Between selecting music people want to hear, capturing the attention of the audience and maintaining an exciting on-air personality, establishing a reputation as a student D.J. is not exactly simple. For senior Anselm Gibbs, a.k.a. “Showtime Slim,” the responsibility doesn’t stop there.
From deejaying local events to working as an aspiring broadcast journalist, Gibbs is climbing the ladder of success without hesitation.
Born and raised in Trincity, Trinidad, Gibbs began to deejay at an early age, though he aspired to become a journalist. Gibbs started his collegiate career at the University of the District of Columbia, where he worked as a small-time disc jockey at local clubs and had a small role in the Howard Homecoming. For most of his career, Gibbs worked at Caribbean dance clubs. After transferring to St. John’s, he quickly became involved with WSJU, where he branched off from simply deejaying and became a newscaster.
Soon after, Gibbs began deejaying at St. John’s, his first event being the 2004 Christmas Mixer for the Caribbean Students’ Association, where according to Gibbs he proved that he was one of the school’s most prominent resident disc jockeys.
“I tore the roof off that joint,” he said.
From there, Gibbs was granted his own reggae show on WSJU and became assistant news director. Since joining WSJU, he has helped improve the station by “bulking up” his show through interviewing more guests and being part of more events.
And while Gibbs has several other aliases, including guises like “Lizzard Blizzard,” he explains his “Showtime Slim” persona is the one he likes most because he says it describes what he brings to radio.
Gibbs says his biggest opportunity to show off his talent was as host of the Hype Talent Show, produced by the Caribbean Students’ Association. For Gibbs, it proved he could host a show without being behind the turntables. He insists, however, that deejaying is not the main component of his life, though it is a large part of who he is.
“For me I’m not concentrating on the deejaying aspect of my life,” Gibbs explains. “That is not my main focus anymore. I am more focused on being a broadcast journalist. I started deejaying in Trinidad and I exceeded my goals as a deejay there. I need a new challenge and that is broadcast journalism.”
Currently, Gibbs interns at WPLJ 95.5’s “The Rocky Allen Show.”
He has also interned at NY1. When he visits Trinidad, he works at the local stations 94.1 and 91.5.
As for his future as a St. John’s D.J., he said there are no new campus deejays, since most, if not all, graduate this year. For now, Gibbs continues to work at campus events and deejays during common hour. From his accomplishments on the turntables to his work outside of St. John’s, Gibbs is a force to be reckoned with.
