Mohammed El-leissy

Background

He was born in Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia to parents of Egyptian descent, and he grew up in Canberra.

Education

In 2010, El-leissy graduated from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University with a degree in Youth Work.

Career

He is best known for being a contestant on the first series of Amazing Race Australia in 2011. El-leissy"s parents came to Australia in the 1960s. El-leissy has spoken extensively around issues of multiculturalism and community issues in Australia.

He has appeared on Sky News, Sunrise, The Project on Network Ten, Business School"s Insight as well as a regular contributor to American Broadcasting Company"s News Breakfast.

Along with having written for the Herald Sun and American Broadcasting Company"s The Drum. From 2005–2010, El-leissy hosted a variety of community radio programs on both Student Youth Network and 3CR. They were eliminated after five weeks.

In 2007, El-leissy became a state-finalist in the Triple J Raw Comedy Award competition and went on later that year to perform in the Fear of a Brown Planet show.In 2008, he performed in Who is Abdul Smith at Melbourne Fringe Festival. In April 2009, he performed Greens fundraising comedy act Mo the Plumber with Rucker Ward"s Greens Councillor at the time Trent McCarthy.

In 2011, he performed his comedy show World Mix Tape.

He performed both shows at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In late 2012, he performed at Falls Festival in Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. In 2008, El-leissy was the Australian Greens candidate in the Darebin Council elections.

In April 2011, 12 months after his pre-selection and only one month before the election, he withdrew from contesting the 27 November State Election.

In 2010, El-leissy visited Egypt, the country of his descent, for the first time.

Membership

He was also a board member of the Community Radio Foundation. From 2007 to 2009, he was a member of the Victorian Premier"s Multifaith Multicultural Youth Network and was a participant of the Governor"s Roundtable into Multicultural Policy. In 2007 to 2008, he was also a board member of EastWeb, an organisation helping to provide small grants to disadvantaged community organisations.

Connections

Friend:

Mostafa Haroun (Mos)