It turns out it wasn’t just Donald Trump who had an agenda when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos met with the president-elect and his wife Melania at Mar-a-Lago last December.
Melania pitched her documentary idea to the tech billionaire and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez over dinner at Trump’s estate, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The future first lady was looking for a buyer for a documentary—which she will executive produce—about her return to the White House. The film will be directed by Brett Ratner, who was been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Ratner has denied the allegations.
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Melania’s agent had reportedly pitched the film to a number of studios, including one owned by Amazon. She sought Ratner’s advice on how to sell the idea to Bezos and delivered her pitch at dinner.
In January, Amazon announced it agreed to pay $40 million to secure the licensing rights to Melania’s documentary. The company also gained the rights to a follow-up docuseries that will have two or three episodes.
Melania’s cut is more than 70 percent of the $40 million deal, according to the Journal. Her agent has reportedly been trying to sell sponsorships for the film starting at $10 million to other CEOs and billionaires who, like Bezos, attended Trump’s inauguration.
The film will have a small theatrical run before it becomes available on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.
Amazon said the project will offer an “unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at First Lady Melania Trump.”
Melania earlier told Fox News that production began in November.
“So it’s a day-to-day life, what I’m doing, what kind of responsibilities I have,” she said. “People, they don’t really know and they will see it. 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.”
