Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Vilay.
Linda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m originally from a small town in Connecticut called Ansonia, where pretty much everyone knows everyone. It’s a quaint little town where my dreams of working/being in the entertainment industry came about. I grew up in the time the digital age was up and coming, so like many, rather than watching TV, I’d prefer watching YouTube videos. I remember how fun it was for me to discover new YouTubers. What I loved so much about YouTube was that a lot of the people creating content at the time were just like me–your everyday person. I feel as though that’s what truly appealed to me. YouTubers at the time were much more relatable than your traditional TV talent and truly made me feel as though I can create whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I loved the freedom YouTube had to offer, so after being inspired by many creators, in 2012 I decided to post content myself. Even if my videos didn’t perform well, it was still a fun hobby of mine. I simply posted silly videos because I enjoyed it. I was known at school for being the girl that posts YouTube videos. Back then, that wasn’t something many people were doing. I truly didn’t care what anyone thought of me, I liked making videos. I would even make my friends be in my videos.
Flash forward to senior year of high school where it was time to choose a university to attend. Unlike many at the time, I knew I wanted a job in the entertainment industry, I wasn’t exactly sure what, but I knew I wanted to work in it. I wanted to make sure whatever school I chose had a lot of resources for those interested in more creative majors. I ended up going to a school 20 minutes away from me– Quinnipiac University. What really drew me into this school was the school of communications. It was one of the best in the US. They had a program called QU in LA where they send students to Los Angeles, CA for a semester to do internships. Every YouTuber I would religiously watch made the move to LA from their small towns to pursue YouTube as a full-time career. Being able to get a taste of living in LA really sealed the deal for me.
I started out as a film major thinking because I loved making YouTube videos, I’d love creating films… I was wrong. After one semester, I realized that was not for me. I’d much rather prefer being on camera than not, and so I switched my major to Media Studies (which is essentially broad communications.) During my junior year of college, I applied to the QU in LA program and got accepted. That is truly when things changed for me. I spent my fall semester of junior year interning at AwesomenessTV and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. Both internships were truly valuable in my growth as someone wanting to get my foot in the door in the entertainment industry. AwesomenessTV was my dream place to work at back then, so I would check their website and call their front desk weekly to see what internships were available. I remember seeing an internship open on the talent team. I wasn’t sure exactly what that would entail, but all I knew is that AwesomenessTV worked with all of the YouTubers I loved and grew up watching, so I’d naturally be a great fit. I secured the internship on their talent team, and it was truly such a dream working there. As my internship came to an end, I went back to Connecticut to finish school. In the meantime, while I was finishing up school, I also worked a full-time job at Hollister Co. as a manager so I could save up money to move out to LA once I graduated. Moving to LA was always a dream of mine since the beginning of time.
I ended up graduating early due to AP/college courses I had taken back in high school (super thankful for those classes.) I graduated college in December of 2018 and had been applying to many, many, many jobs in LA. I knew after graduation, I was destined to move out to LA. I had been in contact with my old supervisor at AwesomenessTV for a while, but they were not hiring at the time. It wasn’t until the end of February that I pulled the trigger and moved out to LA. I figured it’d be best to at least use the money I saved up and get myself to LA so that I’d be able to take in-person job interviews. Luckily, the stars truly aligned and 3 days after I moved to LA, my old supervisor at AwesomenessTV reached out saying they are hiring a temporary role for a few months if I was interested. Of course, I said yes and did my interview the next day. I found out a week later that I got the role as a temporary talent brand partnerships coordinator. I was ECSTATIC. I truly felt like this was fate. I was meant to be in Los Angeles.
Ever since 2019, I’ve been working on the talent team over at AwesomenessTV. During my time here, it was acquired by Viacom, which merged with CBS, then becoming ViacomCBS, which later on rebranded to Paramount. As the years have passed, I grew within the company as a senior talent brand partnerships coordinator, to now currently being a manager for talent + development and brand partnerships for AwesomenessTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount+. I’m now currently handling all things talent related in the digital space for AwesomenessTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount+. This includes any talent brand deals, casting for shows/social, and inviting influencers to movie premieres/events. It’s crazy to think about how I got to where I am now, considering that I work with many of the talents I grew up watching. I’m truly blessed with how my journey has been thus far and can’t wait to continue leaving my footprint in the industry.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that this has been a smooth road for me, as I did have many struggles getting to where I am now, but I am super fortunate of the position that I am in currently. One big struggle for me was applying to jobs in LA as someone living on the other side of the country. I slowly realized the industry would rather hire people they knew than people that were qualified. I would apply to jobs daily in hopes to get one bite. Not hearing back from the hundreds of places I was applying to daily truly messed with my confidence. I felt as though I was just another name on their hundreds of applications. At the end of the day, I tried to remain positive and go with the flow. I’m so grateful that I spent a semester in LA to really gain connections in the industry. If it wasn’t for that, I’m not sure where I’d end up. Shout out to Caroline who was my supervisor at AwesomenessTV. She took a chance on me and really helped to get my foot in the door. I will forever be grateful for her.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a talent and development + brand partnerships manager at Paramount, I oversee all talent related endeavors for AwesomenessTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount+. I wear many hats at Paramount, but I mainly send and secure talent for branded partnerships, programming, and event-based offers. I am the point person for talent on set as well as events/red carpets, I collaborate with talent to capture social content, and additionally, I cast talent for Nickelodeon and AwesomenessTV digital programming including ‘Next Influencer’ on Paramount+.
Because of my interests with social media and content creators, I’m known as the Gen Z queen at work. Anything influencer-related, TikTok related, etc. people come to me for my expertise. I’m naturally on all of these social media platforms, so for me, it doesn’t feel like a job really. As TikTok was gaining popularity, everyone would come to me to teach them all the dances like the renegade haha.
I’ve been able to do so much in my career so far that I would have never imagined in a million years would happen. One of my most proud moments was casting talent for AwesomenessTV’s Next Influencer. The premise of the show is just like how it sounds. People compete head to head to become the next big influencer. What was so awesome about this particular project was this was my first on air credit I received. That was a monumental moment for me seeing my name on the big screen. Not to mention the show I helped cast had a billboard right in the center of Times Square. Pretty iconic if you ask me.
Getting a job right out of college and moving up pretty quickly has been such a blessing. I’m also the youngest one on my team, and I would say that truly sets me apart for the majority. Because I work with a Gen Z and kid-focused brand, me being young truly is such a benefit as I am their target audience. I know what they want to see and can bring a different perspective onto projects. Many of the influencers we work with are around my age, so I’ve been able to meet so many amazing talents who I’ve ended up becoming close friends with simply through work. I think being around their age makes them feel more comfortable, knowing they can truly be themselves and having someone that understands them.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There’s a long list of people I can thank who have truly helped me get to where I am now.
Caroline Pugliese was my supervisor at AwesomenessTV when I was an intern. She is the one that took a chance on this small-town girl with no experience in the entertainment industry. Simply a girl with a passion and a dream. Caroline hired me as I graduated college and truly helped me set my foundation in the biz.
RJ Larese is my current boss and has truly helped me grow in my role. I’ve been able to learn so much from him, when he sets his mind to something, he does it. Seeing how he is on a day-to-day basis really inspires me to be more like him.
Paul Pisacane is my partner who moved out to LA with me in February of 2019. We both had dreams of making it big in LA, while we are both still working on it, we remain positive. If it wasn’t for him pushing that we move out here without set jobs or a set place to stay, I’m not sure how my career would have panned out.
A big one is obviously my friends and family who have supported me throughout my journey. My parents would always help film my YouTube videos. My friends loved watching and sharing my content and have truly been supportive of my endeavors. Everyones been so lovely along the way and I couldn’t have done it without them!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/lindavilay
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindavilay/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindavilay/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindavilay
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lindavilay
