admin On its annual list spotlighting Hollywood’s most powerful entertainment industry figures The Hollywood Reporter put former President Barack Obama, 58, and former first lady Michelle Obama, 55, at Number 50 out of 100 Not bad for neophyte media moguls, even if they did spend eight years in the White House.
Since leaving the presidency, the Obamas have successfully scaled both the publishing and entertainment worlds, inking multi-million-dollar deals to publish their memoirs (her “Becoming” is already a boffo best-seller, and another book is on the way), and another partnership with Netflix to produce films and TV shows on inspirational stories through their newly launched Higher Ground Productions.
And their podcasts deal with Spotify, which will see them develop and lend their voices to select podcasts exclusively for the platform.
The new 100 list, announced Wednesday, is The Hollywood Reporter’s fourth annual compilation of the most powerful people in entertainment. The magazine is touting it as “the most diverse” list ever, with the Obamas as the most notable newcomers.
Disney Chairman & CEO Bob Iger holds onto the top spot on the list, with other power players such as ViacomCBS Chairman Shari Redstone (No. 4); actress Zendaya (No. 95); WarnerMedia CEO and AT&T President and COO John Stankey (No. 6); actor-producer Dwayne Johnson (No. 39); and Oprah Winfrey (No. 15).
The magazine’s editors spend months compiling the list, based on “the size and reach of a person’s purview, the success of projects since the previous year’s list, the power to get a project made (company ownership helps) and the ineffables: heat, clout and intangible indicators of influence gleaned from conversations with top insiders (not to mention The Hollywood Reporter’s daily reporting).” The full list will appear in the Oct. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter and on THR.com.
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