Marc Ellis
Former All Black and Auckland Warrior, TV presenter and now businessman, Mark has had various careers and succeeded in all of them.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Otago and played rugby for Otago in the NPC in 1991 at the age of 20. He made a name for himself while playing there, resulting in an All Black selection in 1992. Marc stayed with Otago until 1995 when he switched codes to play rugby league for the Auckland Warriors. In 1998 after two seasons of league, Marc played for North Harbour in the NPC, where he remained for another two seasons.
As an All Black, Marc’s greatest triumph was in the 1995 Rugby World Cup playing, where he played five games on the wing. He scored seven tries in the tournament, six of them in the 145-17 win over Japan, which is the record for the most tries by an individual in a Rugby World Cup match.
Following his rugby and league careers, Marc accepted some television roles including Mountain Dew on the Edge, which partnered him with Matthew Ridge – a television relationship which still endures today. He also appeared in Celebrity Treasure Island, TAB Sports Café, A Game of Two Halves and Marc and Matthew’s Rocky Road to… series, which as usual sees them up to mischief. As a cheeky co-host of the Sports Cafe talk show, his off-beat and edgy antics gave him a cult following. Marc won New Zealand television personality of the year in both 2006 and 2007.
Marc’s business career began when he and childhood friend Stefan Lepionka created Charlies Juice Company in the late 1990’s, which quickly rose to become an iconic juice brand; and being publically listed in 2005. After the float Marc left to further other business interests including IT, Marketing and property. He was the popular and iconic breakfast host on MoreFM for two years until October 2013 when he left to spend more time with his family.
Marc is personality plus, any engagement featuring him is sure to send the crowd home smiling.