CBC, OYA MEDIA GROUP AND NOBLE TELEVISION ANNOUNCE START OF PRODUCTION ON SEASON 2 OF POV DOCUSERIES FOR THE CULTURE WITH AMANDA PARRIS
April 1, 2025 – CBC, OYA Media Group and Noble Television today announced that production is underway on the second season of CBC original point-of-view documentary series FOR THE CULTURE WITH AMANDA PARRIS (6x60), with award-winning writer, executive producer and host Amanda Parris returning to create space for more provocative conversations that centre Blackness and Black folks around the world. Travelling to where the stories are, Parris will speak with cultural leaders, activists, scholars and everyday people in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana; Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica; Nairobi, Kenya; Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, USA; London, UK; and Toronto, Canada. The second season will premiere on CBC Gem later this year.
The second season highlights perspectives on topics such as Black men’s mental health; the cost for kids around the world who wish to pursue an elusive hoop dream; imagining a future beyond police and prisons; Black food sovereignty; the impact tourism and Black travellers have on Black countries; and the idea of “strategic singlehood” for a growing number of Black women. Mixing abbreviated history lessons and in-depth interviews with Black folks from across the Diaspora, FOR THE CULTURE brings the conversations that have been taking place in the margins, and centres them in an insightful and entertaining way. Guests in Season 2 include actor, director, author and activist David Harewood (Homeland, Supergirl, Psychosis and Me), and two-time WNBA champion and Toronto Tempo General Manager Monica Wright Rogers.
“For the Culture is a dream project and I am so grateful and excited to be working on it again,” said Parris. “It feels more important than ever to work on a series that draws connections across borders and creates space for in-depth conversation, intimate insights and moments of joy and imagination.”
“Amanda’s passionate storytelling and engaging interview style offer crucial perspectives on Black experiences today in Canada and around the world,” said Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content, CBC. “We look forward to sharing the next iteration of her journey, and new meaningful connections, with audiences across the country.”
The first season of FOR THE CULTURE was recently nominated for four 2025 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Host or Presenter, Factual or Reality/Competition for Amanda Parris, as well as Best Direction and Best Writing, Factual. The full season is available to stream now on CBC Gem.
Amanda Parris is an award-winning writer, producer and TV host. Prior to creating, hosting and executive producing FOR THE CULTURE, she was the host of the CBC and CBC Gem series CBC Arts: Exhibitionists, and created the popular R&B radio show Marvin's Room on CBC Music. She has also hosted numerous shows about film and pop culture. Parris is known for her compelling long-form conversations with some of the most innovative cultural leaders of our time including Spike Lee, Issa Rae, Roxane Gay and Samantha Bee. She is the creator, executive producer and showrunner of the Canadian Screen Award (CSA)-winning comedy series Revenge of the Black Best Friend and her play Other Side of the Game was awarded the Governor General Literary Award for Drama. In 2022, Parris received the inaugural Changemaker Award from the CSAs for her efforts to call out systemic racism and discrimination in the Canadian media community. Before her life in television, Parris worked in her community creating alternative education curriculum and advocating for young people.
A CBC original series, FOR THE CULTURE WITH AMANDA PARRIS is produced by OYA Media Group and Noble Television, in association with CBC. Amanda Parris is executive producer. For OYA Media Group, Alison Duke and Ngardy Conteh George are producers. For Noble Television, Nabil Mehchi and Frank Fiorito are producers. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Lucius Dechausay is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs. TVF International distributes the first season of FOR THE CULTURE outside of Canada.
Photos of Amanda Parris, for use courtesy of CBC.
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About OYA Media Group
OYA Media Group, founded in 2018 by Alison Duke and Ngardy Conteh George, is a Black-woman-led production company focused on celebrating Black experiences through storytelling. OYA’s debut film, Mr. Jane and Finch, won two Canadian Screen Awards in 2020. The company’s recent projects include the 2024 Canadian Screen Award-winning docu-series Black Community Mixtapes, the 2025 Canadian Screen Award-nominated feature documentary A Mother Apart (CBC) and Bam Bam: Sister Nancy Story (Crave), which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. OYA is committed to diversity and inclusion, hiring marginalized voices and supporting emerging Black filmmakers. With a growing slate of impactful films, documentaries, and series, OYA continues to shape the media landscape.
About Noble Television
Noble Television is a Montreal-based production company known for creating bold, impactful unscripted content with global reach. Founded by Nabil Mehchi and Frank Fiorito — creators of the Emmy-nominated Interrupt This Program (CBC) — Noble’s recent works include Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak (CBC’s The Nature of Things), Rockie Award winner The Big Sex Talk (CBC Gem), Beau dans ma tête (Télé-Québec), and the upcoming feature documentary film Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom (NFB & TVO). Noble was recently honoured with a Diversity Leadership Award from the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers. Its productions are currently streaming in over 10 countries.
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.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Frances Bedford, CBC PR