Higher Ground, the media company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, will receive UCLA’s second annual Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award on Oct. 22, with the Hollywood producer presenting the honor himself.
Variety reported that the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA announced the award, which will be handed out during the sixth annual Teens & Screens Summit at the university’s Luskin Center.
Greg Berlanti will present. Joe Paulsen, Higher Ground’s head of business and strategy and a company veteran since its start, will accept on the firm’s behalf.
The award recognizes storytelling that addresses social issues, promotes diverse representation, and aims to build empathy with teens and young adults through creative platforms.
Berlanti praised the choice in a statement released with the announcement.
"Higher Ground’s work reflects the power of storytelling to bring us closer to one another and expand our understanding of the world. I’m honored to present this award to a company that puts those possibilities at the heart of its work and to celebrate its commitment to stories that can make a meaningful difference."
Paulsen answered with equal warmth, tying the honor to the company’s founding pitch.
"We founded Higher Ground on the belief that we can entertain audiences while bringing overlooked voices and stories to the forefront. To be recognized by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers and Greg Berlanti, whose work has opened doors for so many, is an honor. We’re grateful to the artists and collaborators who bring these stories to life and proud to share this recognition with them."
Higher Ground’s slate includes the documentaries American Factory, Crip Camp, and Rustin, plus podcasts such as IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, The Wonder of Stevie, and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.
That public profile for Michelle Obama keeps the former first lady in regular view even as the production banner collects industry praise.
The summit itself sits at the intersection of academia and entertainment, a setting where “social impact” language is common currency and where former White House figures remain welcome guests.
Paulsen has been with Higher Ground from the beginning. His acceptance role underscores how the company has built a professional operation around the Obama brand rather than relying solely on the founders’ personal appearances.
Similar attention has followed other Obama Foundation and family-linked projects that mix media, advocacy, and high-dollar staffing.
Organizers describe the prize as celebrating narratives that advance empathy and social change, with special weight on stories aimed at younger viewers.
No detailed selection criteria, nominating process, or first-year winner appeared in the initial announcement. The second annual label simply confirms the award is still new.
Berlanti’s own television career has long mixed commercial hits with progressive themes, making him a natural fit for a campus center that studies media’s effect on adolescents.
In recent months Michelle Obama has also drawn headlines for cultural commentary far outside the documentary world, keeping the family’s media footprint broad.
The Oct. 22 ceremony will place Higher Ground’s catalog alongside academic talk about screens, teens, and representation. University venues of this kind rarely question whether the preferred stories leave out competing views of American life.
Taxpayers finance UCLA. Entertainment executives and political celebrities supply the glamour. The result is another polished evening that treats one set of narratives as the definition of positive change.
Readers who watched the same circle cheer earlier Obama-era media projects will recognize the pattern: prestige institutions certify the message, then celebrate the messengers.
Even light moments, such as coverage of Michelle Obama’s family remarks, show how quickly public reaction splits along familiar lines once the former first couple re-enters the conversation.
Higher Ground will leave Luskin Center with another trophy. The larger question is whether “social impact” awards still test ideas or simply reward the people already holding the microphone.
