Hometown:
Brooklyn, New YorkInterests:
Flying,Skateboarding,Sky-drawing Ellis enjoys soaring above his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. He lives in a brownstone beside Prospect Park with his parents and little sister. The park is where he skateboards with his friends and takes flight to perform his sky-drawing theatrics. What’s sky-drawing? “It’s a cross between skywriting and graffiti,” Ellis tells us. “It’s about being totally in the moment—and fully creative. No worries about making mistakes. The lines fade before I’m done. You have to be fast, but also put on a show. It encourages everyone to look up from their phones and watch. Then hopefully they look around more often and do their own special thing.” Lending encouragement is one of the reasons Ellis is proud to be a Cuddly American. The other is a sense of duty. His father recently retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force’s Plume Squadron, the same position his father held, and his father before him. While Ellis isn’t ready for that kind of responsibility, he’s been looking for a way to show his family and country pride. “Our country is in a divided place right now. That’s all the more reason to keep dreaming and trying to make it a better place for everyone. That’s exactly what Cuddly Americans is about. And I get to be here at the beginning.”