John Fleming

John Fleming is an experienced, award-winning presenter, performer and songwriter, best known as the tall half of the iconic Australian comedy duo The Scared Weird Little Guys. With a career spanning television, radio and live performance, John has performed to audiences around the world and built a reputation for sharp wit, musical intelligence and exceptional audience engagement.

John’s background is grounded in music and communication. Growing up in Melbourne, he began singing in a church choir, developing a strong foundation in music theory and vocal production. While completing a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, he continued formal vocal studies and began composing for the various groups he was working with.

In 1988, John joined a vocal harmony group that soon evolved into The Scared Weird Little Guys. From 1990, the duo became fixtures of the Australian comedy and entertainment scene, touring extensively throughout Australia, North America and the United Kingdom, including multiple appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe. Regular favourites on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, they also appeared on virtually every national television variety program during the 1990s. Across their career, the duo performed more than 5,000 shows and were recognised with numerous awards, including an ARIA Award, a Mo Award, a NACA Award in the United States, and multiple COCA Awards in Canada.

Since the duo formally concluded in 2011, John has expanded his work into education, community engagement and event leadership. He has worked extensively with Living Music as a voice teacher, running drop-in choirs and songwriting workshops in Youth Justice centres across Victoria, and with Wild at Heart, a not-for-profit organisation providing music and writing mentoring to people experiencing mental health challenges or social marginalisation. He has also directed several Melbourne-based music festivals and worked within local government event teams, including at the City of Whittlesea.

John is a member of the rock band Dirty Rascal alongside Grammy Award-winning drummer Jerry Speiser (Men at Work). In 2015, he became involved with the Thin Green Line Foundation, a global charity supporting park rangers through education, equipment and advocacy, with a mission to reduce ranger fatalities worldwide.

In 2019, John completed Engagement Essentials with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), strengthening his expertise in participation, facilitation and stakeholder engagement.

Highly regarded as a master of ceremonies, John regularly hosts gala dinners, awards nights and multi-day conferences. With a quick mind, calm authority and the ability to adapt in the moment, he keeps events running smoothly while ensuring audiences remain informed, entertained and fully engaged.