Who Is Ivan Zeljković

Ivan Zeljković (born in Belgrade on 16 April 1975) is a Serbian television and radio host, producer, journalist and geographer by profession. He is best known to the wider public as the host of the Serbian edition of the quiz show “Želite li da postanete milioner?” (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), which earned him the nickname Zeka Milioner.

The quiz first aired in 2002 on BK Television. Zeljković was its first host and, until 2022, its only host in Serbia, so viewers have long associated him with the famous opening line “Good evening, welcome to the quiz”.

Before television, he worked at Belgrade radio stations, and he later grew into a producer who stood behind several television shows. Today he lives in Dubai, where he runs a media production business and occasionally returns in front of the cameras.

Early Life and Childhood

Zeljković was born in Belgrade on 16 April 1975, at the time in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Details about his parents and childhood are not publicly known, so this text does not include them.

It is known that his family slava (patron saint’s day) is Đurđevdan, 6 May. As he said in a podcast, it is also the slava of his wife. Interestingly, the first Serbian “Milioner” premiered on that very date in 2002.

He took his first professional steps in the media while still young. He later said that about ten years of working in radio had effectively been preparation for the job of quiz host.

Education

Ivan Zeljković is a geographer by profession. He graduated from the Faculty of Geography at the University of Belgrade and is also a member of the Geographical Research Society. The year of his graduation is not publicly known.

Many people were unaware of this, because the audience had for years perceived him solely as a television host. He chose his media path outside his field of study, but his geography degree remained part of his public biography.

Start of Career

Zeljković began his career as a radio host. According to available biographical data, he worked at the Belgrade stations Pingvin, Radio 063 and Naxi. In a conversation for the Pojačalo podcast, he said that at that time he held permanent positions in both radio and television at the same time.

At radio, he was first a host. He then met Rade Santrač, and thanks to him he also became a producer. He himself described that phase as a “one-man show”, because he did every job in production, from idea to realization.

On BK Television, he also hosted the show “Budilnik”. That television station, founded by Bogoljub Karić in 1994, also became the place where his best-known project first aired.

Host of the Quiz “Želite li da postanete milioner?” (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)

Start of the Broadcast in 2002

The first recording of the quiz was held on 1 May 2002, and the premiere aired on 6 May of the same year. Zeljković later said that the first “Milioner” aired on Đurđevdan, his slava.

The format is of British origin and is known worldwide as “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. In the original version, the host was Chris Tarrant, and in the Serbian version, Ivan Zeljković. According to him, the English producer assured him from the start that the quiz would make him recognizable on the street.

Viewers remembered his humor and his effort to put contestants at ease. His phrase “we’ll find out after the commercials” became an inseparable part of the show.

The Quiz on Several Television Channels

Until 2006, the quiz aired on BK Television. From 2007 to 2009, it moved to B92. In 2010, it was broadcast through the Nacionalna network, and then on Prva Srpska Televizija, where it stayed until 2011.

Zeljković remained the host on each of those channels. That continuity is one of the reasons the public has linked his name with the quiz for more than two decades.

Format and Rules of the Game

A contestant answers fifteen multiple-choice questions. Three lifelines are available: fifty-fifty, switching the question, and phoning a friend. In the version that aired on Prva, the switch-the-question lifeline was replaced with an option called “voice of the people”.

The top prize in earlier editions was three million dinars, while in the newer edition on Nova S it is five million dinars. In this format, Zeljković became known for his calm, polished and warm hosting style.

Producer and Media Entrepreneur

Besides hosting, Zeljković was also a producer. According to Danas, in 2005 he founded a production company whose output included the shows “Kuća snova”, “Narod protiv” and “Keš Taksi”. The Serbian Wikipedia states that he owns the production company Adventidž, which produced or produces “Milioner”, “Kuća snova”, “Narod protiv”, “Samo večeras” and “Keš Taksi”.

Wikipedia also states that he was the lead figure of the Nacionalna project, the first Serbian syndicated television network, which broadcast its programming on sixteen local and regional television stations across Serbia. Through that network, the quiz reached a wider audience in 2010.

During this period, Zeljković also often appeared as a guest on entertainment shows. For example, on 4 June 2010, he guested on “Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem“, together with the singer Seka Aleksić.

Move to Dubai and a New Business Phase

According to his own words, Zeljković’s life changed on 4 August 2013, at a cocktail party where he met his friend Mina, who worked as a flight attendant in the Emirates. She introduced him to Veljko, the owner of the company Creitive, who was planning a trip to a technology fair in Dubai.

Zeljković traveled and, instead of the planned ten days, stayed twenty. He was offered an engagement at one of the largest production companies, but the show, a talk show with a large audience, never got off the ground. He also visited the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the Middle East.

At first, his family stayed in Serbia, which he described as a difficult period of physical separation. Later his wife Vesna, daughter Petra and son Luka joined him in Dubai. According to a 2026 statement, he was spending his thirteenth year of life there.

In an older interview for Wannabe Man magazine, he said he had become a partner in a company in Dubai and that he lives between Belgrade and Dubai. At the time, he also talked about an idea for a project with the television network CNBC, with a prize of one million dirhams, joking that there he might receive the nickname “Bunny Millionaire”.

According to the biography on Entrepreneur Middle East, Zeljković is the founder and managing director of Evans Media Group, a video production company based in Dubai. The company works for clients from Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and a long-term collaboration with Microsoft is listed among them.

He himself described his work as production in digital media, primarily video. As he told Blic, about twenty years of work in radio and television help him in that job.

Return to the Small Screen

After a break of more than a decade, in August 2022 it was announced that “Želite li da postanete milioner?” would return to television on Nova S and that Ivan Zeljković would host the quiz again. The premiere of the new season was scheduled for 19 September 2022.

Zeljković said that entering the studio after ten years felt “unreal”, and on the twentieth anniversary of the show at that. According to him, it felt like coming home, and what he missed most was contact with the contestants. The new edition no longer includes the game “Brzi prsti”, and the quiz can also be followed on digital platforms and social networks.

According to IMDb data, he hosted 38 episodes of the quiz in 2022–2023. A new season on Nova television began on 2 December 2024, and in May 2026 the media wrote about preparations for yet another season.

Greatest Achievements

• Host of the Serbian edition of the quiz “Želite li da postanete milioner?” since 2002, whose name became synonymous with one of the most-watched television formats.
• The only host of that quiz in Serbia, including his return in 2022 after more than a decade.
• Producer of several television shows, among them “Kuća snova”, “Narod protiv”, “Samo večeras” and “Keš Taksi”.
• Lead figure of the Nacionalna project, the first Serbian syndicated television network.
• Founder and managing director of the production company Evans Media Group in Dubai.

Private Life

Ivan Zeljković is married to Vesna. According to media reports, their marriage has lasted more than fifteen years. They have two children, a daughter Petra and a son Luka, who, according to Zeljković’s 2026 statements, were finishing primary school in Dubai.

The family lives in Dubai, but Zeljković travels regularly to Belgrade. He has said that the trip from one home to the other, including waiting at airports, takes him seven to eight hours.

The Struggle with Weight

Zeljković has spoken publicly about his struggle with obesity. On the show “Žena za sva vremena” on K1 television, he said that his highest weight was 173.3 kilograms. He said that psychotherapy helped him and that through food he had tried to make up for stress and a lack of self-confidence.

According to him, he lost 57 kilograms. As part of his formula, he named a firm decision, medication therapy, moderate strength training, intermittent fasting, and a diet based on meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit. He stressed that he does not claim it is the solution for everyone and that he has no knowledge of a doctor or nutritionist.

He also launched the platform “Zona zdravlja i mršavljenja” (Health and Weight Loss Zone), with advice and stories, and later with courses by experts.

Interesting Facts

• The nickname Zeka derives from his surname, and together with the word “Milioner” it became one of the most recognizable television nicknames in Serbia.
• Together with the host Milan Kalinić, he was the target of the hidden-camera show “Nemoguća misija”, in which the village of Radičević near Bečej was turned into an Albanian settlement called Skenderaj.
• The host Voja Nedeljković gave him advice for live appearances: to close his eyes and concentrate on the first few sentences. Zeljković said he has used that trick for years, and that Nedeljković taught his daughter to swim.
• He has known the host Sanja Marinković since 2004, when both were named TV Faces of the Year. Their families spend time together in Dubai.
• In Dubai he also socializes with the journalist Ivan Mrđen.
• He regularly posts humorous clips on social media, and he is active on Instagram under the name @ivanzeljkovic.
• The IMDb database also lists him as an actor in guest roles, including the series “Doktor Podunavac” and “Samo večeras”.
• The Serbian Wikipedia also lists him as a voice actor, but without naming specific roles.

Awards and Recognition

According to a statement by the host Sanja Marinković, Ivan Zeljković was named TV Face of the Year in 2004. Other sources do not state the precise name of the award, so this information relies on a single testimony.

There is no reliable public information about other awards and recognition, so this text does not include them.

Legacy and Influence

Zeljković’s name is among those most often mentioned when Serbian quiz shows are discussed. “Milioner” became known in Serbia for its top prize and for the ritual in which the host asks the contestant whether they are sure of their answer. Zeljković gave that ritual a recognizable tone.

Before television he had long radio experience, and later he developed his production work toward digital media. When “Milioner” started again in 2022, viewers were ready to see the same face, which was a rare example of an audience accepting the return of the same host after more than ten years.

His path from Belgrade to Dubai also shows a different course for a media career in the region. Starting from radio, through television and production, he arrived at video content for international clients.