“They had an open mike, and my friend was like, 'I dare you. I dare you.' And I love dares, so I went up, and the rest is history.”

Augie wanted to be a professional boxer since he was eight-years-old, luckily for us, that plan didn't work out too well.

After Augie's hard attempts at a boxing career failed, a dare from a friend sparked his new career as a comedian. But it wasn't always a money-making job. In fact, his first paying gig was just $25 for gas expenses.

“I just started getting paid for doing this like the last six years, you know. Before that, I would just get up in front of anybody anytime they had an open mike or function.”

His comedy routine has changed in the same ways he has since his career began. Starting his career playing off stereotypes, Augie has evolved to include more controversial current events into his act, while still keeping in touch with his roots.

“I started taking personal challenges and exploring that. When I first started, it was about making fun of stereotypes… Whenever I do a Filipino joke, they laugh at that. Whenever I do a Samoan, they laugh at that. But when I start talking about the Superferry, (they're silent)… or when I start talking about the homeless in Waianae.”

His newer material reflects more of an intellectual comedy that achieves its deeper intent for viewers to take something worthwhile away from the act beyond laughter. It is the type of material that forces you to think about situations differently and question the ways of our society.

Take, for example, his bit on the signs along H1 leading drivers to Waianae. He explains that each sign costs $12,000 and allows the audience to “take it in.” Twelve-thousand dollars to tell drivers that Waianae is one mile away. Three-quarters of a mile away. One-half mile away. One-quarter of a mile away. Twelve-thousand dollars for each sign. Then the funny part that makes you think even harder comes in.

“Maybe if we spend more money on books, we won't need to spend so much money on signs telling us how far we are!”

Much of Augie's routine comes from his own experiences. He is grateful for his experiences because they helped build character he says is lacking in children today. “Everything is given to them. Cannot make mistakes anymore. Even when you color a book. Kids get a felt pen and color pops out the paper… Building strong character comes from making mistakes and being told that you're wrong sometimes… We let kids today succeed before they even try.”

Augie's character has taken him from stand-up to radio, TV to DVD, and his family and friends have been with him through it all. Augie's success, continues to propel him into realms he never dreamed he would reach. In 2002, Honolulu Star Bulletin and Midweek named him “Comedian of the Year.” He is the only local comedian to sell out the Hawaii Theatre. In 2004, he received an award from Pacific Business News as part of their “40 Under 40.” Honolulu Magazine awarded him “Best Comedy Show” in 2005, and he is the proud recipient of two Na Hoku Hanohano awards. He was Honolulu Weekly's favorite comedian, and his three DVDs continue to break out as top-sellers. He sold out 7,000 seats at the Blaisdell Arena.

Although greatly revered in Hawaii, his success doesn't end here. His TV show can now be seen in Guam, and may be coming soon to Vegas. He has sold out shows in five different states and performed all over the world.

Many people fear Augie's continued success will change him. Not so, says the comedian.

“Everybody's worrying about me crossing over to the Mainland. You know what's so cool about what I do is I'm different. Being different is better than being like everybody else… I'm not going to do that because I won't be original. I won't be Augie, you know what I mean?”

Part of being Augie is giving back to the community. His Speak the Dream Foundation “promotes leadership through accountability.” The foundation gives scholarships and laptops to graduating high school students with financial need. It gives them the opportunity to excel and to “dream big.”

Augie's ever-growing success has been accompanied by his genuine gratitude toward his fans. Go to his stand-up show and yell “Hana Hou!” and he will come back with more. At the end of his show, stick around and he'll take pictures, sign autographs and talk to anyone who wants to converse.

“I love talking story with people, and I love finding out what's happening with you… The people that come to these shows, they feed my family. It's not hard to stop and talk.”