User Bio

eliasaikaly.com

Elia Saikaly is a Canadian social entrepreneur whose award-winning films, global adventures and dynamic public engagement initiatives inspire others to FIND their most meaningful LIFE and spark positive change.

Whether he’s traveling with a nomadic tribe in the Sahara, climbing the world’s highest peaks, (4 Everest Expeditions + 5 of the Seven Summits+Mt. Cho Oyu) living in the Amazon Jungle in Peru or communing with polar bears in the Far North—Elia has proven himself to have the determination, stamina, skill, resourcefulness and vision required to meet the greatest of challenges.

Having recently summited Mt. Everest for the 2nd time, Elia took on the role of high altitude cinematographer for a 12-part reality TV series called 'Arabs on Top of the World'. As an adventure filmmaker, he has successfully broadcast back webisodes to networks such as CTV, NBC, CBC and RDS from some of the most inhospitable environments on the planet including Mt. Everest where he successfully shot, edited and broadcast a web series from the top of the world to over 20 000 Canadian students. The sequel to his award winning film “FindingLife” which earned him 2 prestigious awards at the Montreal International Adventure Film Festival.

When not behind the camera, as an inspirational speaker, Elia brings his intense passion for filmmaking and adventure to the stage bringing the audience to the most beautiful and treacherous places in the world. Targeted for youth, public and corporate audiences, each presentation is rich with extraordinary humanity, inspiring messages, practical wisdom and jaw-dropping personal accounts.

Once an actor, model, musician, journalist and MuchMusic reporter, Elia is no stranger to being in front of the camera. He was recently featured as the adventurer in a new television adventure series featuring Canada’s 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites called « La part du monde ». He can also be seen on findinglife.ca and epals.com - the largest social media network for the K-12 market in the world.

Elia spends a lot of his time working with charitable organizations like the Ottawa Friends of Tibet, Childhaven International and Moving Mountains Trust. He recently led an initiative with FindingLife and The Moving Mountains Trust to build classrooms for a disadvantaged community in Kenya.