- The Legacy Lounge will include appearances by Kevin "k-os" Brereton, Christian Thompson, Barb Godfrey, Weyni Mengesha, Walied Soliman, Clement Virgo, Adrian Holmes, Willow Smith, Ann Merriam, O-T Fagbenle and Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor
- Following its initial release on CBC Gem, the four-part series will also broadcast on CBC and stream on YouTube
Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, co-founders of The Black Academy and Bay Mills Studios, today announced the four honourees who will be featured in The Legacy Lounge (4x22). The list includes International award-winning actor and producer Amanda Brugel (Dark Matter, The Handmaid’s Tale); Nathaniel James, Kadeem Hemmings and Nicholas McDonald of the viral TikTok dance trio, Basement Gang; multi-platinum recording artist Fefe Dobson; and, Founder and CEO of Kingsdale Advisors, Executive Chairman and Founder of WeShall Investments, Executive Chairman and Founder of The BlackNorth Initiative and a Dragon investor on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Wes Hall.
Hosted by Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, each half-hour episode of The Legacy Lounge will celebrate one of these influential Black Canadian honourees whose work has left a lasting mark on their field, culture, and community. The four-part series will premiere on CBC Gem tomorrow (Friday, January 30) with all four episodes available to stream. Following this initial premiere, the series will also be available during Black History Month on CBC’s YouTube channel with weekly episodes beginning Monday, February 2; and on CBC TV at 7:30 p.m. (8 p.m. NT) on Fridays beginning February 27.
In addition to the four honourees, the series will feature guest appearances by Kevin "k-os" Brereton and Christian Thompson in the episode celebrating Fefe Dobson; Barb Godfrey and Weyni Mengesha, who herself received the Trailblazer Award from The Black Academy at the 2024 Legacy Awards, in Amanda Brugel’s episode; Walied Soliman and filmmaker Clement Virgo for Wes Hall’s episode; and Adrian Holmes, host of the 2024 Legacy Awards, will be featured in the episode celebrating Basement Gang. Testimonials by Willow Smith and Ann Merriam for Fefe Dobson, O-T Fagbenle for Amanda Brugel and Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor for Basement Gang will also be featured.
The Legacy Lounge is a reimagined format of The Legacy Awards and is part of an ongoing partnership with CBC. The series will be a dynamic In Conversation honouring the legacy and achievements of Black Canadians. The Legacy Lounge will feature four episodes each dedicated to celebrating an honouree who will join the two hosts, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, for an intimate, heartfelt roundtable-style conversation, all of which were filmed at Toronto’s King & Bay Bespoke Solutions. Together, Shamier and Stephan will explore the honouree’s journey — from personal struggles to creative breakthroughs — and reflect on the legacy they’re building, in their own words. With a perfect blend of inspiration, laughter, and deep reflection and a few surprises, the series is where culture meets conversation.
The Legacy Lounge is co-created and executive produced by Shamier Anderson (John Wick) and Golden Globe nominee, Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk). Emmy Award-winning producers, Jesse Murphy (Laugh It Forward) and Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek) are Executive Producers. Tse Daniel and Shelby Bronstine oversee production as series producers on behalf of Bay Mills Studios, The Black Academy, and Project10. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Nic Meloney is Executive in Charge of Production, Unscripted Content.
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. Founded by Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, The Black Academy is dedicated to showcasing Black excellence and dismantling systemic racism in Canada.
About Bay Mills Studios
Bay Mills is a cutting-edge production company founded by actors, producers, and brothers, Shamier Anderson and Golden Globe Nominee Stephan James. Bay Mills 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 groundbreaking content that pushes the boundaries, all while being rooted in entertainment.
About Project10 Productions Inc.
Established in 2009, Project 10 is a television production company based in Toronto specializing in scripted comedy. As a go-to partner for domestic and international creators, broadcasters, streamers, and distributors alike, the company works closely with high-profile talent to develop and produce compelling and innovative content for the worldwide marketplace. Project 10 specializes in production and creative services and has a proven track record of generating world-class episodic television. The company is currently producing the hit comedy SON OF A CRITCH (39 x 30) for CBC. Recently sold internationally, the first season debuted as the most-watched original Canadian comedy in the country and continues to be one of the most-streamed comedies on streaming service CBC Gem. Season 4 begins production in Summer of 2024. Project 10 recently produced the highly anticipated return of THE KIDS IN THE HALL in partnership with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video for Amazon Prime. As well, the company’s three-season hit CTV series JANN (22 x 30), co-created by and starring award-winning recording artist Jann Arden, continues to stream on the streaming service Crave. Project 10’s credits also include the sitcom SPUN OUT (26 x 30) for CTV, the Family Channel/Netflix series MY PERFECT LANDING (15 x 30), the digital series TOM GREEN’S SNOW JAM for CBC Comedy, the sports documentary series, SPORTS ON FIRE (6 x 30) for TMN and Movie Central, and the award-winning feature documentary, SPIRIT UNFORGETTABLE for HBO Canada. Principal executives for Project 10 Productions Inc. are Chief Executive Officer Andrew Barnsley, an Executive Producer on CBC/PopTV’s SCHITT’S CREEK, which won a record-setting nine EMMY Awards including Best Comedy Series in 2020; and Chief Operating Officer Brandon Davis.
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: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. 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.
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