Litzy Santana hit the card game lottery shortly after graduating from Texas State University this past August. A lifelong fan of the Mattel game Uno, Santana applied to be the Chief Uno Player for the new Mattel game, Uno Quatro. Her TikTok video submission, where she revealed her Uno collection of over 70 decks, helped her win the job of playing Uno for four weeks in New York City as the Chief Uno Player.
This opportunity of a lifetime for the Ann Richards School Class of 2019 grad paid her $4,444/week to play Uno Quatro from September 7 to October 7 at Pier 17, not a bad first gig for the Marketing major whose story was on local media outlets like KXAN, KVUE, Austin American-Statesman, and national news pieces from CNN and The New Yorker. Santana shared TikToks through the Uno handle where she provided strategies, played against celebrity challengers, and interviewed Uno fans.
After the experience, Santana shared, “Never in a million years did I think my love for a card game would turn into this. It was an absolute honor to visit NYC and be the first-ever Chief Uno Player. Remember to always, always dream big because you truly never know what can happen. Truly no words to describe this beautiful experience, just gratitude.”
Photo provided by Uno/Weber Shandwick
@uno Tell a friend to tell a friend, @litzy is your #ChiefUNOPlayer. We’ll be playing UNO Quatro at Pier 17 – @The Seaport in New York City from now until October 7th, Wednesdays-Saturdays 2-6pm ET. Come say hi and we’ll deal you in. #UNO #Pier17 #NYC ♬ Hype! – VastPenguin
@uno game on, @Duncan Joseph. see y’all tomorrow at 3pm ET for our livestream from Pier 17 — @The Seaport. #ChiefUNOPlayer #UNO #NYC ♬ original sound – uno
@uno get ready with @litzy, for her first day as the #ChiefUNOPlayer. #UNO #NYC ♬ Living in a Haze (Instrumental) – Milky Chance
@uno How would you describe yourself as an UNO player? Let us know #UNO #ChiefUNOPlayer #gamingontiktok ♬ Summer – Croquet Club
@uno Replying to @litzy Ok, so maybe it’s not possible to win EVERY TIME. #UNO #HowTo #ProTip #ChiefUNOPlayer ♬ Lifeline (Instrumental) – BLVKSHP
@uno @litzy, aka the #ChiefUNOPlayer, had the ultimate UNO Quatro showdown with @Duncan Joseph and this is how it went down. #UNO #UNOQuatro #Showdown ♬ Standout – Kid Dean
@uno UNO Quatro is four times as WILD. Would you take it or quadruple it? @litzy ♬ So Low – Shiloh Dynasty & LofiCentral
@uno And that's a wrap on playing UNO Quatro for 4 hours a day, 4 days a week for 4 weeks at Pier 17 – The Seaport in New York City with @litzy aka the #ChiefUNOPlayer ♬ Summer – Croquet Club