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President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Oscar-winning label Higher Ground has made additions to its executive team with key appointments across business development and audio along with film and television, in addition to one prominent exit.
Higher Ground’s first hire, co-head of film and television Priya Swaminathan, will step down from her role at the company later this summer following a tenure that has included the Oscar-winning American Factory and Oscar-nominated Crip Camp. Tonia Davis will now serve as the sole head of film and television.
“We are so grateful to Priya for her tremendous impact at Higher Ground these past few years,” the Obamas said in a statement. “From her work on American Factory and Crip Camp to launching our kids and family programs Waffles + Mochi, We The People and everything in between, her work has laid a remarkable foundation for the future of Higher Ground.”
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For her part, Swaminathan called her work at Higher Ground a “life-changing experience.”
“President and Mrs. Obama are inspiring leaders who push all of us to challenge the status quo, to be tenacious and empathic in everything we do, and to invest in the people we work with as much as the stories we have the privilege of telling,” Swaminathan added. “I am honored to have been a part of this family and can’t wait to see what stories they tell next.”
Mark R. Wright joins Higher Ground as vp, film and television, joining the company from Charles King’s Macro. While at Macro he developed and produced Juel Taylor’s Netflix sci-fi feature They Cloned Tyrone and worked on the Oscar-winning film Judas and the Black Messiah. Wright joins fellow film and television executives Ada Chiaghana, senior vp, and director of development Alex Pitz. Wright will report to Davis.
Having overseen Higher Ground since its inception, Joe Paulsen, the former special assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, has been named the head of business and strategy.
Dan Fierman and Anna Holmes are being announced as the company’s head of audio and creative director, respectively. Fierman has held positions at editorial operations that include Epic Magazine, Grantland and GQ. Holmes is the founder of Jezebel.com and most recently worked as the editorial director of Topic Studios’ magazine Topic.com, where she oversaw the brand’s video shorts and series, garnering Oscar and Emmy nominations, as well as two National Magazine awards.
Together, they launched The Michelle Obama Podcast and Renegades: Born in the USA on Spotify, where the company has a podcasting pact. Currently, they are developing The Sum of Us hosted by Heather McGhee based on her New York Times bestseller of the same name.
Higher Ground Productions, which launched in 2018 with a rich Netflix pact, most recently released the Kevin Hart drama Fatherhood. Next up for release is the Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci-led Worth, with the company attached to produce a George C. Wolfe-directed Bayard Rustin biopic, Great National Parks docuseries and the series adaption of YA thriller Firekeeper’s Daughter, among other projects.
“We started Higher Ground because we wanted to tell stories that not only entertain but also inform and inspire. We are so proud of the work this team has done in just a few short years,” said the Obamas. “This talented leadership team at Higher Ground will continue to bring fresh perspectives, compelling characters and a healthy dose of inspiration to all of our projects.”
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