Bodyguard Careers

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Drake’s New Hired Bodyguards

In The News

Drake’s Bodyguards

Following last week’s mêlée with Chris Brown at a local New York night club, Drake has decided to literally beef up his security. Flanked by two large looking bodyguards with their baby-sized black t-shirts stretched to the brink, Drake’s new hired bodyguards were constantly on the lookout for trouble while Drake hit up some local D.C shops.

At one point, a cameraman asked the rapper if he was concerned about his image following the Chris Brown fight  in NYC … to which Drake casually replied, “My image is good, man.” A word of wisdom to Drake: “BRAINS BEFORE BRAWN.” Research and preparation aimed at identifying potential threats and contingency plans supersedes the need for big bouncer like buddyguards.

Street Smart Bodyguards

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

By Doc Rogers

As more people enter the bodyguard industry from all walks of life, there tends to be a section of individuals who are only book smart or academy smart and are not aware or have an understanding of the world.  Street smart bodyguards on the other hand maintain good common sense and know how to avoid bad situations before they happen. They possess the skills necessary to operate in most environments and do so with confidence.

This does not mean street smart bodyguards are not well-educated.  They are mostly academically smart individuals.  But ones that have an advantage of an additional street education; they may have received their street education growing up in bad neighborhoods or by former occupations where they dealt with unpleasant people on an everyday basis.

How You Can Help How can street smart bodyguards teach teammates who are only book smart or academy smart to deal with the real world on assignment?  Although street smarts are a set of characteristics that take years to fully develop, you can start teaching your fresh out-of-the academy or relatively naïve teammates the following recommendations.  It will take time and dedicated effort, but will be well worth it.   Risk and Consequences When on assignment in unfamiliar operational areas teach them not only which areas to keep away from, but also why.  Let them know what may be waiting around the corner so they can effectively avoid potential trouble.

Intel Keep them informed of what’s going on in the operational area and how it may affect the security level.  Teach them to observe, listen and understand the environment they are working in. Remind them that being street smart is knowledge of the operational area and all information should be taken seriously.

Neighborhoods  Brief them on the people in the operational area and what to expect when dealing with them. This includes the risks they present and how to avoid them. Inform them to become acquainted with the common problems in the neighborhood, the ins and outs of the locale and to understand the people in general. This will assist your teammates with making the right decisions and how to deal with different situations that may arise.

Support Support the new BGs on your team who have lived sheltered lives and know little about the real world. Share your intelligence, common sense and wisdom with them. Give them the skills necessary to handle circumstances and avoid bad situations. Have the ability to subtly mentor and teach them to function professionally within a team environment. Show them how to improve their mental toughness, obtain a winner’s mindset and up their street IQ.  Keep safe and God speed.

Another Bodyguard is Planning to Write Tell-All Book

In The News

Add one more to the list. It seems that another disgruntled bodyguard, Leonard Taylor Mark Wahlberg’s former bodyguard is planning to write a tell-all book about his experiences.

Taylor told the New York Daily News that he feels “used” by various former clients. “Why should I respect their privacy when they don’t care about me?” he told the paper.

Taylor, who describes himself as a 6-foot-5, 320-pound “gentle giant,” developed relationships with Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Paris and Nicky Hilton, “Entourage” actor Kevin Connolly, and Sudbury’s own Chris Evans.

But he’s particularly bitter about Wahlberg, whom he claims “filled my head with dreams and then kicked me to the curb.”

Transitioned from club bouncer to bodyguard when R&B artist Ray J hired him in 1995, Taylor claims he spent more than three years protecting (and partying) with Wahlberg, but he “didn’t pay me a dime.”

A call and email to the actor’s rep was not returned. After years of protecting celebrities, the down-on-his-luck bodyguard says he’s ready to expose them in a tell-all book.

Taylor says that, with the exception of Willis, his famous former clients and friends abandoned him when he battled drug addiction, depression and homelessness from 2004-05 and, more recently, from 2008-11. “I did a lot for a lot of people,” says Taylor, who adds that he’s sober and working security for nightclubs again.

“I saved people’s lives and then when I was down on my luck, everyone turned their backs on me.”

He claims Wahlberg promised to take care of him as a member of his original “Entourage” just as the actor’s breakout performance in “Boogie Nights” made him a movie star. Their relationship ended in 2001 when the two got into a headlines-making fight outside a downtown Manhattan club.

Taylor, who’s African-American, claims Wahlberg started the scrap when he directed a racially insensitive remark at him. He eventually sued Wahlberg, who he alleges bit him during the scuffle, but dropped the legal action because, he says, “I genuinely like Mark.” One of Taylor’s last high-profile clients was Thurman, who he famously rescued from a stalled elevator in 2006.

After the incident, Taylor says the “Kill Bill” star “was the nicest person in the world for 24 hours” but then “went back to being nasty and cold.”

Her attitude “just sucked the life out of me,” he says. Taylor declined to reveal the name of his co-writer but says they’re “90% done” with the manuscript and will shop it upon completion.

Do You Have The Executive Protection Mindset?

Anonymous EP Guy, Featured Bloggers

By Anonymous EP Guy

Executive Protection Specialists (Bodyguards) are required in many cases to work extremely long shifts in order to provide round the clock coverage for the principal, most of the shift will be on your feet.  Due to funding restraints and a lack of understanding of the advanced facets of security and protection details, many clients will usually budget for one or two protection specialists at most per detail.

Due to these restrictions the Executive protection specialist can expect to spend long hours with very little sleep, planning routes, conducting background checks, and ensuring that the client is kept safe not only from physical harm but also from potential embarrassment, such as with the infamous “Pie throwing” incident against Microsoft founder Bill Gates in February of 1998.

Numerous Executive Protection Specialist, have protective training and experience serving in the armed forces, police or private security firms such as Blackwater, Triple Canopy and DynCorp.  With the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan there has been an increase in the numbers of military/private security trained protection specialists in the past 5 years.

In many cases, potential clients have requested that executive protection specialists have prior operational experience with the military or a private security detail operating in a hostile environment such as Iraq or Afghanistan.

[Read more…] about Do You Have The Executive Protection Mindset?

Executive Protection Careers

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles


By Doc Rogers
7 Great Ways to Improve Your Executive Protection Career
Many young EP agents discover that the competition is fierce and a good a EP career is not as easy to acquire as they have expected. When trying to improve your EP career, you should applied the following methods over a period of time; as nothing worthwhile happens overnight. Apply these following improvement tips daily and watch your career takeoff.

1. Love Your EP Career. As bodyguards we wake up each morning  protecting clients from insane or psychotic individuals who prey on the rich, famous and powerful. You’ve got to love your BG career because if you don’t love it, you’re not going to last long in the industry.

2. Read EP Literature. Devote a few hours a day reading EP and related topics to keep up on the latest EP trends, to spark new ideas and to get motivated. Because motivation is what guides and maintains your goal-oriented behavior.

3. Improve Your Physical Appearance. Make an investment in a new suit and tie, quality shoes, hair cut, join a gym to lose weight or bulk up. Remember, these are classified as investments not liabilities.

4. Join BG Associations: Join a professional association to network with other professionals in the business and to attend association workshops and meetings. A highly professional association is the North American Bodyguard Association the National the Director is Mr. Elijah Shaw.

5. Get a BG Career Mentor: Having a BG mentor is invaluable for improving your career. Professional mentors have been there and done that.  They have the experience, connections and know-how to assist you with your BG career improvement goals you wish to accomplish. Mr. Harlan (Hucky) Austin President of Bodyguards Careers has a career consulting program that is fantastic.

6. Email BG Colleagues: Keep in contact with BG colleagues in the industry you have met. If you haven’t stayed in touch, re-establish contact with an email like this: “Wanted to send you this email to say that our friendship is a strong one and you can call on me if needed at any time.” Include your website and contact information. Don’t take up their precious time or ramble on, but do let them know about any recent BG training you have received.

7. Be Results-Driven. To improve your EP career you need to be results-driven and have a mission-oriented mindset. Focus your attention on your shortcomings. Create a training regimen for yourself: advance work studies, basic and advance EP tactics, report writing and contract writing, as well as motorcade dynamics. I hope these seven tips will help you to achieve your BG career goals. Best of luck and God speed.

Oprah Winfrey’s Bodyguards

In The News

IN THE NEWS – In what’s already been a rough week image wise for the bodyguard industry, Britney Spears ex-bodyguard breaches client confidentiality, and then Madonna’s ex-bodyguard jailed for smuggling guns into the UK.

Now it seems that three of Oprah Winfrey’s bodyguards were detained by Indian police after a scuffle with local TV journalists.

The incident occurred while the internationally acclaimed TV host was shooting for her show ‘Next Chapter’ while visiting the Hindu pilgrimage town of Mathura, about 90 miles south of Delhi, Indian police briefly detained three of Oprah’s bodyguards after they scuffled with local TV journalists. No one was reported hurt.

The three bodyguards were released after apologizing in a letter to the journalists.

Today, she visited the Taj Mahal and on Friday, she plans to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival, reports AP.

 

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