Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, has signed its latest audio deal with podcasting platform Acast.
Acast will handle ad sales and distribution for Higher Ground’s library of podcasts, including 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 multi-year first-look deal with Audible, which began last June after the production company parted ways with Spotify. The first project of the Higher Ground-Audible partnership, Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, was released in March; new episodes of The light podcast has an exclusive two-week window on Audible before being widely released by Acast on all major platforms.
On the advertising and sponsorship side, marketers will be able to use Acast’s ad placement technology on select shows like renegades, The sum of us And The big hit show, as well as upcoming programming from Higher Ground. Acast’s in-house creative team will also be able to work with sponsors to create specific sponsorships, such as branded miniseries, for Higher Ground’s podcasts.
“We are deeply impressed with the creativity and innovation of the Acast team,” said Dan Fierman, head of audio at Higher Ground, in a statement. “We are excited to work with their team to bring our growing audio content offerings to existing fans and new audiences.”
Acast is also behind podcasts like WTF with Marc Maron And Anna Faris is not qualified.
“Higher Ground continues to deliver some of the most engaging and high-quality audio content in the industry, and we look forward to working with them to bring vital stories to communities around the world,” said Ross Adams, CEO of Acast. “This relationship marks an exciting new chapter not just for Acast, but for the audio industry at large as we work hand-in-hand to make the world a more connected place.”
