Celebrity Protection is a unique segment of the business, requiring a unique set of skills. My only association with this part of the business came a few years back. I had the opportunity to work on an assignment involving a huge celebrity with a very credible threat. As a side note my biggest challenge was trying to communicate. A guy in his mid 60’s (that was my age at the time) trying to have a conversation with the manager of a Mega Rap Star was something you might see in a sitcom. Part of the process was meeting with the bodyguards. I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect. I found them to be consummate professionals that had a good handle on what needed to be done. They were trained to handle the scenario, I got to say I walked away impressed and with an education.
Years later I found that they were working for Elijah Shaw, a 16 year veteran of the industry. Elijah conforms to my unscientific business model – longevity. If you have been around 16 years, whatever it is you are doing must work. His client list proves it. His long-term clients includes Usher Raymond, (I have no idea who he is – that’s a being 70 thing), Supermodel Naomi Campbell (I know her), and comedian Chris Rock, who I happen to think is the funniest man on the planet.
The other day I had a conversation with Elijah and I agree with his theory that while the core principals of protection are the same, successfully providing services to the Entertainment world requires some unique skill sets.
On November 11-15, 2009, Elijah’s company, Icon Services Corporation, will hosts a 5-Day Celebrity & VIP Protection training course held in Minneapolis, MN. The course provides the bodyguard staples that you will find in most courses. But attention is also paid to paparazzi & stalker detection, working red carpet events and tours, and probably one of the most important aspect of the course and for that matter the industry – how to market yourself in a crowded industry. This is called scenario based training – I can tell you that it works.
Scenario based training requires a guy like Elijah – a been there – done that – got the T Shirt guy, who can actually teach – what a concept. The program
