Gaurish Akki (ಗೌರೀಶ್ ಅಕ್ಕಿ) is an Indian journalist, television news anchor, film director, actor, and media educator born in Mudhol village, Yelburga Taluka, Koppal district, Karnataka. He received his schooling at Parimala High School, Bidar, and completed an M.A. in English Literature from Karnataka University, Dharwad (1995-1997), also studying at GI Bagewadi College, Nipani. After a brief career as a lecturer at Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College and S. Nijalingappa College, Bengaluru, his passion for media led him to transition into journalism. He launched his media career with ETV Kannada News (Hyderabad, 2000), working as a voice-over artist, copy editor, bulletin producer, and programme producer. In March 2005, he joined TV9 (Kannada) in Bengaluru as one of its founding members, where he anchored programmes on political, social, and cultural issues and created celebrated entertainment interview series including 'Sakhathmaathu', 'Premapallavi', and 'Flash Back', interviewing all the major personalities of Sandalwood. He received the Karnataka State Media Academy Award for Best News Presenter (2007), the Best Interviewer Award from Cable Varthe magazine (2008), and the Vocational Excellence Award from Rotary (2009). In 2010, he moved to Suvarna News 24/7, heading the cinema team and producing Cinema Hungama and the noted series 'Out of Focus'. From May 2016 to June 2017, he served as Chief Anchor at Suddi TV. In October 2017, he founded Gaurish Akki Studio (a production house for ads, documentaries, and YouTube content) and later founded Alma Media School in Bengaluru, which trains aspiring media professionals. His wife is entrepreneur Malati Gaurish; they have a son, Aastheya. In films, he appeared in Charminar (2013) and Lucia (2013, dir. Pawan Kumar) in supporting roles, debuted as a lead actor in Sipayee (2016), and wrote and directed Cinema My Darling (2016). He also appeared in Kengulabi (2018), Navodaya Dayzz (2018), 3000, and Anavarna (2023). In October 2023, he entered Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10 and became the first contestant to be eliminated, in Week 2 (Day 13), finishing nineteenth overall.
Being one of the founding members of TV9 Kannada (2005); popular interview series 'Sakhathmaathu', 'Premapallavi', and 'Flash Back' on TV9 Kannada; winning the Karnataka State Media Academy Award for Best News Presenter (2007) and Best Interviewer Award by Cable Varthe magazine (2008); directing and starring in Kannada film Cinema My Darling (2016); founding Alma Media School (journalism training institute) in Bengaluru; finishing nineteenth (and first eliminated) on Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10 (2024).