J.J. Kelley
Director, producer and actor, also cinematographer and writer
J.J. Kelley is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and explorer focusing wild places around the planet. He's the host of a new 8-part Travel Channel series, "Lost In The Wild," which investigate some of history's greatest adventures gone wrong. Three of Kelley's documentaries have been featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine, including the Emmy-nominated "Warlords of Ivory," and he is a producer and correspondent for National Geographic Channel's flagship documentary series, "EXPLORER." As a commercial director, Kelley recently completed "Nonstop Scouting" a travel and sports series for Delta Air Lines. From being a director on the Bering Sea's "Deadliest Catch" to leading the exclusive coverage of the tomb of Christ being opened for the first time in 800-years, Kelley's countless expeditions and work for National Geographic all began when he decided-at age 19-to load his pickup truck up with camping gear and drive from the lower 48 up to Seward, Alaska. An avid adventurer, J.J. is an Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker and has biked the length of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean, paddled from Alaska to Seattle in a homemade kayak, and journeyed the full length of India's Ganges River. A fellow at the Explorers Club, Kelley's travels have instilled a sense of protecting the planet, and he brings a unique mix of humor and grit to subjects he investigates. J.J. is the winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival's Best Conservation Film for "Battle for the Elephants," a NGTV-PBS special on the slaughter of African elephants for their tusks. He received the Conservation Achievement for Media and Film Award from TUSK and Best Short Film winner at the Blue Ocean Film Festival for GYRE, a National Geographic documentary he directed on the mounting tragedy of ocean trash killing wildlife on Alaska's remote coastlines. His film "26 Years and Counting" exposed that the long-lasting effects of the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill that now leaves a population of orca whales facing localized extinction. Kelley's work has appeared on National Geographic Channel, NOVA, Discovery Channels, New York Times, Outside, PBS and more.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Director, producer and actor, also cinematographer and writer
- 10 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Known for
What are J.J. Kelley's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous3
- Cyclical2
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 J.J. Kelley's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (4).
Subscription and free streaming for J.J. Kelley'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
11 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Race to Survive(2023)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
The Deepest Cave(2022)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Off the Map(2018)
Continent 7: Antarctica(2016)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
Go Ganges!(2012)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Doomsday Preppers(2011)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Pedal to the Midnight Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Career shape
A full career of 3 titles from 2006 to 2012.
How do J.J. Kelley's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed2
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.
Who does J.J. Kelley work with?
People who share at least 2 of J.J. Kelley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Josh Thomas shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Josh ThomasShared titles: Go Ganges! (2012), Paddle to Seattle: Journey Through the Inside Passage (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Josh Thomas
Composers and editors
- Ben GottfriedShared titles: Go Ganges! (2012), Paddle to Seattle: Journey Through the Inside Passage (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Ben Gottfried
- Chris BeatyShared titles: Go Ganges! (2012), Paddle to Seattle: Journey Through the Inside Passage (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Chris Beaty
Producers
- Bengt AndersonShared titles: Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold (2024), Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Bengt Anderson
- Brian LovettShared titles: Race to Survive (2023), Continent 7: Antarctica (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Lovett
- Jeff HaslerShared titles: Race to Survive (2023), Continent 7: Antarctica (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Jeff Hasler
- Dominique AndrewsShared titles: Continent 7: Antarctica (2016), Doomsday Preppers (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Dominique Andrews