Artist Spotlight: Christine Gambito, AKA Happy Slip

Halloween might be the only time you put on makeup and a wig, but for Christine Gambito, AKA Happy Slip, makeup and a wig are a part of her job--and what a job it is.  Two years since she first started posting her hysterical impersonations of her parents and relatives on YouTube, Gambito has been interviewed or mentioned on various media outlets like The New York Times, ABS-CBN, Businessweek.com, and The Asia Sentinel.com.  Gambito has 16, 317 fans on Facebook, and her YouTube channel has over 200,000 subscribers.  Her legendary video, “Mixed Nuts”, which won second place in the 2006 YouTube Awards for best comedy, has over four million views on YouTube. She has over 47 million total video views on YouTube alone.  Not bad for something that started out “only” as a hobby.

“I started doing this because I was looking for a creative outlet, I continue doing it because it has turned out to be such an amazing outlet” Gambito told her hometown newspaper, The Virginian-Pilot in October 2007.

Liongali interviews Happy Slip at the 2008 Annual FPAC in San Pedro, CA

Gambito’s story is the typical immigrant success story, but like everything Gambito does, it has a twist.  Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Gambito got her degree in nursing as a way to support her acting dream.  When she didn’t land any interesting roles, she made one for herself on YouTube, and the rest is history.  In May 2007, YouTube announced that Happy Slip would get a share of its ad revenue.  Take that and combine it with the official Happy Slip merchandise she sells on her website, happyslip.com, and Gambito is an honest-to-goodness “stay-at-home actress”, as BusinessWeek.com’s Catherine Holahan put it.  Being able to make money doing something she loves is great (on her web site she hints that she has long ago upgraded her PowerBook to a MacBook Pro).

By now it may be common knowledge that the origin of the of the name “Happy Slip” comes from a young Gambito misunderstanding her mother saying, “half slip” (with her mother’s accent, it sounds like “hap-e-slip”).  However, the name “Happy Slip” is also how Gambito wants people to feel when they watch her videos.  She wants people to “slip into happiness.”  Don’t worry, Happy Slip.  You’ve got your bases covered.

Catch Happy Slip on on her live tour! If you want her to come to your city, vote on her website soon!