John McKenna is a co-founder and CEO of Noah Media Group and a multi award winning producer and director. Having started his career at ITV Sport, John became a freelance television director and producer, delivering both live and documentary programming. Having formed Noah in 2015, after his first feature documentary Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans was an official selection for the Cannes Film Festival, the company now has a rapidly growing slate of critically acclaimed feature documentaries and TV programmes, with a client base of some of the biggest sport federations in the world. Recent films from Noah, which John has been a producer on, include Villeneuve Pironi (Sky/NBC Universal), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (Netflix - Emmy nominated), Arsène Wenger: Invincible (Amazon Prime, Canal + - Venice TV winner), Finding Jack Charlton (BBC - Broadcast Documentary of the Year), The Edge (BBC/Amazon) and Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager (Netflix). In addition John has also produced many TV documentaries including South Of The River (BT Sport/ITV/Netflix) and Adam Hills: Take His Legs (Channel 4). Noah Media group has been shortlisted in both 2021 and 2022 as Sport Production Company of the Year at the Broadcast Sport Awards.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Producer and director
- 6 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
Known for
What are John McKenna's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 0 · Serious 5 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
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 John McKenna's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Netflix (1).
Subscription and free streaming for John McKenna'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
14 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Rapinoe(2026)
Checkpoint Zoo(2024)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
She Looks Like Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Hatton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Villeneuve Pironi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Arsène Wenger: Invincible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Edge(2019)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all filmsThe Fight of Their Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
When Playboys Ruled the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Clough: The Brian Clough Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles from 2009 to 2024.
Awards
2 major nominations and no wins, 2015–2024.
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Single Documentary
- Cannes award, nominated
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do John McKenna's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 95th percentile, the median of the 5 of 6 with a score; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 94th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 5 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Loved with Detractors1
- Crowd Pleaser1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 John McKenna work with?
People who share at least 2 of John McKenna's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Barry Smith shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Gabriel ClarkeShared titles: Checkpoint Zoo (2024), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021), The Edge (2019), Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 5 shared titles with Gabriel Clarke
- Torquil JonesShared titles: Checkpoint Zoo (2024), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021), The Edge (2019), Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 5 shared titles with Torquil Jones
Composers and editors
- Ian GrechShared titles: Checkpoint Zoo (2024), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Ian Grech
- Steve WilliamsShared titles: The Edge (2019), Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Williams
- Jim CopperthwaiteShared titles: Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Jim Copperthwaite
Producers
- Barry SmithShared titles: Rapinoe (2026), Checkpoint Zoo (2024), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021), The Edge (2019), Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 6 shared titles with Barry Smith
- Bonamy GrimesShared titles: Rapinoe (2026), Checkpoint Zoo (2024), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Bonamy Grimes
- Catherine QuantschniggShared titles: Rapinoe (2026), Checkpoint Zoo (2024), 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Catherine Quantschnigg
- Victoria BarrellShared titles: The Edge (2019), Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018), Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Victoria Barrell
