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Kay Cannon

Kay Cannon

Writer, actor, director and producer · Born August 27, 1974 (52) · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Kay Cannon is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actress. She is best known for writing and producing the Pitch Perfect film series. She made her directorial debut with the comedy film Blockers. Cannon was also a writer and producer for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock and the FOX comedy series New Girl.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 27, 1974 (52)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Writer, actor, director and producer
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 27% in 30 days

What are Kay Cannon's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
48%
Self
48%
Power
3%
Society
1%
Friendship7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 7

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
9
Warm
5
Absurd
6
Hopeful
5
Tense
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet2

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 Kay Cannon's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Peacock (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kay Cannon'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

19 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin(2022)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Cinderella(2021)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Let It Snow(2019)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Blockers(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Pitch Perfect 3(2017)

    Co-Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Girlboss(2017)

    Show 13 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • How to Be Single(2016)

    as Woman Giving Birth

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Pitch Perfect 2(2015)

    Co-Producer · Writer · as Newscaster Connie

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Cristela(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • The Little Tin Man(2013)

    as Miller

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Pitch Perfect(2012)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • New Girl(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer · as Melissa

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Mystery Team(2009)

    as Destiny

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Baby Mama(2008)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • 30 Rock(2006)

    Show 23 episodes · Co-Producer · Producer · Supervising Producer · Writer · as Human Table · as Wife

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • 79ers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Bad Cop, Bad Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • My Ex-Friend's Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • One Attempt Remaining (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles, 13 of them dated from 2006 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

$287M worldwide

Highest rated

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Midcredits 88th

Most popular right now

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 17: 3 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thDirecting6 of 17: 4 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting10 of 17: 3 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdProducing5 of 17: 0 only producing, 5 with another roleOther crew1 of 17: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

17 titles, 7 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

2000s2 · 2 acting · 1 crew2010s10 · 4 acting · 8 crew2020s1 · 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 Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 major awards from 12 major nominations, 2007–2013.

WinNomination
  1. 2013
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
    • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
  2. 2012
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
  3. 2011
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
  4. 2010
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy Series
  5. 2009
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy Series
  6. 2008
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Comedy Series
  7. 2007
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · New Series

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 Kay Cannon's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th8

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 15 titles are Broadly Agreed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director, writer

Cinderella (2021)

94th percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer

30 Rock (2006)

Midcredits 92nd · 89% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 58/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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.

Is Kay Cannon's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles9–37 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles24–69 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles33–88 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles23–50 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles5–25 · median 9 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Kay Cannon work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kay Cannon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elizabeth Banks shares the most, 4.

Actors

Editors

Producers