How Elijah Yunik walked his charisma from MUBS to NTV

One of the most prominent back stage names behind fashion and media is Elijah Yunik. To fully map out his expanding footprint, I paid a physical visit to the Nation Media Group production studios at the NTV Uganda offices in Kampala, catching him right in the middle of an intensive broadcast editing cycle.

Who is Elijah Yunik?

Elijah Arinaitwe Reagan Yunik aka Elijah Yunik is a prominent Ugandan media practitioner, fashion powerhouse, and international pageantry expert who has personally trained over 350 models and adjudicated more than 62 pageant competitions. He is fully employed within the production department at Nation Media Group, working behind the scenes as a technical editor and creative content creator for NTV Uganda and Spark TV.

Beyond his broadcast media career, Yunik is the CEO of Yunik Models Academy and Management, the Founder of the Uganda Pageant Models Association, and the Creative Director of the Rolling Stone Foundation (RSF) at Makerere University in direct partnership with the UNDP’s UniPod.

A highly decorated leader, he holds a record-breaking tenure as Mr. Ability Uganda (2022–2025), a diplomatic role that earned him official recognition and a prestigious award from the British High Commission for his exceptional impact on regional talent development.

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Below is the full, deep-dive breakdown of our comprehensive conversation, detailing the exact professional metrics, institutional frameworks, and personal convictions that define his journey.

What is the real name and background of Elijah Yunik?

Before an individual can comprehend the massive corporate scale of his talent development networks, they must first understand the structural separation between his legal identity and his global commercial brand.

“Arinaitwe Elijah Reagan is my official legal name recorded across all my formal identity documents,” Yunik states cleanly. “Those three document names are strictly reserved for official administrative use. My real name, the name given to me directly by my mother from day one, is Yunik.

Most people in the public domain make the mistake of assuming that Yunik is merely a fancy, manufactured brand name that I came up with along the way to stand out in the fashion market. It is not. It is my original name. Throughout my work in the media, corporate pageantry circles, and fashion runways, I am permanently recognized as Elijah Yunik. I prefer to keep my private, personal life completely out of the public eye to maintain a low profile outside of my offices, but my identity as a creator is entirely transparent.”

What is Elijah Yunik’s official role at NTV Uganda and Nation Media Group?

While the general public routinely interacts with him as a high-fashion icon, his daily professional anchor is situated within mainstream corporate broadcasting, where he executes complex visual projects for Uganda’s largest media conglomerate.

“I am fully employed within the Production Department at Nation Media Group (NMG), working directly across NTV Uganda and Spark TV as an active editor and production executioner,” Yunik explains. “My daily role inside the studios involves technical content creation, broadcast video production, and high-level creative execution.

Operating behind the scenes in mainstream television media has heavily reinforced my practical understanding of visual storytelling, structural stage direction, and the premium production standards required to command massive audiences. I treat the camera viewfinder and the editing suite as a laboratory where I master how to project imagery cleanly, which gives me an immense competitive advantage when I step onto physical fashion runways or coordinate live stage pageants.”

How did Yunik Models Academy start and what makes it stand out?

The emergence of Yunik Models Academy and Management represents a direct shift from uncoordinated, solo talent management into a highly commercial, scalable training system.

“Yunik Models Academy is my primary talent initiative, and I formally founded it in 2020 immediately following the global COVID-19 lockdown,” Yunik recalls. “During that prolonged period of isolation, young people were completely bored at home, stuck in silos without creative outlets.

I realized there was a critical necessity for a structured space where youth could converge, network, dance, master their posture, and learn professional runway modeling. I carry deep, practical expertise in music, dance, and drama, so I decided to transform that post-pandemic energy into a formal modeling school.

Today, we stand completely apart from alternative agencies because we operate strictly under the slogan: ‘Where Passion Meets Profession.’ What I deliver is not casual entertainment; it is an absolute profession. We don’t just train people to walk; we run a diversified brand ecosystem that includes:

• Yunik Models Academy: Our core high-fashion and runway training division.
• Unique Ushers: A premium, corporate event-ushering house where our models are contracted and paid top-tier rates to manage corporate functions.
• Unique Performers: A specialized unit of commercial dancers and choreographers trained to handle corporate brand activations and live media showcases.

Everything within our ecosystem is heavily branded around absolute uniqueness and professional excellence. I don’t compete in this market because I am simply looking for space—I operate with the clear understanding that we are the absolute best, and other modeling schools routinely benchmark their operations from our blueprint. If you see me, you are looking directly at the business.”

How many models and pageant queens has Elijah Yunik trained and judged?

To truly measure his authority within the pageantry and fashion industry, one must analyze the exact statistical data and verifiable numbers behind his career tracker.

“I deal strictly with metrics and passionate human capital,” Yunik emphasizes. “Over the course of my career, I have worked directly for over 38 distinct corporate organizations, international agencies, and civil society groups centered on talent development, youth inclusion, and high-end event management. I have personally coached and trained over 350 professional models and pageant queens, both within Uganda and across international borders, including grooming elite pageant contenders in countries like South Sudan.

Through my private, specialized training initiative called ‘Fetch the Crown,’ I offer high-intensity, confidential lessons for contestants who are explicitly looking to win. My track record is absolute: every single pageant queen who has passed through my private coaching sessions has gone on to secure the crown. They hold the physical trophies and can deliver direct testimonies to that record.

Furthermore, my credibility as an industry authority has seen me serve as an official talent judge and adjudicator in over 62 distinct modeling and pageant competitions combined. This includes evaluating pageants across primary schools, prominent secondary schools, and major public and private universities across East Africa.”

What is Elijah Yunik’s role at Makerere University Business School?

His corporate authority has also extended heavily into higher academic institutions, where he commands absolute oversight over campus pageantry and institutional hospitality management.

“I hold a formal degree in Travel and Tourism Management from Makerere University Business School (MUBS),” Yunik notes. “Because of my deep background, I maintain a continuous, high-level collaboration with the MUBS Faculty of Tourism, Hospitality, and Languages. I act as the official Production Manager, entertainment program manager, and head trainer for all their major institutional events, including their language festivals and hospitality days.

This deep integration is why many people mistakenly assume I am a formal academic lecturer at the university. Most notably, I am the official Patron for the prestigious Mr. and Miss MUBS pageant. I run this portfolio in direct partnership with Juma Wasswa Balunywa (JWB), who is the head of the initiative and the son of the former MUBS Principal, Professor Juma Waswa Balunywa. The Professor has been my ultimate professional mentor, recognizing and appreciating the structural discipline I bring to the university’s public image.”

What did Elijah Yunik achieve as Mr. Ability Uganda?

His leadership execution extends heavily into national representation, where he holds a historic, record-breaking tenure as a cultural diplomat and champion for youth-led inclusion.

[Mr. Ability Uganda 2022-2025] ➔ [Longest-Reigning King] ➔ [British High Commission Award]

“I officially became Mr. Ability Uganda in 2022, holding the title continuously until 2025,” Yunik shares. “This makes me the single longest-reigning pageant king in the history of the country. In my executive capacity during those four years, I executed massive, measurable community inclusion projects that caught the attention of international diplomatic missions. I was formally awarded and recognized by the British High Commission in Uganda for my exceptional contributions to talent development and social transformation.

I also serve as the main Ambassador for persons with unique abilities. My focus is strictly on empowering individuals who may face physical or social barriers to completely take up space, step into the spotlight, and display their excellence without allowing any social stigma to overshadow their potential. They do not let their limitations define them; rather, they shine to show the world that they are absolute stars.

This track record is why I was appointed as the official Creative Director of the Rolling Stone Foundation (RSF) at Makerere University, working directly in collaboration with UniPod and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Additionally, I act as a frontline inclusion and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocate, using my media access to drive real institutional protection for the youth.”

What is the strategic purpose of the Uganda Pageant Models Association?

To ensure that the pageantry sector moves away from informal, unregulated operations, Yunik has taken intentional steps to build a permanent regulatory and professional body.

“I am the official Founder of the Uganda Pageant Models Association,” Yunik states. “I engineered this association with the explicit objective of uplifting, structuring, and standardizing greatness across all pageant kings and queens in Uganda and beyond. We are building a professional trade network that protects models from exploitation, aligns them with corporate brands, and ensures they transition from simple stage winners into long-term commercial assets.

Beyond pageantry, I have a massive commercial background in high-velocity stage performance. I possess deep expertise in choreography, training both modern and traditional African dances. In my earlier years, I used to choreograph and execute live, high-energy entertainment segments for prominent national television stations, most notably running prime-time dance showcases on NBS Television hit programs like NBS Catch Up and Saturday Night Live (SNL).

Furthermore, within the premium fashion space, I serve with Miss Tourism Uganda as the official Man of Tourism International Pageant Coordinator and Trainer. In this specialized role, I direct the grooming parameters, coordinate the structural pageant phases, and prepare elite male candidates to cleanly represent Uganda on global international stages. My focus remains entirely on pushing the numbers, enforcing precision, and taking this brand completely international.”