He started out writing feature stories for his hometown's Star Courier newspaper,[5] and attended the journalism program at the University of Missouri.
As part of this position he reported on the Oklahoma Federal Symphony Orchestra, which was funded by the Works Progress Administration.
With diary keeping prohibited in the armed forces, he changed its format from private entries to letters to his wife and daughter.
Ellis detested boot camp, and upon finishing he was appointed editor of the navy hospital newspaper called The Bedside Examiner.
After basic training he was stationed in Okinawa where he continued to publish a newspaper, this time explicitly to improve the sailors' morale.
Ellis loved New York City deeply and would remain there for the rest of his life, eventually meeting and marrying Ruth Kraus with whom he had an exceptionally happy marriage.
Although Ellis was not a strong presence in his daughter's childhood, he and Sandy became close in her adulthood, writing numerous letters and challenging each other intellectually.
Ellis would laugh at his own lack of organizing skills, and was happy to serve guests tea and talk about various subjects.
Throughout his career as a reporter, Ellis interviewed numerous celebrities and public figures including Eleanor Roosevelt, Irving Berlin, Grace Kelly and Herbert Hoover.