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Jay McCarrol

Jay McCarrol

Composer, actor, writer, producer and director · Born August 9, 1983 (43) · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jay McCarrol is a Canadian musician, writer and actor, most noted as co-creator and co-star with Matt Johnson of Nirvanna the Band the Show. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in Comedy at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards in 2026, for his work on the film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, which also netted him a win in the Best Original Song category for co-writing and performing The Alphabet Song. Outside of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, he has received recognition at four other CSA ceremonies for his musical work, including his Best Original Score win for BackBerry at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, as well as nods for Best Original Music for a Program at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2013 for I, Martin Short, Goes Home, at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016 for The Second City Project, and for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021 for The Kid Detective. As a writer he has received two CSA nominations for Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series for Nirvanna the Band the Show, at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018 and at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019. His other credits have included Johnson's theatrical films The Dirties, Operation Avalanche and BlackBerry. He is a member of the synth-pop band Brave Shores, along with his sister, Stefanie.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 9, 1983 (43)
From
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Composer, actor, writer, producer and director
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 3% in 30 days

What are Jay McCarrol's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
35%
Bonds
19%
Morality
14%
Survival
14%
Society
8%
Ideas
6%
Power
3%
Friendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 3

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 0 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
7
Tense
5
Joyful
3
Contemplative
3
Melancholic
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jay McCarrol's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jay McCarrol's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.

  • Tony(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Crash Land(2026)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie(2025)

    Composer · Executive Producer · Original Series Creator · Story · Writer · as Jay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Hell of a Summer(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • BlackBerry: The Limited Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • BlackBerry(2023)

    Composer · Executive Producer · Story Editor

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Matt & Bird Break Loose(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Composer · Creator · Producer · Writer · as Bird (Voice)

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Loose Ends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • The Kid Detective(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Nirvanna the Band the Show(2016)

    Show 16 episodes · Composer · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer · as Jay

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Operation Avalanche(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Operation Avalanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Additional Photography · as Mr. Bird

  • The Dirties(2013)

    Composer · as Mr. Bird

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • A Song for Torah Jane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Composer · Writer · as Father

  • Rudy the Red-Faced Bachelor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Sean

  • A Pretty Funny Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Guy at Work 3

  • I, Martin Short, Goes Home(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Apostles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Matthew

  • Shubadak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Bleaks

  • Nirvana the Band the Show: Live @ the Rivoli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Jay

  • Captain Coulier (Space Explorer) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Composer · as Iggy

  • Nirvana the Band the Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 11 episodes · Creator · Writer · as Jay / Vince Valence (voice) / Additional Voices

  • Swink (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • The Vice Guide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles, 23 of them dated from 2006 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025)

$5.3M worldwide

Highest rated

Nirvanna the Band the Show (2016)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025)

Film career

Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.

  • 2013Screen debut· The Dirties

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting13 of 24: 5 only acting, 8 with another roleDirecting2 of 24: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting5 of 24: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing4 of 24: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleMusic14 of 24: 9 only music, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thOther crew5 of 24: 1 only other crew, 4 with another role

24 titles, 9 with more than one role — music and acting overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

2000s5 · 4 acting · 3 crew2010s9 · 7 acting · 6 crew2020s9 · 2 acting · 9 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jay McCarrol's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · composer

I, Martin Short, Goes Home (2012)

91st percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer, composer

Nirvanna the Band the Show (2016)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 67/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jay McCarrol's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles27–71 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles5–44 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles62–84 · median 75 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles30–58 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles21–73 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jay McCarrol work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jay McCarrol's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Matt Johnson shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles