JAY KARAS has directed over 120 episodes of television, plus several features, numerous spots, and a long list of stand-up specials.
Jay’s most recent project is Acapulco. He was an Executive Producer and Director for all three seasons of this bilingual original series for AppleTV+, shot entirely on location in Mexico. The series has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award and a Hollywood Critics Association award for Best International Series. Season 3 debuts in 2024.
He also recently directed another two episodes of ABC’s Emmy-nominated series Abbott Elementary, and more episodes of CBS’s breakout hit Ghosts. Other half-hour highlights include Superstore, Gordita Chronicles, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Parks and Recreation, and Teachers, which made Vanity Fair's "5 Underrated TV Shows You Should Watch Right Now." Karas served as its director/producer.
And a favorite episode is from Showtime's Dice: the one featuring Adrien Brody, which landed on Hollywood Reporter's "Critics' Picks: The 15 Best TV Episodes of The Year."
Jay has also directed several one hours, including Dynasty, True Lies, So Help Me Todd, The Baker and the Beauty, Siren, Turner and Hooch, The Fosters, Finding Carter, and the pilot for Unstrung.
Jay's first feature, Break Point, starring JK Simmons, Jeremy Sisto, and Adam Devine, premiered at SXSW (see the trailer here), while his most recent feature, Netflix Original The Main Event, climbed to the Top 3 most-watched movie in countries around the globe, providing a hundred minutes of funny-with-heart, family-friendly entertainment. Check out the trailer here.
In the commercial world, Jay has directed spots for brands including Ford, Target, Coke Zero, and Fandango, as well as promo campaigns for ABC, Disney, E!, A&E, and TBS, including Conan's launch campaigns and the viral "Desk Wash" spot.
Jay has also worked as a showrunner. He ran all three seasons of After Lately (think Larry Sanders, but behind-the-scenes of an actual talk show). The scripted half-hour mockumentary series, of which Jay also directed episodes, starred Chelsea Handler. Chelsea scared her famous friends into being on the show, so as a result it featured guest actors including Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Jane Fonda, and Jennifer Aniston.
Earlier in his career, Karas worked his way up in the live/variety arena. He landed his first showrunner gig at the age of 27. The VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards was a two-hour live show featuring a long roster of A-listers, and Jay worked alongside fashion icon Anna Wintour. As showrunner, Jay hired himself to direct the single-camera comedic shorts within the show, and continued doing this until he built up a comedy reel that included shorts starring comedic luminaries like Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and Paul Rudd.
As an extension of that experience in the live/variety world—and as a passionate fan of stand-up—Karas has also directed over 25 comedy specials for top comics including Ali Wong, Jeff Ross, Jim Gaffigan, Adam Devine, Tom Segura, Demetri Martin, Tig Notaro, and Bill Burr. And yes, he directed both “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife.”
Jay grew up in Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut before migrating west and graduating from USC. He currently lives in Florence, Italy with his wife Monica and their son Leo.
Jay is repped by Verve and The Nacelle Company.