Jay McCarrol
Jay McCarrol is a Canadian musician, composer, writer, actor, animator, and comedian most noted as the co-star, writer and composer of the independent web series Nirvana the Band the Show, its spiritual sequel television series Nirvanna the Band the Show, and the feature film based on both, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, all of which he co-created with filmmaker and lifelong best friend Matt Johnson.
Outside of the Nirvanna franchise, McCarrol is known for his work on BlackBerry, animated series Matt & Bird Break Loose, and has continued his longstanding collaboration with Johnson and Zapruder on Tony, the Anthony Bourdain biopic. His work as a composer extends to Evan Morgan’s The Kid Detective, starring Adam Brody, and Finn Wolfhard & Billy Bryck’s Hell of a Summer. As of 2026, he has composed the scores for all of Johnson's feature films to date as well.
McCarrol and his sister, Stefanie, formed a synth pop duo called Brave Shores in 2014 touring Canada and internationally. He has penned hit jingles, and is the former musical director at Second City.
Awards
He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Score at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, for his work on the film BlackBerry. He was previously a nominee for Best Original Music for a Program at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2013 for I, Martin Short, Goes Home and 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.