Jesse Mulligan

Popular Radio host, TV presenter and talented MC

Jesse Mulligan hosts Radio NZ National and has become a household name in New Zealand thanks to his appearances on 7 Days, Seven Sharp and Best Bits. Jesse has ‘done it all’ in the media, and it’s his diverse resume which enables him to perform professionally and entertainingly at any live event. He’s been a stand-up comic, TV producer, writer, PR man, food reviewer, radio announcer and, of course, an in-demand MC. He’s even a trained lawyer.

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Jesse Mulligan hosts Radio NZ National and has become a household name in New Zealand thanks to his appearances on 7 Days, Seven Sharp and Best Bits. Jesse has ‘done it all’ in the media, and it’s his diverse resume which enables him to perform professionally and entertainingly at any live event. He’s been a stand-up comic, TV producer, writer, PR man, food reviewer, radio announcer and, of course, an in-demand MC. He’s even a trained lawyer.

More about Jesse Mulligan:

Jesse grew up in Hamilton and trained as a lawyer, before a surprise win in a first-timers’ stand-up comedy competition led his career in a different path. He spent several years working as a comedian and breakfast radio DJ in Wellington before heading to London, where he worked in food and drink at a busy Covent Garden PR agency. He also took up writing, and when he returned to New Zealand turned his love of food into a job reviewing restaurants for Metro magazine and on his Auckland Food Blog.  He is currently the eating out editor for Viva magazine in the NZ Herald.

His stand-up comedy background led him to a job as head writer and then regular panellist for hit TV3 show 7 Days. He was TV3’s go-to man for comedy writing for a couple of years, before TVNZ hired him as host of the new 7pm show Seven Sharp. Jesse left that show in April 2014, to become host of hit Thursday night comedy Best Bits. He’s also an occasional New Zealand correspondent for Australia’s “The Project”.

Jesse attributes his writing ability to the success of many of his MC roles. He spends time before the event preparing his presentation and humour to be specific to your industry or audience.

With hundreds of awards nights, conferences and gala dinners under his belt, family man Jesse knows what your event needs and delivers beyond expectations every time. His unique background in stand-up comedy and corporate communications allow him to inject humour and warmth to the evening, without ever losing sight of the overall objectives of the event.

Off screen, he works as an event MC and as a writer, helping brands “find the funny” in their TV ads, websites and communications with customers. He continues to freelance for publications such as The Spinoff, NZ Herald and The Economist, and lives in Grey Lynn with his wife Victoria and their three children.

Jesse is the consummate professional and perfect for your next event!

Jesse, you were without a doubt the right choice for the event. Feedback from both members and clients about you has been particularly outstanding. From my perspective, your proactive and creative suggestions leading up to and during the event were received gratefully. Please be assured that I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending you for any jobs in the future and will most certainly keep you top of mind for any of my own events should you be willing to take on another one. Auckland Convention Bureau
Feedback from organisers and participants was that Jesse did a brilliant job and delivered an entertaining performance as well as clear communication throughout the event, introducing speakers. Jesse has a great balance between smart and funny and works great for a function that was semi-formal but added a light yet quality approach to the overall feel and format. Auckland Tourism
We were lucky to have Jesse hosting our awards dinner, which coincided with the official launch of Spark New Zealand. Jesse delivered on so many levels; style, humour, professionalism and "unprofessionalism" when it was called for! What impressed us most was Jesse’s ability to adapt and synchronise with the other speakers on stage quickly and effortlessly. It was clear he had taken the time to research and understand the brief, the audience, our business and the future we are trying to create for our customers. Our team loved working with Jesse and we hope he’ll work with us again in the future. Spark
Jesse was a fantastic MC. He brought the whole day together and was willing and eager to offer suggestions to make the day flow seamlessly. Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand
Jesse was fantastic, really professional and friendly. The attendees thought he was brilliant. He kept the evening to schedule and made for a fun night! Loyalty New Zealand Ltd
Jesse helped promote a relaxed and humorous atmosphere for our dinner while maintaining the brevity that the event required. Jesse was funny while being highly professional and courteous. As an MC he spoke clearly and naturally and socialised well afterwards. We are delighted with his performance and would recommend him. NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants
We found Jesse to be extremely easy to work with. He followed our brief completely and was an entertaining and engaging MC and easily held the attention of our guests. We would certainly recommend him for similar engagements. Beacon Media Awards
Jesse’s flexibility to meet with the client ahead of time was invaluable to the evening, and made a big difference to their overall confidence level with the awards show and event flow on the night. Jesse was perfect - all the ad-libbing to lengthen it out a bit was right on target. We have had stellar feedback from our client this morning. I look forward to working with Jesse again! Orange Events