30 Years of Voice Acting Trends with Billy Collura

Anne Ganguzza sits down with Billy Collura, a powerhouse agent with over 30 years at CESD New York. Billy shares his unique perspective on the dramatic evolution of the voice acting industry, from the early days of union-only radio spots to the current market dominated by non-union and digital opportunities. This conversation provides essential insight into the biggest voice acting trends that have shaped the industry and reveals the simple, authentic quality that makes a voice actor successful today.

00:03 - Anne (Host)
Hey guys, it's Anne from VO Boss here. 

00:06 - Speaker 2 (Announcement)
And it's George the Tech. We're excited to tell you about the VO Boss. Vip membership, now with even more benefits. 

00:12 - Anne (Host)
So not only do you get access to exclusive workshops and industry insights, but with our VIP plus tech tier, you'll enjoy specialized tech support from none other than George himself. 

00:23 - Speaker 2 (Announcement)
You got it. I'll help you tackle all those tricky tech issues so you can focus on what you do best Voice acting. It's tech support tailored for voiceover professionals like you. 

00:34 - Anne (Host)
Join us guys at VO Boss and let's make your voiceover career soar. Visit vobosscom slash VIP-membership to sign up today. 

00:43 - Speaker 3 (Announcement)
Slash VIP-membership to sign up today. It's time to take your business to the next level, the boss level. These are the premier business owner strategies and successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a boss, a VO boss. Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza. 

01:08 - Anne (Host)
Hey everyone, Welcome to the VO Boss Podcast. I'm your host, Anne Ganguzza, and today I am thrilled to welcome someone who truly defines what it means to be a powerhouse in the voiceover industry. With more than 30 years at CESD New York, Billy Collura has been at the forefront of commercials and beyond, representing talent with a direct and grounded approach that has earned him the trust of clients and voice actors alike. I think it's fair to say that he doesn't just follow the changes in the business. He really helps to shape them. So, Billy, I am so excited to have you here on the podcast. 

01:44 - Billy (Host)
Thank you for asking me. Yeah, this is so nice, yeah. 

01:47 - Anne (Host)
Yeah, I love it, and of course we're like on opposite coasts here, so you're on my home coast and so I do miss New York quite a bit and we did have a little. 

01:58 - Speaker 2 (Announcement)
How often do you get out here, pardon me, do you get out here often? 

02:00 - Billy (Host)
Do you ever get out. You know what? 

02:01 - Anne (Host)
Not as often as I should. I really have now started to say I'm only coming out during the warm season because I'm done with the snow. Yeah, I hear you. But I would imagine like do you travel like elsewhere in the wintertime in New York, Because I know I stay here. 

02:22 - Billy (Host)
I travel a lot in general um during the course of the year, but um you know, I right now I'm upstate in well. I'm up in the Hudson Valley and in the city of Hudson, which is two hours North of Manhattan, so I go back and forth Um in the winter time. No, I'm usually, I don't know, I'm usually in the Northeast sometimes. 

02:43 - Anne (Host)
Okay, Are you a skier? Are you a skier? No, absolutely not, Absolutely not. That was, that was what a lot. What kept a lot of people on the East coast? Um, in my area anyways, they're like oh no, I have to be able to ski in the winter. 

02:56 - Billy (Host)
No, I don't like the cold. 

02:57 - Anne (Host)
Well, I have a. I have a mountaineer in California, Uh huh. 

03:00 - Billy (Host)
Uh-huh. 

03:02 - Anne (Host)
Oh my gosh. Well, anyways, it's so nice to see you again. It's been a while. I saw you at VO Atlanta and I'm just really thrilled that I have the opportunity to talk to you. I know how busy you are, but I'm just so excited that the bosses are going to get this opportunity to really benefit from your wisdom. And so, benefiting from the wisdom speaking of that, you've been at CESD for over three decades. Um, that's, that's amazing. So how would you say that your role as an agent has evolved during that time? 

03:37 - Billy (Host)
Well, you know like it started when I started. Um, it'll be. Um, it'll be 32 years in May. Oh my gosh, when I started, voiceover was a smaller industry and I dabbled in a little bit of everything, okay. 

03:55 - Speaker 2 (Announcement)
I did commercials. 

03:57 - Billy (Host)
There really wasn't. There was no internet back then. So we did radio and TV commercials and industrials and I'm not even sure cable was around when. 

04:08 - Anne (Host)