Founding Partner
Billy Goldberg, Principal
Billy Goldberg is a business advisor to middle-market companies in a cross-section of industries ranging from entertainment, law, health and wellness, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods and hospitality. He is certified as both a business and executive leadership coach, focused on behind-the-scenes support to C-Suite leadership. Private Equity firms and key stakeholders engage him to unlock complex team dynamics and maximize efficiencies to enable organizations to grow both their top and bottom lines.
Billy is a hands-on advisor, bringing imagination, drive, and a heart-centered approach to every aspect of his work. Much of The Buckeye Group's success comes from helping uncover where (and how) small changes can make a big impact, putting people front and center of the work. With strengths as both strategist and tactician, sounding board and bat phone, Billy's knowledge in a variety of industries and business models makes his perspective continually relevant.
Prior to The Buckeye Group, Billy spent his career honing skills that support a company's desire to create new revenue streams through meaningful strategic partnerships. His focal points have been new product creation, licensing, and sponsorship across a wide reach of industry and deal structures. Billy has personally generated more than tens of millions of dollars in new revenue for clients such as The Miss America Organization and DirecTV. Billy was an executive at Bank of America, Tennis Channel, and the William Morris Agency.
Based in Beverly Hills, Billy is a co-founder and former board chair of Melissa's House, an organization that rehabilitates housing for adults living with mental illness.
Credentials
Past Speaking Engagements
Paula Kaplan
Partner
Paula Kaplan is an Emmy Award-winning producer and media executive. Her extensive career brings the integrity of storytelling and production expertise together with deal architecture, talent development and management. Her trusted, long-term industry relationships are the result of her collaborative approach to partnering with creative talent.
Kaplan is the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The podcast, which completed its third season in December of 2024, has received numerous accolades, including being named “Podcast of the Year” by both Apple and the Webby Awards. In 2024, she helped to launch David Duchovny’s highly reviewed podcast Fail Better and produced Alex Cooper’s sold-out Call Her Daddy live tour.
In her unique position at the intersection of talent, creativity and platform building, Paula has left her mark at media companies such as Paramount Global, NBC Universal and AwesomenessTV. Recently bringing her expertise to organizations like BBC, MasterClass, and Universal Music Group, advising on a variety of strategies.
During her 20-plus year tenure with Paramount Global, Kaplan led multiple teams in several positions at the Executive Vice President level at both Viacom Digital Studios and Nickelodeon. She has managed multi-million dollar budgets with teams of 30+ executives, supervised production of thousands of hours of original programming, and as Executive Producer of Nickelodeon's annual Kids' Choice Awards, she transformed the event into a brand-defining cultural phenomenon that generated over $500 million in revenue while attracting top-tier celebrity talent.
While at Nickelodeon, Kaplan was instrumental in developing and launching key talent for the network, many of whom have become pop culture icons such as Kenan Thompson, Ariana Grande, Emma Roberts, Nick Cannon and Lily Collins and she mentored dozens of executives who now serve in senior posts throughout the entertainment industry.
Her expertise spans multiple platforms such as YouTube, where she helped build an MCN and Netflix where she helped develop the To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie franchise - one of the streaming service's most-watched original films.
Kaplan serves on the board of the Jenesse Center, a domestic violence intervention and prevention organization. Previous boards include the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Leadership Circle Board at Northwestern University, her alma mater. Over the past two decades she and her husband have raised millions of dollars for mental health advocacy groups.
Jessica Hadik
Administrative Assistant
Jessica Hadik is a skilled Administrative Professional at The Buckeye Group, where she manages executive operations through effective organization and attention to detail. She maintains productive workflows while creating quality business materials and providing valuable insights. Her collaborative approach and problem-solving abilities strengthen business development strategies while improving operational efficiency.
Drawing from experience in fast-paced environments, Jessica demonstrates excellence in service delivery and performance under pressure. Her proficiency with business technology, combined with her entrepreneurial perspective—developed through her Entrepreneurship degree from Belmont University— allows her to find practical solutions to administrative challenges. Her independent work ethic, strong communication skills, and client-focused approach make her a valuable asset to The Buckeye Group's success and growth.