"Tattooing has changed my life and I’m proud to be a part of it."
I'm Billy DeCola, a tattooer who apprenticed under Ami James of “NY Ink”. Ami opened the door for me to the tattooing world and I give thanks to him for giving me ‘the gift’… and to all tattooers who were here before me who paved the way.
I appeared on the TLC reality show, “NY Ink,” (seasons 1 & 2) which was shot at Wooster Street Social Club in NYC. Not every tattooer goes through their apprenticeship in front of a worldwide audience. It was a difficult experience but I consider myself lucky to have been brought into the public eye so early in my career.
Before tattooing I lived in Tokyo, Japan for several years. I taught English at a small conversation school but I later got into the TV business, owned my own company and imported & exported professional video equipment. I also studied Japanese at The Tokyo School of Japanese Language.