Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will have to be careful in choosing the guests for their podcast gig with Spotify, after landing a multimillion-dollar deal to produce content under their new production company, Archewell Audio.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Daily Express that he's expecting Meghan and Harry to make content and pick guests who will not cause a disturbance for the Queen and the royals. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have to exercise care in inviting appropriate guests who will reflect their "system of value."
Meghan and Harry need to pick guests that will promote their advocacies and align with their objectives as they build their new foundation. At the same time, Fitzwilliams expects that Meghan and Harry's new venture will be lucrative, especially after the couple expressed a need to be financially independent of the royal family.
Spotify's chief content and business officer Dawn Ostroff said that Meghan and Harry are such "citizens of the world" who could "elevate underrepresented voice" with their Spotify podcast. Ostroff said that the company is proud to be partners with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and many Spotify listeners will be looking forward to the pair's program.
Harry and Meghan will release their first podcast episode during this holiday season. The Duchess of Sussex teasedthat they will be discussing special memories for 2020 with their guests, amid a tumultuous year. The Duke of Sussex also said in the teaser that despite the pandemic, 2020 has allowed people to connect and do "endless acts of compassion and kindness."
The royal pair will have a busy year ahead as they will soon launch the actual Archewell foundation to replace the Sussex Royal foundation. The Beverly Hills-based non-profit will also turn to streaming production with Harry and Meghan's five-year deal with Netflix.
Reed Hastings, the streaming service's CEO, said that Harry and Meghan's first show would be out in 2021. He anticipates that it will be one of the most viewed content for 2021.
The coming year will also see the Sussexes help score funds, through Archewell, to build kitchen centers for the food insecure in disaster-prone areas across the globe. This work is in partnership with José Andrés's World Central Kitchen. The first two kitchen centers will be in Dominica and Puerto Rico, while two more will be announced in late 2021. Harry and Meghan will not stop at four kitchen centers as they plan on partnering with other organizations to expand this initiative.
