– Tickets on sale now at Ticketmaster –
– Fefe Dobson, Melanie Fiona, Jordan Alexander, Amanda Brugel, Randell Adjei, Tyrone Edwards, and more added to Sunday’s lineup –
– Voting for the fan choice award closes September 23 at 11:59 p.m. ET –
TORONTO – Founders of The Black Academy and hosts of The Legacy Awards, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, alongside Insight Productions, and CBC today announced the award recipients – Andre De Grasse, Kayla Grey, and Fabienne Colas — and additional performers and presenters for the inaugural edition of The Legacy Awards airing this Sunday, September 25 on CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT/9:30 p.m. NT). Tickets for the general public are $140 (plus taxes & service fees) and available at Ticketmaster. 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. The telecast features performances, award presentations, and tributes honouring both established and emerging Black Canadian talent.
The Inaugural Legacy Awards Award Recipients:
ANDRE DE GRASSE
For his exemplary accomplishments in sport in Canada and around the world and his contribution to the Black Canadian identity, Andre De Grasse will receive the Athlete of the Year.
With six Olympic medals, Andre De Grasse is the most decorated male Olympian in Canadian history. De Grasse captured medals in all three sprint events at both the 2016 Rio Olympics and again five years later at the Tokyo Olympics. Most recently, Andre anchored the Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team to the 2022 World Championship title. In 2018, he established the Andre De Grasse Family Foundation, committed to inspiring and empowering youth through access to sport, education, and healthcare. De Grasse was born in Scarborough, Ontario and raised in Markham, Ontario.
KAYLA GREY
In recognition of her unmistakable talent and activism, Kayla Grey will receive the Jamil French Award.
Kayla Grey is the host and co-executive producer of TSN’s The Shift with Kayla Grey, appears regularly as an anchor of SportsCentre, and reports courtside for TSN’s live coverage of the Toronto Raptors. A graduate of Toronto’s College of Sports Media, Grey began her broadcasting career as an analyst for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and various university varsity sports. She became the first Black woman to host a flagship sports highlight show in Canada when she made her SportsCentre debut in 2018. Celebrating the late actor Jahmil French, the Jahmil French Award goes to a rising star.
FABIENNE COLAS
For her tireless work showcasing Black Canadian storytellers, Fabienne Colas will receive The Visionnaire Award.
Colas is a film festival founder and organizer, an award-winning actress, filmmaker, and diversity and inclusion consultant, who works passionately to support diversity off and on screen. She manages 12 film festivals including the Montreal International Black Film Festival, Canada’s largest Black film festival. As chair of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, she promotes and awards grants to independent films and artists. In 2015, Colas was recognized by Quebec’s National Assembly for her contribution in the fight against racism and discrimination in Quebec. She holds an Executive MBA from McGill University and HEC Montreal.
“Andre, Kayla, and Fabienne are leaders in their respective fields and in our community,” said Stephan James, Co-Founder of The Black Academy. “My brother and I are thrilled that The Legacy Awards are recognizing their amazing accomplishments, their dedication to their work, and their passion for the community. Between them, the performers, presenters, and our guests, there will be a staggering amount of Black talent all in one room. Sunday night is going to be dope.”
“The inaugural Legacy Awards will see the culmination of a big dream Stephan and I had years ago and the hard work of the incredible teams at Insight Productions, CBC, and The Black Academy,” said Shamier Anderson, Co-Founder of The Black Academy. “We’re so pumped that our community is coming together for an unprecedented night to celebrate Black Canadian talent. But for us, this is not just a moment; The Black Academy is working year-round to honour and empower Black Canadians and to ensure younger generations are inspired by all the incredible Black talent this country has to offer.”
Performers Randell Adjei, Fefe Dobson, Melanie Fiona, Shantel May, and Alicia Mighty, have been added to the lineup. Jordan Alexander, Amanda Brugel, and Tyrone Edwards are set to present. They join previously announced presenters and performers Jully Black; Deborah Cox; Keysha Freshh; Izzy-S; Kardinal Offishall; SATE; Savannah Ré; and DJ 4KORNERS comedian/actor King Bach, TRH Michaëlle Jean; and media personalities Arisa Cox, Brandon Gonez, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Amanda Parris, and Odario Williams.
Voting for The Legacy Awards’ Digital Creator Fan Choice Award closes Friday, September 23 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Fan Choice nominees are Basement Gang, Ika Wong, Keshia Rush, King Bach, Kissy Duerré, and Marlon Palmer. The award allows fans to choose their favourite Black-identifying Canadian digital content creators. The winner will be announced during The Legacy Awards on September 25 on CBC and CBC Gem. Visit vote.blackacademy.ca for more details.
In its inaugural year, The Legacy Awards is a tribute-style award show honouring both established Black Canadian talent and rising stars. Award recipients are decided upon by The Legacy Awards’ Advisory Committee comprised of industry specialists in music, film, TV, and pop culture and The Black Academy. In subsequent years, nominees and award recipients will be decided by members of The Black Academy. Information about award categories for The 2023 Legacy Awards, membership, and the submission process will be announced in the coming months.
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); David F. Mewa is the showrunner; Tanisha Scott is the creative director and co-multi camera director; Jordan Rudder is the talent producer. Daniel Abrams and Norbert Abrams also serve as executive producers. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports and Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content. The 2022 edition of The Legacy Awards marks the first of an exclusive three-year partnership with CBC.
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Download photos of hosts Shamier Anderson and Stephan James here.
***NOTE TO EDITORS, PRODUCERS, REPORTERS, & PHOTOGRAPHERS: Accreditation for The Legacy Awards is underway. The deadline for accreditation is FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022. Please email Gabrielle Free at GabFree.Publicity@gmail.com to express interest in covering the Black Carpet and the awards. Only those with assignments from pre-approved outlets will be considered.***
Social Media:
@blackisnowcanada
@legacyawardsca
@insight.productions / @insightprod
@CBC / @CBCGem
#TheLegacyAwardsCBC
#TheBlackAcademy
#CelebrateBlackCanadians
About The Black Academy
The Black Academy is a 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. 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 alongside Jordan Rudder who serves as talent producer. 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. Recently announced shows include Eurovision Canada, The Legacy Awards, and Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. 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
Winston Ma | CBC PR
Winston.ma@cbc.ca / 647-327-7408
