Gibi ASMR
Early life
Gibi has a background in theater and film, and graduated with the class of 2017 from Northwestern University's School of Communication with a Bachelor of Science in Film.
Career
During the early years of ASMR content, Gibi was a high school sophomore with anxiety and insomnia when YouTube's recommendation algorithm introduced her to the genre. After watching and listening to ASMR for years, Gibi created her YouTube channel in June 2016, before her senior year of college. That summer, she began cosplaying and attending anime conventions; inspired by earlier creators, she incorporated these interests into role-play ASMR videos, which feature both existing and original characters. From the start, Gibi intended to treat video-making as a full-time job, which included taking her winter quarter off from college to focus on production. Within six months of graduating, she was earning enough to create videos full-time, and after a year reached one million subscribers.
At the suggestion of her editor, Gibi created her Twitch channel in 2017, on which she streams ASMR and plays video games. In 2019, she hosted a web miniseries by Rooster Teeth called Encounter Culture.
Polydor Records contacted Gibi in 2019 and asked if she would perform an ASMR read-through of Billie Eilish's album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Gibi recorded the project for free; since its upload it has amassed over 3 million views. That summer, Gibi was hired to star in Reese The Movie: A Movie About Reese, an official feature-length ASMR project about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
In August 2022, Gibi and two other popular YouTube personalities, Charles "MoistCr1TiKaL" White and Tyler "Jimmy Here" Collins, formed their own talent agency, Mana Talent Group, focused on online creators.
Reception
Gibi is considered one of YouTube's top ASMR creators. Her videos have been recommended by authors for Bustle, Den of Geek, Heavy.com, and Insider. Writing for The New York Times Magazine, Jamie Lauren Keiles called Gibi "the LeBron James of touching stuff," and wrote favorably of her genuine online persona.
Personal life
Gibi takes strict privacy precautions for the sake of friends and family. In the past, she refrained from sharing her relationship status or city of residence. In 2019, Gibi married her husband, Ben, whom she met at Northwestern and today manages her business affairs. The couple relocated in January 2020, revealing their former residence was in a suburb of Chicago. In November 2020, Gibi revealed her first name as Gina.
On July 6, 2024, Gibi revealed she was pregnant with her first child.
References
- ^ "About Gibi ASMR". YouTube.
- ^ @GibiOfficial. "Live all day for 23rd birthday!!! Come in anytime". Twitter. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ^ ggGibi (January 13, 2019). "2018 Birthday Stream!!!". Twitch. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ^ Alex Schwartz (March 7, 2019). "As the ASMR sensation grows online, a Northwestern alumna finds her place among the whispers Gibi ASMR". The Daily Northwestern.
- ^ Keiles, Jamie Lauren (April 4, 2019). "How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Christen A. (February 4, 2019). "'I'm tingling!': What an ASMR YouTube star with Chicago ties thought about Michelob's Super Bowl ad". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Tenbarge, Kat. "One of YouTube's biggest ASMR stars explains 'brain tingles' and why she still lies about her job". Insider. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "ASMR creators want you to know it's art, not a weird sexual fetish". www.vice.com. December 10, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "Encounter Culture". Facebook. Rooster Teeth. August 3, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Schonfeld, Zach (April 16, 2019). "How Billie Eilish Became an ASMR Icon". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "How ASMR crossed over into pop music". The Independent. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "ASMR and the Soothing Power of Experts". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Alexander (December 15, 2022). "Three YouTube stars join forces to form their own talent management company". Digiday. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Carolyn de Lorenzo (February 28, 2019). "7 ASMR Videos To Watch If You Can't Fall Asleep". Bustle.
- ^ "Geeks Vs Loneliness: ASMR and those tingling feelings". Den of Geek. February 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019.
- ^ Lily Santiago (September 18, 2018). "Top 5 ASMR Channels On YouTube". Archived from the original on July 21, 2020.
- ^ Tenbarge, Kat. "How ASMR videos went from a niche 'tingle' subculture to mainstream memes". Insider. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Gibi ASMR Full Apartment Tour | Chicago. YouTube. January 14, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ My Real Name. YouTube. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Big Life Update :) l ASMR Soft Spoken. YouTube. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.