Netflix News: The Obamas partner with Netflix for a bunch of new projects

“Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly-recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities.”

According to the press release, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce films and series with Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service.

The Obamas will produce a diverse mix of content, including the potential for scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features. These projects will be available to the 125 million member Netflix households in 190 countries.

The Obamas have established Higher Ground Productions as the entity under which they will produce content for Netflix.

“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” said President Obama. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix – we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

“Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others,” said Mrs. Obama. “Netflix’s unparalleled service is a natural fit for the kinds of stories we want to share, and we look forward to starting this exciting new partnership.”

Netflix News: What do Jack Black, Kathy Bates & Barack Obama have in common?

They are all starring in originals releasing today on Netflix! Happy Friday!

  • My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Barack Obama
  • The Polka King
  • Disjointed: Part 2
  • Stand Up Comedy Special – Tom Segura: Disgraceful
  • Somebody Feed Phil: Season 1


My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Barack Obama

“David Letterman, the longest-serving host in U.S. late night television – the original host of Late Night (NBC) and The Late Show (CBS) – is returning to television for a new series for Netflix.

The yet-to-be-named, six-episode series has Letterman combining two interests for which he is renowned: in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, and in-the-field segments expressing his curiosity and humor. In each hour-long episode, Letterman will conduct a long-form conversation with a singular guest – and will also explore topics on his own, away from the studio. The series is set to premiere in 2018.”

www.netflix.com/letterman


The Polka King

“Local Pennsylvania polka legend Jan Lewan develops a plan to get rich that shocks his fans and lands him in jail.

This exuberant tragicomedy recounts the remarkable but true story of the rise and fall of Polish émigré Jan Lewan (Jack Black), from striving tchotchke shop owner in the ’70s to the undisputed “King of Pennsylvania Polka” in the early ’90s. Lewan pursued the American Dream by any means necessary, fleecing investors and bribing officials to build a personal musical empire in what became the world’s only known Polka Ponzi scheme. Swept up by Lewan’s charismatic charm are his devoted wife, Marla (Jenny Slate), and his neurotic sidekick, Mickey (Jason Schwartzman).

Polka King stars Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Slate, Jacki Weaver and J.B. Smoove. Directed by Maya Forbes and written by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky. Produced by Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, Monica Levinson, Priyanka Mattoo, David Permut & Shivani Rawat.”

2017 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection


Disjointed: Part 2

From Emmy winning creators Chuck Lorre and David Javerbaum, Disjointed is a modern twist on the American Dream, a story of the highs, the lows, and half-baked drama of a family-run marijuana dispensary, which sells products similar to that delta 8 flower from CBD Hemp Direct.

The irreverent workplace comedy stars Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as Ruth, a lifelong advocate for legalization whose dreams are finally realized when she becomes the owner of a well-known cannabis dispensary that provides advice in regards of CBD oil dosage in LA. Cannabis popularity keeps growing everyday as this is an alternative medicine for many which has no secondary effects on our bodies. The  Synchronicity Hemp Oil is available now in Dabbers Club Botanicals.

It’s an all-natural, cold-pressed extract derived from industrial hemp plants with no THC or other cannabinoids found within it so you can feel confident about the purity of products like the Fresh Bros THCO products! Ruth’s cannabis cohorts include three budtenders, her twenty-something son and deeply troubled security guard. In Part 2 of the series, Ruth and her squad are back in business (after being shut down by the DEA) and are celebrating this next chapter in their lives as they navigate through new milestones and misadventures at Ruth’s Alternative Caring. Disjointed also stars Chris Redd, Nicole Sullivan, Tone Bell, Betsy Sodaro, Elizabeth Alderfer, Dougie Baldwin, Elizabeth Ho and Aaron Moten.

netflix.com/disjointed


Stand Up Comedy Special

Tom Segura: Disgraceful

Comic Tom Segura takes no prisoners in his return with his second Netflix Original Stand-up comedy special, “Tom Segura: Disgraceful.” Filmed in front of a packed audience at the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Segura unapologetically calls it like he sees it as he reflects on the meaning of life, the different ways that fast food chains shame you, and why having a baby is the most selfish thing you can do.


Somebody Feed Phil: Season 1

The new original documentary series from the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal, takes viewers on a goodwill eating tour of the world (Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Saigon, Mexico City, New Orleans and Bangkok.) Along for the ride are Phil’s friends, family and his trademark sense of humor.

Netflix News: Teaser for ‘Barry’ – A Dramatic Film About A Pivotal Year in the Life of a Young Barack Obama

barrynetflix_logo_digitalvideo

As the United States transitions from one presidency to the next, and a nation examines issues of diversity and acceptance, the Netflix original film Barry resonates. On December 16, 2016, millions of members in 190 countries around the globe will have a chance to enjoy this powerful artistic exploration of a pivotal year in the life of the future 44th President of the United States, during which he developed the foundations for his views on race, government, and what it means to be American.

A young Barack Obama, known to his friends as “Barry,” arrives in New York City in the fall of 1981 to begin his junior year at Columbia University. In a crime-ridden and racially charged environment, Barry finds himself pulled between various social spheres and struggles to maintain a series of increasingly strained relationships with his Kansas-born mother, his estranged Kenyan father, and his classmates. Barry is the story of a young man grappling with those same issues that his country, and arguably the world, are still coming to terms with 35 years later.

Filmmaker Vikram Gandhi (Kumaré, HBO’s “Vice”), a Columbia University alumni, was inspired to tell the story of Barack Obama’s time at the university to write the story and direct this narrative feature. Gandhi approached fellow alum Adam Mansbach (author of “Go the F**k to Sleep”) to help tell that story, and from that collaboration Mansbach penned the script. Barry stars newcomer Devon Terrell in a deeply felt breakout performance as the young student, and features a strong supporting cast including Ashley Judd (Divergent, Double Jeopardy), Jenna Elfman (Friends With Benefits, Big Stone Gap), and up-and-comers Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), and Avi Nash (Learning to Drive, “Silicon Valley”).

Barry was produced by Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media. Dana O’Keefe, Teddy Schwarzman, Ben Stillman, and Vikram Gandhi produced the film. Daniel Steinman executive produced.