In the old days, we were almost always stuck with whatever was on the radio.
But, now with Sirius/XM satellite radio, Pandora and the growing number of podcasts, we can listen to content that is both relevant and specialized to our interests. As a result of this podcast evolution, there are now a handful of different podcasts and more in development. Many deal with collision-repair related topics like parts, painting, training, new products and repair processes, just to name a few.
The podcast universe is growing with no end in sight. There are more than 700,000 active podcasts and more than 29 million podcast episodes. In 2018, these numbers stood at 550,000 and 18.5 million respectively, according to Edison Research.
To connect with experts within the collision repair industry from different capacities, Jeremy Winters, a refinish technician with 15 years of experience started ‘Booth Talk.' It’s a podcast for the automotive refinish community by the refinish community, according to its founder.
It all started when Winters, a veteran painter with 17 years of experience from Bonaire, GA. decided to start a weekly podcast to unite refinishers together to share stories and information. At the outset, he broadcast the show using the Instagram live feature (@that_painter_fella) for the first three months and subsequently found a new home @boothtalk. Every Saturday night at 8 p.m. EST Booth Talk is recorded live, but each episode is saved so people can listen to them at their leisure.
Winters said 200-300 people listen to the live with more than 2,000 downloads every month. “We are doubling our audience every year, as more and more folks find out about it,” he said. “It’s a thrill every time I get some positive feedback from a fellow painter or a tech or a company rep about the podcast.”
Winters is always excited every time he hears about a new listener. “We get people from literally every aspect of this industry, including celebrity painters, reality show stars, car rebuilders, hot rod people, company reps and even students and apprentices who want to learn more.
With zero experience in the world of podcasting, Winters had to do extensive research and learn by doing, he said. “I invested in some recording equipment and asked my friend Tony Larimer from Dan-Am if he would be my first guest. Tony is so highly-respected in the industry and everyone knows SATA, so getting him on the first show was a good move looking back.”
After re-connecting with Mike Miller, an old high school friend with experience as an audio engineer, Winters was able to take Booth Talk to a whole new level. “We started gaining momentum and got more and more guests from the industry, like Ron Clan, Charley Hutton, Kristen Felder, Kevin Tetz, Tim Briggs, Gabriel Merino and others," he said. “Now I also interview companies that manufacture equipment or products for the collision repair industry, such as Polyvance.”
Winters never went to voiceover school, but many listeners think he’s a seasoned professional. “I was a little comfortable on camera at first, but I eventually learned that if I just jump into a conversation with a guest, it works well. It takes focus and you have to avoid crowding your mind with too many things and now have it down. Now that I have done 120 episodes, it’s like second nature.”
What does the future hold for Booth Talk and its creator? “If I could do this full-time eventually, that would be great,” Winters said. “I’m trying to get a major sponsor and partner with some paint companies. We are growing rapidly, so hopefully that can happen sometime in 2020.”
Ed Attanasio