2023 Legacy Awards – L to R Shamier Anderson, Keshia Chanté, Stephan James Credit O’shane Howard for CBC
TORONTO, June 28, 2023 – Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, Scarborough, ON, natives and co-founders of The Black Academy, alongside CBC, Insight Productions, and Bay Mills Studios today announced that award-winning TV host and singer Keshia Chanté is set to anchor the second edition of The Black Academy’s award show, The Legacy Awards. The live 90-minute special will broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT/9:30 p.m. NT). The Legacy Awards returns for the second year to Live Nation Canada’s HISTORY, the Official Venue of the 2023 Legacy Awards. The show features performances, award presentations, and tributes honouring both established and emerging Black Canadian talent. This year’s honourees, as well as performers and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Keshia was always our number one choice to host this year’s Legacy Awards,” said Shamier Anderson, Co-Founder, The Black Academy. “She’s got an undeniable It factor, she’s extremely talented and funny, and she can hold the room. And most importantly, Keshia embodies what The Legacy Awards and The Black Academy are all about: she’s someone all people of colour can be proud of; she’s been a trailblazer for our community and inspired my brother and me to reach for more. So the chance to collaborate with her on this celebration of Black Canadian talent is a real full circle moment for us.”
“The Legacy Awards are the epitome of excellence representing the culture at the highest level,” said Keshia Chanté, Host of The 2023 Legacy Awards. “I’m incredibly honoured to be hosting this year’s celebration. Shamier and Stephan have been an inspiration to me and so many for their unrelenting work ethic and drive to break down barriers for not only themselves, but for others.”
Keshia Chanté – singer, television host extraordinaire, actress, songwriter, businesswoman, and philanthropist – has been racking up the hits for more than 20 years. No stranger to award shows, Chanté is the winner of five Canadian Urban Music Awards, two Canadian Radio Music Awards, and is one of the youngest JUNO award-winner and a seven-time nominee for such hits as “Been Gone”; “2U”; and “Table Dancer”. As a host of ET Canada, she has twice been recognized by the Canadian Screen Awards for her hosting and interviewing skills. Between ET Canada, BET’s 106 & Park, and other hosting gigs, Chanté has interviewed a galaxy of stars including Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Denzel Washington, Michelle Obama, Kareem Abul-Jabbar, Cate Blanchett, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Aniston. She has also hosted Battle of the Blades and made appearances on Top Chef Canada, Jann, and Private Eyes, to name just a few. In addition to running her own company – K.Chante Inc. – Chanté founded KHAIR, a clean, luxury, inclusive self-care brand. This September, Chanté adds host of The Legacy Awards to her long list of credits.
“Our incredible partners at Insight and CBC supported this initiative from the very beginning and with them, and our amazing sponsors, we created a joyous space for Black communities to gather and to celebrate our accomplishments with all of Canada,” said Stephan James, Co-Founder, The Black Academy. “It’s inspiring to see so many sponsors return this year, but we also look forward to bringing more companies into the fold for this unapologetic celebration of Black excellence and Black culture. With FOMO already mounting, it’s going to be another wild night at History.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the phenomenal Keshia Chanté as the host for the second edition of The Legacy Awards,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC. “We look forward to working with Shamier, Stephan, Keshia, and Insight to once again offer audiences a nationwide platform on CBC and CBC Gem for this inspiring celebration of Black Canadian talent and their accomplishments.”
The Black Academy, Insight Productions, and CBC are committed to hiring Black senior staff and crew members for The Legacy Awards. Insight Productions is accepting résumés from those who have a passion for live events and award shows at legacyawardsresumes@insighttv.com.
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) and Jordan Rudder is the producer/talent producer. Daniel Abrams also serves as EP. 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. The 2023 edition of The Legacy Awards marks the second of an exclusive three-year partnership with CBC.
The Black Academy gratefully acknowledges the financial support of our returning partners (to date) that support the year-round goals and programming initiatives of the organization.
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***MEDIA NOTE*** Media accreditation for the 2023 Legacy Awards begins in August, 2023; please email GabFree.Publicity@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list for updates.
The Black Academy is a national, year-round Canadian organization that operates at the intersection of Black popular culture and social justice. The goals of The Black Academy are to showcase Black excellence and to share those achievements with all of Canada; to establish new spaces for Black Canadians to celebrate and network; and to kickstart careers through training and knowledge-sharing. Across all our initiatives, we inspire young people and 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 producer/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 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