costar.
Stefanie Martini, (Doctor Throne, Emerald City) will in effect playa young Helen Mirren in ITV’s Prime Suspect prequel, tentatively titled Tennison and written by creator Lynda La Plante. The six-part series will follow the title character, played by Mirren from 1991 to 2006, at the beginning of her police career in London circa the 1970s.
RelatedFall TV 2016: Your Handy Calendar of 90+ Season and Series Premiere Dates
Sam Reid (The Astronaut Wives Club), Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Alun Armstrong (Penny Dreadful), Ruth Sheen (Unforgotten), Lex Shrapnel (Hunted) and Jay Taylor (The Bill) are set to costar.
- 7/18/2016
- TVLine.com
Killer Mike visited Real Time With Bill Maher Friday night to talk race relations, Baltimore and the link between crime and rap music. The Run the Jewels rapper, who previously penned an op-ed slamming Geraldo Rivera and Wolf Blitzer for their coverage of the Baltimore protests, used his Real Time appearance to rip Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, who frequently blames hip-hop for many of society's problems.
"I like Bill O'Reilly the character but I hate how white people take him so seriously," Killer Mike said. "He's more full of shit than an outhouse.
"I like Bill O'Reilly the character but I hate how white people take him so seriously," Killer Mike said. "He's more full of shit than an outhouse.
- 5/16/2015
- Rollingstone.com
For all you Scandalistas out there who'll be suffering from Scandal withdrawal tonight, since the scheduled episode is a repeat, I thought you'd appreciate this 10-minute segment on MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry show, during which she and her panel of guests (Janet Mock, Andrea Plaid, Heather McGhee, and Joy-Ann Reid) had a little Scandal party, discussing the show, its star (Kerry Washington), the character she plays (Olivia Pope) and how she compares to other depictions of black women on screen, the show's creator (Shonda Rhimes), revelatory moments within it, and more. The segment was taped during last weekend's episode of Melissa Harris-Perry. I'm sure many of you have already...
- 4/12/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
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