Ellis started out in teaching in the Music Department at Trinity School in the 80s followed by 12 years in Further Education at Warwickshire College till the mid 90s. In 1996 he studied in ‘Composing for Film’ at Beaconsfield Film & Television School. The traditional methods used in music production are still used by Ellis today as he mixes computer technology with tape recording to give his students the complete picture.

During the 90s Ellis developed an interest in Community Media setting up several youth & community based media studios around Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. In the mid late 90s using Music Technology Ellis pioneered a technique to engage young people back into learning which, in 2003 resulted with him co-founding Hybrid Arts, an award winning Leamington Spa based alternative education provider. He was elected a Fellow of the RSA / Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 2008. He went on to found Leamington Lamp in 2014. In 2011 he was chosen to represent the West Midlands at the London launch of the Cultural Olympiad, recognised for the pioneering project 'Extraordinary Cyles' - the pairing of BMX Flatland stunt riders and choreographer.

As a musician Ellis has performed around Europe in numerous ensembles and bands, recorded radio sessions for the BBC's John Peel Show and released records, cassettes and CDs. He continues to develop his practice and passes on skills and experience to LAMP students. He still composes and performs, notably with a modular synthesiser system.