Jay McCarrol

{{Short description|Canadian musician, composer, writer and actor}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Jay McCarrol

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|08|09}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education =

| occupation = Composer, screenwriter, actor

| years_active = 2007–present

| known_for = Nirvana the Band the Show
Nirvanna the Band the Show
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
The Kid Detective

| spouse =

| children =

| website =

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}}

Jay McCarrol (born August 9, 1983) is a Canadian musician, composer, writer, and actor, most noted as the co-star 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.Matthew Ritchie, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/matt_johnson_and_jay_mccarrol_on_keeping_nirvanna_the_band_the_show_bad_with_a_good_budget "Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol on Keeping 'nirvanna the band the show' Bad with a Good Budget"]. Exclaim!, February 1, 2017.

In addition to his acting and screenwriting credits, McCarrol works as a film/television composer, usually on projects directed Johnson. As of March 2025, he has composed the scores for all of Johnson's feature films to date.

McCarrol and his sister, Stefanie, formed a synth pop duo called Brave Shores in 2014.

Career

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.Connie Thiessen, [https://broadcastdialogue.com/canadian-screen-awards-winners-cinematic-arts-2/ "Canadian Screen Awards winners: Cinematic Arts"]. Broadcast Dialogue, May 30, 2024. 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[http://www.backalleyfilms.ca/pressPDFs/2013TVFullCSAnom.pdf "2013 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Television Nominations"]. Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. and at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016 for The Second City Project,Brent Furdyk, [https://etcanada.com/news/37268/2016-canadian-screen-awards-nominees-announced/ "2016 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees Announced"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416132759/https://etcanada.com/news/37268/2016-canadian-screen-awards-nominees-announced/ |date=2019-04-16 }}. ET Canada, January 19, 2016. and for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021 for The Kid Detective.{{Cite web|title=Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations|url=https://etcanada.com/news/762082/canadian-screen-awards-announces-2021-film-nominations/|date=March 30, 2021|website=ET Canada|author=Brent Furdyk|language=en-US|access-date=September 8, 2021|archive-date=August 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829095750/https://etcanada.com/news/762082/canadian-screen-awards-announces-2021-film-nominations/|url-status=dead}}

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 2018Calum Slingerland, [https://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/nirvanna_the_band_the_show_to_continue_despite_viceland_closure "'Nirvanna the Band the Show' to Continue Without VICELAND"]. Exclaim!, January 23, 2018. and at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019.Brent Furdyk, [https://etcanada.com/news/436472/2019-canadian-screen-awards-complete-list-of-winners-from-televised-gala/ "2019 Canadian Screen Awards: Complete List Of Winners From Televised Gala"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525021319/https://etcanada.com/news/436472/2019-canadian-screen-awards-complete-list-of-winners-from-televised-gala/ |date=2021-05-25 }}. ET Canada, March 31, 2019.

His other credits have included Johnson's theatrical films The Dirties, Operation Avalanche and BlackBerry.