In the early 2000s, Ellis was a popular figure on New Zealand television, often appearing alongside fellow former rugby union and league player Matthew Ridge, notably on light-hearted documentaries.
In 2003 he inaugurated the mock public holiday "National Nude Day" by challenging viewers to streak in front of then Prime Minister Helen Clark.
[7] Ellis has since co-authored Good Fullas: A Guide to Kiwi Blokes, released in 2010 with friend and New Zealand Consul General to Italy, Charlie Haddrell.
[8] In 2010 the Gardens Tavern, then a popular student pub in North Dunedin, was advertised for sale; Ellis attempted to buy it but was outbid by the University of Otago, who converted it into a study centre.
[11] On 15 November 2007, as part of an elaborate marketing ploy for his latest business venture, Ellis detonated 600 kg of explosives on top of Rangitoto Island, a nature reserve in Auckland's Waitematā Harbour.