Obama’s Vision for Hollywood Company: ‘This Isn’t Like Masterpiece Theater’

Despite the future projects, Obama said the couple planned to continue spending only 10 to 15 percent of their time nurturing Higher Ground, especially as the 2024 election approaches and they are called to the campaign trail.

“Michelle and I have no ambitions to become full-time Hollywood moguls,” he said.

However, their support can make a difference for the projects they do choose. Bruce Cohen, a producer of “Rustin,” credits the Obamas with making his film after HBO passed on it years earlier.

“Once you get them in your corner, you have a really good opportunity,” he said.

And Mr. Heineman, whose film documents Ms. Jaouad’s battle with leukemia, was able to partner with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Be the Match organization, which helps connect patients with bone marrow donors, thanks to Higher Ground, he said . . “The idea of ​​trying to make an impact with the film was something that was important to him and important to me,” Mr. Heineman said, referring to Mr. Obama.

Although Obama was no stranger to Hollywood – since his early presidential campaign days he found a welcoming audience among the show business elite – he has found that working in the industry takes some getting used to.

“It is ironic that the private sector is portrayed as hyper-efficient, while the government is floundering and slow,” he said. “I think it’s partly ideological and partly people’s experience with the DMV

“Everything takes so long: decisions, contracts, scripts,” Obama said. “In three weeks we organized a major speech or a G20 meeting. To have someone read a script in three weeks is fortunate, let alone write a script in three weeks.”