Artist Management / Universal Group

Billy founded the artist Management Company known as The Universal Group in 2002.

The objective for artist management is for the artist to be informed and educated by the business of music and film. Billy learned from an early age how difficult it is to be the artist and also know how to market yourself.

This takes great time and effort and can become discouraging.

Universal Group is very selective only seeking the best in talent. We sign our artist to a standard 1-year contract with an option for another year. We do not believe in freezing the talent up exclusively for any long length of time. We have connections to many Major Music Labels that are looking for new artist. We also have independent Label contacts. . We have contacts in the film industry. We seek writers, performers and singers. We also look for actors that we promote with our demo reels and contacts where we market the actor to Independent Filmmakers in Los Angeles and New York.

In 2003 Billy was introduced to 5 young women who were all Dreyfus Students of the arts in Palm Beach Florida. These talented young girls had been singing together since they were 9 and 10 years old. Billy composed songs for the girls that were a style of music comparative to The B52'S meet's the Go Go's. The band was called "The Girls Next Door".

Billy rehearses vocal harmonies with "The Girls Next Door"

Katie Beraha was one of the girls of "Girls Next Door" who began working with Billy as a solo artist.

Billy wrote and recorded songs with Katie that are a folk type of country that had both of them harmonizing and singing along with mandolin and banjo.

They recorded a live C.D. titled simply "Katie and Billy" at The Bizaare Café in Lake Worth.  

Katie plays guitar, drums, and piano and also writes her own songs. Her voice is similar to Norah Jones and Allison Krauss who are also her influences.

Katie was accepted into University of Central Florida (UCF) and Billy and Katie will be working together on a recording of Pat Metheny's song "Last Train Home" also known as The Publix Song.   : Billy has written lyrics for the song, which is an instrumental. They both plan to record the song before the end of the   year.

Success story

In 1999 Dotan Baer was a fledging actor trying out for television commercials and small parts. Billy met Dotan Baer (of all places in another acting school). Billy invited Dotan to work with him on camera and the 2 of them made some quirky off- beat short films. The work was invaluable and the on-camera study and scenes that Dotan MADE INTO A DEMO REEL were instrumental in getting Dotan into feature films when he decided to move to Los Angeles.

Dotan Baer flew in from Los Angeles for the premiere of "Jimmy's Story"   Billy and Dotan.

Film credits Dotan Baer: "Any Given Sunday", "Smoking Stogies", "Plato's Run" and "It's a wonderful death".