Here's How Funny Or Die Landed Obama As A Guest On 'Between Two Ferns'
FunnyOrDie/"Between Two Ferns"
The 6-minute video passed more than 2 million views after just three hours online.
Today, "Ferns" executive producer Mike Farah is explaining how the low budget web show - which has been visited by Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bieber, Natalie Portman, among many others - landed its most powerful guest ever.
Last summer, Farah tells Variety that he was "among the industry figures to attend a meeting with White House advisers where the topic was how Hollywood could help get the message out about healthcare reform."
It was here he came up with the goal of getting Obama on the show - but he didn't approach the president directly.
Instead, Farah broached the subject with Obama's senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, when she was visiting Los Angeles in September. And she liked it, they just had to wait until the timing was right.
Fast forward to Obama wanting to promote enrollment in the Affordable Care Act to a younger, social media savvy audience ahead of the March 31st deadline to sign up for coverage.
From there, Farah says the zinger-filled script - that included jabs about Obamacare and his "home country of Kenya"- "came together pretty quickly. I can't say it was a very belabored process."
Farah tells Variety he thinks he was able to land the POTUS as a guest because in D.C., "People are so used to going to meeting after meeting, and nothing ever happening," but Funny or Die allows for a speedy turnaround time.
It also doesn't hurt that the White House was already familiar with Funny or Die thanks to previous political satire skits about healthcare reform, including one featuring Jennifer Hudson.
"We built a great working relationship with the White House," Farah said. "I think it is a smart move [on the White House's part], and hopefully it helps in some small way."
Overall, Farah calls the whole "Two Ferns" experience "surreal" and tweetd that it was "a great day."
This was a great day. #betweentwoferns @funnyordie pic.twitter.com/9gqB97Thjn
- Mike Farah (@mike_farah) March 11, 2014
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market