Michelle Obama graced her presence at the Ojai Valley Inn on Tuesday to have a candid discussion with actress Regina King about her time at the White House and her newfound love of her production company, Higher Ground.
The event, hosted by CAA Amplify, celebrates movers and shakers who work to make transformation across culture and business.
“What’s the format that people come together and learn? It’s movies, it’s short films, it’s stories,” said Mrs. Obama. “This is where America is, and you’ve got to meet people where they are. If Hollywood is where they are, as Barack and I think, then how can we be a part of changing this, helping to be a part of this landscape and broadening the types of stories that get told?
King mentioned that Higher Ground’s offerings have expanded from serious documentaries (American Factory, Crip Camp) to more light-hearted films (which her husband tends to prefer, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.)
With her eldest daughter Malia in the audience to support her mother, the former First Lady divulged how her time at the White House only shaped a smidgen of her identity, further stating that she does not see herself ever going back to politics.
Also at the event was CAA motion picture agent Maha Dakhil who acknowledged that the current state of affairs has many living in calamity.
“I welcome you, acknowledging that we are in crisis. I welcome you, admitting that this year, it’s hard to find the right words to speak up,” Dakhil said. “It’s hard to find courage, when courage is widely discouraged. I welcome you, acknowledging there’s no such thing as safe spaces, only brave places where we must all meet, challenge ourselves and challenge one another.”
She continued: “Here we are Black, brown, Asian, Indigenous, queer, trans, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, all faiths, no faith. We are all carrying our own individual pain, but when we call people in to our experience as opposed to calling them out, when we proactively seek each other out to understand their story, we are reminded that your fight will always be my fight…. Today you will hear stories that will inspire your soul and reignite your courage to lead with your head up when you might be tempted to keep your head down just to get by. Democracy was not won by quiet self-preservation. Like all improbable things, democracy is only preserved by intention, action, community and hope, and I promise you will find all these things in this room.”
Read more about the event here.
