In recent weeks, billionaire Jeff Bezos was seen cozying up to President-elect Donald Trump, after years of frosty relations between the two men. After promising a $1 million contribution to Trump’s inaugural fund — a move mirrored by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and OpenAI’s Sam Altman — Bezos’ Amazon struck a $40 million deal to license a documentary and a limited series on incoming first lady Melania Trump.
As Puck News reported, the film, untitled for now, will be released in theaters before it hits Amazon’s streaming platform, Amazon Prime. This will follow a few episodes-long mini-docuseries on the first lady.
In an appearance on Fox News Monday, Trump said she received a positive response to her book, released late last year, and this gave her the idea to make a movie about her “incredibly busy” and fascinating life.
Production began in November, she said, “and we are shooting right now.” Trump described the film as a glimpse into her everyday life. “What I’m (doing), what kind of responsibilities I have — people, they don’t really know,” she said. “It’s day to day, from transition team to moving to the White House, packing, establishing my team, the first lady office, moving into the White House, what it takes to make the residence your home, to hire the people that you need,” she said.
The Obamas, a royal couple also in streaming business
No first lady has documented the transition this way before. But many other notable figures have struck similar lucrative deals with streaming services.
The Obamas also struck a deal with a streaming service, earning an undisclosed amount from a deal with Netflix. Former President Barack Obama won two Emmys for his narrations, and alongside Michelle, the couple found success through their production company, Higher Ground Productions. The creative partnership between the Obamas and Netflix created a supply of television and film projects and the relationship will reportedly continue.
More recently, Netflix unveiled an 8-episode series starring a former royal, Meghan Markle. She and her husband Prince Harry signed a $100 million deal with Netflix in 2020 for a string of projects, and her lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” expected to follow the Duchess of Sussex as she hosts guests at a California estate, is a part of that deal. The show’s release was delayed because of fires in southern California.
Their first project, “Harry & Meghan,” was a six-episode docuseries about their decision to give up their royal titles. Another docuseries, “Heart of Invictus,” focused on competitors readying for the Invictus games, international multi-sport events for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and veterans.
Tech world readies for Trump
The incoming first lady, Melania Trump, indicated she is more prepared to move into the White House this time around.
“I know the process the first time was challenging. We didn’t have much of the information,” Trump said, adding the Obama administration withheld information.
“But this time, I have everything,” Trump said. She is already packed and has picked out the decor of her new residence, where the Biden family is residing until the transition next week.
Much has changed since the president-elect left office. Donald Trump, who faced a ban on several social media platforms following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, is enjoying more popularity than before.
The tech landscape is mirroring this change and its titans — Elon Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos — are expected to have the ear of the administration as well as a prominent place at the inauguration, where they will sit alongside Trump’s cabinet nominees and other notable guests.
During the presidential election, the Bezos-owned newspaper The Washington Post did not endorse a candidate, despite the opinion board leaning toward Vice President Kamala Harris. The Post previously endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020.
Last week, Zuckerberg indicated Meta is reevaluating its censorship policies that have been in place since Trump’s first term. He said he is willing to keep the door open for dialogue around topics previously deemed controversial, like gender politics and immigration.
