Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon (born August 21, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actress. She is best known for writing and producing the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial debut with the comedy film Blockers (2018).
Kay Cannon

Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX · Kay Cannon at SXSW Red Carpet premiere of BLOCKERS · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Kay Cannon
- Born
- 21 August 1974
- Birthplace
- Custer Park, Illinois, U.S.
- Education
- Reed-Custer High School
- Occupation
- * Screenwriter
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- film screenwriting
- Honours
- Writers Guild of America Award
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Kay Cannon (born August 21, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actress. She is best known for writing and producing the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial debut with the comedy film Blockers (2018).
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Kay Cannon was born in 1974 at Illinois. Kay Cannon is recorded with the occupation screenwriter.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 25 September 2026
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wikidata · Q4251124 · wikipedia · Kay Cannon
In this article
Biography
Biography
Cannon was also a writer and producer for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock (2007–2012) and the FOX comedy series New Girl (2012–2014). She created, wrote and produced the short-lived Netflix comedy-drama series Girlboss (2017).

Kay Cannon at SXSW Red Carpet premiere of BLOCKERS
Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX · Kay Cannon at SXSW Red Carpet premiere of BLOCKERS
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kay Cannon • Born — 21 August 1974 • Birthplace — Custer Park, Illinois, U.S. • Alma Mater — Lewis University (BA; MA) • Education — Reed-Custer High School • Occupation — * Screenwriter • producer • director • actress • Years Active — 2007–present • Children — 1
Early life
Early life
Kay Cannon was raised in Custer Park, Illinois, and is the fifth of seven children. She graduated from Reed-Custer High School in Braidwood, Illinois, and received her BA in Theatre and MA in Education at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.
Acting
Acting
Cannon trained at The Second City, ImprovOlympic, and ComedySportz. One of her first jobs was as a performer at ComedySportz. She has performed sketch and improv for theaters including Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Second City in Chicago and Las Vegas, ImprovOlympic (West and Chicago) and at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles and New York City. Cannon starred in the independent film The Little Tin Man (2013). She has guest-starred on NBC's 30 Rock, New Girl, and Cristela. She made a cameo in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and also appeared in the comedy How to Be Single (2016), starring Rebel Wilson and Dakota Johnson.
Writing
Writing
While performing and writing around Chicago, she met actress Tina Fey, a fellow Second City alumna. When Fey began creating the NBC comedy 30 Rock, she brought Cannon to the writing staff. She worked her way up from staff writer to supervising producer. Cannon won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedic Series for her work on 30 Rock three times. In 2008, she won a Peabody Award for her work on the show. In 2010, Cannon was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. During this time, Cannon also worked as a co-producer on the feature film, Baby Mama (2008). She moved from New York City to Los Angeles when she signed an overall development deal with 20th Century Fox. Within that deal, she worked as a co-executive producer on New Girl and as a consulting producer on Cristela. As part of her development, Cannon sold a workplace comedy, The Wrecking Crew, to Fox and wrote the pilot The Runt for CBS. She then created, executive produced the show Girlboss for Netflix based on the real life of Sophia Amoruso. Cannon's first produced feature screenplay was the a cappella comedy Pitch Perfect (2012). She wrote and co-produced the film's sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).
Directing
Directing
Cannon made her directorial debut with Blockers. The film was released by Universal Pictures on April 6, 2018. On April 9, 2019, it was announced that Cannon would write and direct a musical reimagining of Cinderella for Sony Pictures, starring Camila Cabello and produced by James Corden and his production company, Fullwell 73.
Personal life
Personal life
In 2004, Cannon married actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis after five years together. They separated in 2008 and divorced in 2010. Cannon and her second husband, comedy writer Eben Russell, have a daughter born in October 2013.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Writer — Producer — Notes • 2007–2012 — 30 Rock — Co-producer — 11 episodes • 2012–2014 — New Girl — Co-executive — 4 episodes • 2014 — Cristela — Consulting — 2 episodes • 2017 — Girlboss — Executive — 6 episodes, Also creator
Identity
Identity
Kay Cannon is recorded with the occupation screenwriter. Recorded as screenwriter, actress, film producer, television producer and film director.
Film
• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Co-producer • 2008 — Baby Mama • 2012 — Pitch Perfect • 2015 — Pitch Perfect 2 • 2017 — Pitch Perfect 3 • 2018 — Blockers • 2019 — Let It Snow • 2021 — Cinderella • TBA — One Attempt Remaining
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4251124: Kay Cannon
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Kay Cannon”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Five Things You Didn't Know About Kay Cannon. TV Over Mind. April 9, 2018.
- 2.A Few Minutes with 30 Rock's Kay Cannon. Ucbcomedy.com.
- 3.Writer Kay Cannon Talks 'Pitch Perfect', Girl Power, Picking Out the Songs, 'The Breakfast Club', and Her Fox Show. Collider.com. September 29, 2012.
- 4.Thomas, Mike. 'Pitch Perfect' writer returns to Chicago to hone her improv chops. Chicago Sun-Times. April 3, 2013.
- 5.Mason, Rachael. Inside the Writer's Room: Behind the Scenes at 30 Rock with Writer/Producer Kay Cannon. Splitsider.com.
- 6.2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced. Writers Guild of America. 2008.
- 7.'30 Rock' and 'Pitch Perfect' Writer Kay Cannon Gets CBS Pilot Deal. Vulture. September 12, 2013.
- 8.Camila Cabello to Star in 'Cinderella' Reimagining From Kay Cannon, Sony (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. April 9, 2019.
- 9.Kit, Zorianna. A Minute With: Jason Sudeikis getting a 'Hall Pass'. Reuters. February 23, 2011.
- 10.Webber, Stephanie. Kay Cannon, Pitch Perfect and New Girl Writer, Welcomes Baby. Us Weekly. October 13, 2013.
- 11.Cannon, Kay. I finally pooped out a baby! Evelyn Rose Russell. We call her Leni. October 12, 2013.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q4251124: Kay CannonWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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