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Carley Smale

Carley Smale

Writer and producer

Carley Smale is a Canadian screenwriter from Peterborough, Ontario. She is most known for writing Snowed Inn Christmas (2017), Christmas Pen Pals (2018) and Midnight at the Magnolia (2020). She graduated from Humber College in 2013, where she specialized in screenwriting, and received a Bachelors Degree in Film and Media Production. She cites Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) as the film that made her want to write.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
20 on Motif
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28

What are Carley Smale's films like?

Across their 20 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy12 titlesTypical Motif score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Motif score: 45th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
56%
Self
20%
Society
14%
Survival
5%
Morality
2%
Ideas
2%
Power
1%
Romantic love15 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 19 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 18 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 18 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

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

Steady 18 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 16 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 19 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
14
Romantic
14
Hopeful
16
Joyful
12
Tense
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Feel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet3

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 Carley Smale's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 20 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hallmark+ (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Carley Smale's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

20 credits, 20 with a Motif page.

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles from 2014 to 2025.

Biggest box office

My Secret Santa (2025)

$489K worldwide

Highest rated

Snowed-Inn Christmas (2017)

Motif 84th

Most popular right now

My Secret Santa (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing14 of 16: 12 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Motif score44thProducing4 of 16: 2 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

2010s4 · crew2020s12 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Carley Smale's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Motif score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th10

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · writer

No Time Like Christmas (2019)

68th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Snowed-Inn Christmas (2017)

Motif 84th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 41/100 and the plot and story 34/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Carley Smale work with?

People who share at least 2 of Carley Smale's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Andrew C. Erin shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

  • Andrew C. Erin9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Andrew C. Erin
  • Oliver De Caigny8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Oliver De Caigny
  • Timothy O. Johnson8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Timothy O. Johnson
  • Alexandra Waring7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Alexandra Waring

Mixed roles