Ellen Briggs is a talented mother of two, with a sharp tongue and a rapidly rising career in the comedy industry!
With just two years experience, she bagged first prize on the National Foxtel Comedy Channel’s ‘Be a Comedian’ and earned a spot on Stand Up Australia. She then became a finalist in the nationally televised Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2007 “Raw Comedy” Competition.
Ellen regularly performs as a comedian and MC at venues all over Australia, and can often be heard on “ABC North Coast Radio” and Byron Bay’s Community Radio Station, “Bay FM”. In fact at the end of 2007, she was shortlisted for the breakfast radio program “The Cage” which is heard on MMM in Brisbane – without even applying!
Ellen’s relatability is what audiences love. She’s unashamedly ordinary and hilariously funny. She has an easy-going, friendly nature that belies the dark wit that lurks beneath. It’s been said that “Ellen says out loud the things other mothers only dare to even think”, and that “with her tales of parenting, she could well become Australia’s next Fiona O’Loughlin”. Ellen takes her audience on an observational and hilarious journey through life as an accidental mother of identical twins and the wife of a husband who is away working for 9 months of the year. She has made an art-form of sneaking really politically incorrect jokes onto the end of “nice” yarns. She launches the punch lines stealthily. You won’t see them coming, but you’ll know when they hit. Trevor Hendy recently declared that “Ellen is probably the funniest comedian I’ve ever seen!”.
Ellen has performed alongside the likes of Dave Hughes, Will Anderson, Peter Hellier, Charlie Pickering, Fiona O’Loughlin, Glenn Robbins, Gina Yashire, Austen Tayshus, Puppetry of the Penis, Tommy Little, Mandy Nolan, Troy Kinne, Judith Lucy, Peter Rosethorn, The Nelson Twins and Claire Hooper – just to name a few! Ellen is a favourite at ladies events, such as Melbourne Cup Lunches, Girls Nights In and numerous other Cancer Council and other fundraising events, as well as Sportsmen’s Lunches all through South East QLD.
Ellen and fellow comedian Mandy Nolan have recently joined forces and are performing their two-hour stand up show Women Like Us all over regional Australia, with all but one show so far completely selling out!
She has MC’d and performed at major corporate events for:
QLD Health
The Australian Poultry Association
The Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia
ScreenWorks Australia
McGrath Foundation
NSW Tourism Board
Annual Gold Coast Surf Life Saving Club Luncheon
V8 Supercar Events
Annual Gold Coast Firefighters Charity Ball
NSW Autism Association
Clipsal Australia
Toll Holdings
Ellen has also assisted in the delivery of comedy workshops for Senior Citizens (Shooting From My Hip Replacement), People with Mental Health Issues (Funny In The Head), and children (Funny Kids). She was recently involved in the Indigenous Arts Mentorship Program, run through NSW Tourism and Arts, mentoring a young man through the process of producing and performing comedy at a gala performance.
TV Appearances
Triple J Raw Comedy National Final 2007 – ABC Television
Stand Up Australia – 2006 – Foxtel’s Comedy Channel
State Focus – Network Ten- 2008
Radio
ABC North Coast Radio
Bay FM