A purple-haired, self-proclaimed unicorn with an affinity for the Internet and pop culture. Meet Mavis Slade, our campus celebrity of the week. Her YouTube channel has racked up nearly 169,000 views and holds an impressive 2,800 subscribers. Mavis was flown out by YouTube this summer to attend YouTube’s Comedy Week, which boasted the likes of Sarah Silverman, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaugn, and Rainn Wilson. She even walked the red carpet and met Skrillex. Can we have your life? She also has a solid 2,668 followers on Twitter. Basically, Mavis is a super fab proper Internet celebrity — with awesome hair.
Year: Junior
Major: Communication and History of Art and Architecture with a minor in Film Studies
Hometown: Ventnor City, NJ
Her Campus: You seem to have a constant growing audience on the Internet! How did you gain the following?
Mavis Slade: Haha I have no idea! I’m so odd and outlandish on my social media sites but I think my constant posting and talking to people who enjoy what I do really helps grow an audience. Just talking to people helps them feel like they know you, even if it is only what I show them on the Internet. And from there, people tend to share with their friends. I am basically trying to make us all feel like friends and not many “Internet people” do that.
HC: What was it like being asked and attending YouTube Comedy Week?
MS: It was INSANE! It was my first time to California and YouTube flew me out first class, which was scary in itself… Here I am with a camera and purple hair while the man next to me is in a full suit, fancy watch, and talked on his bluetooth the whole of the flight. It was insane but cool. But the experience itself was amazing. I made cool friends from it who make awesome videos and it was just a sneak peek into what I really want to do with my life, which kept me really motivated about my future.
HC: You have a knack for social media, clearly! What do you do in social media for the Pitt affiliated programs you work for?
MS: Social media-wise for Pitt, I run the Her Campus Pitt Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts (with some help from an awesome team) and we hope to really rejuvenate our YouTube channel and make a Tumblr to share even more cool stuff with everyone. When it comes to RSA [Resident Student Association], I use Facebook to share events and awesome Pitt happenings!
HC: How do you manage being so proactive on the Internet, maintaining grades, and attending meetings for clubs?
MS: I eat a lot. No, it is stressful but worth it. When people tell me they enjoy my videos or my blog, it helps remind me why I am doing it. It is so people can forget about the stress of life for 3 or 4 minutes and laugh along with me and my insane life. If what you want to do for a living brings you joy, then the stress doesn’t really matter. Stress is going to happen, but, in the end, it’s all worth it. If you ever feel the stress isn’t worth it, then it probably isn’t.
She’s just being Mavis.
All photo credits go to Mavis Slade.