Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground to end Netflix first-look pact

Barack Obama in docuseries Our Great National Parks

Higher Ground, the production company led by Barack and Michelle Obama, is set to exit its first-look deal with Netflix at the end of the year as it shifts to a “more independent” model.

Former US president Barack Obama made the revelation at an event called HistoryTalks in Philadelphia over the weekend, saying the company was in the process of “transitioning to a more independent [model] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”

Higher Ground launched in 2018 with an exclusive producing deal in place with Netflix. In 2024, the parties extended their relationship but shifted to a first-look agreement, giving the streaming giant first right of refusal on all TV and film projects. According to Deadline, which first reported the news, the first-look deal is set to elapse later this year.

Over the past eight years, Higher Ground has produced titles for Netflix including crime drama Bodkin, apocalyptic feature film Leave the World Behind, basketball docuseries Starting 5, documentary Becoming, docuseries Our Great National Parks and Kevin Hart-led dramedy film Fatherhood, as well as the upcoming limited series All the Sinners Bleed.

As the US-based production company has transitioned to a first-look deal with Netflix, it has also started to develop and produce projects with other outlets, including an upcoming HBO sketch comedy with Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David.

In terms of profile, Netflix’s only other partnership akin to Higher Ground is with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Productions. That relationship has also changed over the past year, with the exclusive deal that started in 2020 shifting to a first-look arrangement last year.