Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, Scarborough natives and co-founders of The Black Academy, alongside CBC, Insight Productions, and Bay Mills Studios today announced that the inaugural edition of The Black Academy’s award show, The Legacy Awards, will air on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT/9:30 p.m. NT). The live 90-minute telecast is the first major Canadian award show to celebrate and showcase Black talent and will be broadcast from Live Nation Canada’s newest entertainment venue HISTORY, in Toronto’s east end. The telecast will feature performances, award presentations, and tributes honouring both established and emerging Black Canadian talent. Information about the award categories, membership, the submission process, and additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“When Stephan and I were thinking about a name for the award show, we really wanted it to convey something big and lasting – it’s about creating a legacy for this and future generations of Black Canadians,” said Shamier Anderson, Co-Founder, The Black Academy. “We want viewers to recognize and appreciate how much Black talent there is in this country and to be inspired by all the nominees and award recipients for years to come.”
“When we walked into HISTORY for the first time we were totally blown away and after months of discussions, everything immediately started to feel real,” said Stephan James, Co-Founder, The Black Academy. “It’s a very cool, very state-of-the-art venue, but also really intimate. HISTORY is the perfect home for The Legacy Awards and we can’t wait to work with our partners at Insight on the look of the show.”
“We are excited to offer a nationwide platform for The Legacy Awards, as The Black Academy makes history this September,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, CBC. “All of Canada is invited to participate in this celebration of Black talent and achievement, and we look forward to collaborating with the Black Academy and Insight to produce an inspiring and dynamic award show.”
The Black Academy, Insight Productions, and CBC are committed to hiring Black senior staff and crew members for The Legacy Awards. Insight Productions continues to accept résumés from those who have a passion for live events and award shows at BlackAwardShowResumes@insighttv.com.
“In addition to The Legacy Awards, we have other incredibly important initiatives and we’re very grateful to everyone who has come on board early to support the organization on a year-round basis, helping us to empower Black talent,” said Martha Hagos, Executive Director of The Black Academy. “The Black Academy is at the forefront of a cultural shift in Canada and we continue to call on other forward-looking organizations to aid us in this challenge.”
The Legacy Awards is executive produced by Shamier Anderson and Stephan James of The Black Academy and Bay Mills Studios. John Brunton, Lindsay Cox, and Shannon Farr are the executive producers for Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company). For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports and Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content. Daniel Abrams and Norbert Abrams also serve as executive producers. The 2022 edition of The Legacy Awards marks the first of an exclusive three-year partnership with CBC.
The Black Academy gratefully acknowledges the financial support of eOne Canada and Bell Media which support The Black Academy’s year-round operations.
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About The Black Academy
The Black Academy is a membership-based, national, year-round Canadian organization that operates at the intersection of Black popular culture and social justice. It celebrates, empowers, and showcases Black Canadian talent and inspires generations to come. Co-founded by actors, producers, and Scarborough-born brothers Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, The Black Academy is born out of a longstanding commitment to their community and is dedicated to dismantling systemic racism in Canada. Martha Hagos serves as its Executive Director. Established in 2020, The Black Academy is based in Toronto and is a division of the not-for-profit B.L.A.C.K. Canada. https://blackisnow.com; Instagram: @BLACKISNOWCANADA
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company)
Insight Productions is Canada’s most established content producer, known for its award-winning ratings juggernauts and many of the country’s biggest award shows & music specials. Headed by John Brunton, Insight is an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of both scripted and unscripted hit programming. John Brunton, Lindsay Cox, and Shannon Farr serve as executive producers on The Legacy Awards. Programming highlights include Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, The JUNO Awards, The Canadian Screen Awards, The Amazing Race Canada, Big Brother Canada, Top Chef Canada, Canada Day 150! From Coast to Coast to Coast, and Canada’s New Year’s Eve. In 2016, Insight produced The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration for CBC, a live concert special seen by one in three Canadians. Insight Productions was founded in 1979 and has since created thousands of hours of ground-breaking content. https://insighttv.com
About Bay Mills Studios
Bay Mills Studios is a cutting-edge production company founded by powerhouse brothers and actors Shamier Anderson & Stephan James. BMS is focused on showcasing an eclectic and inclusive lineup of diverse stories from feature films, scripted and unscripted TV, short-form, digital media and a panoply of other platform-agnostic content. Shamier and Stephan combine their creative expertise and ability to engage global audiences, to create ground-breaking content that pushes the boundaries all while being rooted in entertainment.
Media Contacts:
Gabrielle Free | Free Publicity (for The Black Academy & Insight Productions)
GabFree.Publicity@gmail.com / 416-220-0201
Tanya Koivusalo | CBC PR
tanya.koivusalo@cbc.ca / 647.649.6067
