When CEOs, celebrities, and the extremely wealthy need personal protection, they call in men and women with a particular set of skills. Bodyguards provide a physical barrier against anyone wishing their clients harm, but there’s a lot more to the job—and a lot that people misunderstand about the profession. To get a better idea of what it takes to protect others, Mental Floss spoke with several veteran security experts. Here’s what they told us about being in the business of guaranteeing safety.

1. BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER.

When working crowd control or trying to corral legions of screaming teenagers, having a massive physical presence comes in handy. But not all “close protection specialists” need to be the size of a professional wrestler. “It really depends on the client,” says Anton Kalaydjian, the founder of Guardian Professional Security in Florida and former head of security for 50 Cent. “It’s kind of like shopping for a car. Sometimes they want a big SUV and sometimes they want something that doesn’t stick out at all. There’s a need for a regular-looking guy in clothes without an earpiece, not a monster.”

2. GUNS (AND FISTS) ARE PRETTY MUCH USELESS.

Depending on the environment—protecting a musician at a concert is different from transporting the reviled CEO of a pharmaceutical company—bodyguards may or may not come armed. According to Kent Moyer, president and CEO of World Protection Group and a former bodyguard for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, resorting to gunplay means the security expert has pretty much already failed. “People don’t understand this is not a business where we fight or draw guns,” Moyer says. “We’re trained to cover and evacuate and get out of harm’s way. The goal is no use of force.” If a guard needs to draw a gun to respond to a gun, Moyer says he’s already behind. “If I fight, I failed. If I draw a gun, I failed.”

3. SOMETIMES THEY’RE HIRED TO PROTECT EMPLOYERS FROM EMPLOYEES.

Workplace violence has raised red flags for companies who fear retribution during layoffs. Alan Schissel, a former New York City police sergeant and founder of Integrated Security, says he dispatches guards for what he calls “hostile work termination” appointments. “We get a lot of requests to provide armed security in a discreet manner while somebody is being fired,” he says. “They want to be sure the individual doesn’t come back and retaliate.

4. SOME OF THEM LOVE TMZ.

For protection specialists who take on celebrity clients, news and gossip site TMZ.com can prove to be a valuable resource. “I love TMZ,” Moyer says. “It’s a treasure trove for me to see who has problems with bodyguards or who got arrested.” Such news is great for client leads. Moyer also thinks the site’s highly organized squad of photographers can be a good training scenario for protection drills. “You can look at paparazzi as a threat, even though they’re not, and think about how you’d navigate it.” Plus, having cameras at a location before a celebrity shows up can sometimes highlight information leaks in their operation: If photographers have advance notice, Moyer says, then security needs to be tightened up.

5. THEY DON’T LIVE THE LIFE YOU THINK THEY DO.

Because guards are often seen within arm’s reach of a celebrity, some think they must be having the same experiences. Not so. “A big misconception is that we’re living the same life as celebrities do,” Kalaydjian says. “Yes, we’re on a private jet sometimes, but we’re not enjoying the amenities. We might live in their house, but we’re not enjoying their pool. You stay to yourself, make your rounds.” Guards that get wrapped up in a fast-paced lifestyle don’t tend to last long, he says.

6. SOMETIMES THEY’RE JUST THERE FOR SHOW.

For some, being surrounded by a squad of serious-looking people isn’t a matter of necessity. It’s a measure of status on the level of an expensive watch or a fast car. Firms will sometimes get calls from people looking for a way to get noticed by hiring a fleet of guards when there’s no threat involved. “It’s a luxury amenity,” Schissel says. “It’s more of a ‘Look at me, look at them’ thing,” agrees Moyer. “There’s no actual threat. It’s about the show. I turn those down. We do real protection.”

7. THEY CAN MAKE THEIR CLIENT’S DAY MORE EFFICIENT.

Because guards will scope out destinations in advance, they often know exactly how to enter and exit locations without fumbling for directions or dealing with site security. That’s why, according to Moyer, CEOs and celebrities can actually get more done during a work day. “If I’m taking you to Warner Bros., I know which gate to go in, I’ve got credentials ahead of time, and I know where the bathrooms are.” Doing more in a day means more money—which means a return on the security investment.

8. “BUDDYGUARDS” ARE A PROBLEM.

When evaluating whether or not to take on a new employee, Kalaydjian weeds out anyone looking to share in a client’s fame. “I’ve seen guys doing things they shouldn’t,” he says. “They’re doing it to be seen.” Bodyguards posting pictures of themselves with clients on social media is a career-killer: No one in the industry will take a “buddyguard” seriously. Kalaydjian recalls the one time he smirked during a 12-year-stint guarding the same client, something so rare his employer commented on it. “It’s just not the side you portray on duty.”

9. SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES THEIR JOB HARDER.

High-profile celebrities maintain their visibility by engaging their social media users, which often means posting about their travels and events. For fans, it can provide an interesting perspective into their routine. For someone wishing them harm, it’s a road map. “Sometimes they won’t even tell me, and I’ll see on Snapchat they’ll be at a mall at 2 p.m.,” Kalaydjian says. “I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”

10. NOT EVERY CELEBRITY IS PAYING FOR THEIR OWN PROTECTION.

The next time you see a performer surrounded by looming personal protection staff, don’t assume he or she is footing the bill. “A lot of celebrities can’t afford full-time protection,” Moyer says, referring to the around-the-clock supervision his agency and others provide. “Sometimes, it’s the movie or TV show they’re doing that’s paying for it. Once the show is over, they no longer have it, or start getting the minimum.”

11. THEY DON’T LIKE BEING CALLED “BODYGUARDS.”

Few bodyguards will actually refer to themselves as bodyguards. Moyer prefers executive protection agents, because, he says, bodyguard tends to carry a negative connotation of big, unskilled men. “There is a big group of dysfunctional people with no formal training who should not be in the industry,” he says. Sometimes, a former childhood friend can become “security,” a role they’re not likely to be qualified for. Moyer and other firms have specialized training courses, with Moyer’s taking cues from Secret Service protocols. But Moyer also cautions that agencies enlisting hyper-driven combat specialists like Navy SEALs or SWAT team members aren’t the answer, either. “SEALs like to engage and fight, destroying the bad guy. Our goal is, we don’t want to be in the same room as the bad guy.

THE BODYGUARD FILM – FACT FROM FICTION

To most people, if you discuss the Close Protection Industry and the role of Bodyguards, they will revert back to the film The Bodyguard and Kevin Costner’s character: Frank Farmer. And like it or not, that is how most people see Bodyguards: thirty something, military/police/government service career, fit, dynamic and intelligent. Well, ok, today’s Executive Protection Agent/Bodyguard should be something like that: a melting pot of background experience, qualifications, intelligence, fitness and vigor!

The 1992 film, The Bodyguard, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston is remembered by some, more for its soundtrack than its storyline. The Bodyguard soundtrack album quickly became the best-selling soundtrack of all time worldwide, with sales of more than 45 million copies.

Since the release of the film in 2012, the story has been adapted for the stage by Alexander Dinelaris as “The Bodyguard Musical” in London; enjoying so far a six-year run at the Adelphi Theatre. The Bodyguard Musical has also been performed on stages worldwide, including a US version starring Beverly Knight in the lead role.

The plot of The Bodyguard features three major storylines:

• Whitney Houston’s character, ‘Rachel Marron’, being stalked
• The relationship between Kevin Costner’s character, Frank Farmer and his client ‘Rachel Marron’
• The Contract Killer hired by Marron’s sister, Nicki
• Interestingly the on-screen dynamic could have had a very different feel, had it come out when first proposed in 1976, with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross as the lead characters.

The Bodyguard film – Lax Security

Setting the scene! At the beginning of the story, our starlet Rachel Marron has some security in place, including a Bodyguard in the shape of ‘Tony’ that is inadequate, her house and grounds are unsecure, someone has gained access to her bedroom, and she is surrounded by people who are withholding information from her and ill advising her…

 As celebrities’ public profiles grow, security can be the last thing to catch up. This is why periodic Security Audits are so important! They will highlight any failings in technical or physical security processes, and of course, the aim is to provide solutions to improve, based on the report findings.

 

What is clear from that plot, is that our starlet Rachel is not keen at first on professional security and is concerned that it will be over-bearing and be restrictive to the life of her young son. Again, this concern is not at all uncommon among Ultra High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWI) and celebrities, who are not used to professional security.

Any professional security service will fit around the client’s lifestyle and be as unrestrictive as possible. Sure, there will need to be changes made and people will have to adapt to those changes. But the best possible aid in a holistic approach to security, is getting everyone to ‘buy into’ those changes; communicating that can be a challenge in large households or among supporting personnel.

Early on in the plot, Farmer discovers that the young Chauffeur ‘Henry’ has had no formal training and sets about giving him some instruction in Defensive Driving. Ideally, a Chauffeur Services or specialist Chauffeur would have been employed in this role, as it’s not ideal training people on the job! A Chauffeur plays a key role in the security of a client and as such, should have a professional driving background, as well as formal security/driver training.

There is plenty of precedent set in regards to determined intruders gaining access to victims’ homes. This list of course includes the Queen, who once famously found an intruder (Michael Fagan) at the foot of her bed. This incident was in 1982 and was Fagan’s second attempt at gaining access to the Palace, the first attempt was just a month before, when Fagan fled after ‘startling’ a housemaid.

Although, we have used this example before in other blogs, Kim Kardashian was in exactly this position in 2016, when she was subjected to a robbery in Paris. A robbery that could have had a very different outcome.

Like our starlet Rachel Marron, Kim Kardashian had grown in international profile, was surrounded by the wrong people and was using a Bodyguard (Pascal Duvier) who was not fit for purpose, was bankrupt and working unlicensed.

This is not at all uncommon with people in the public eye. Within a short period, celebrities can very quickly find themselves catapulted into the limelight of the global stage; a position that brings threats and risks that can be unforeseen if not prepared: overexuberant fans, stalkers, blackmailers, or criminal gangs seeking rich pickings.

The Bodyguard film – Celebrity Stalking

Let’s deal with the stalking element of the storyline, you may see this as an over the top plot line, but it’s not. Let’s remember that the story is set in the 1990’s, long before cyber-stalking and trolling was ever a concern.

Stalking is a major issue with celebrities, especially an issue with female celebrities and those involved in the Fashion or Music industry. Without going deeply into the psychology of stalking, most celebrity stalking cases are based on the stalker’s feeling that he/she has a personal connection with the victim or romantic involvement. If you want to know more about celebrity stalking, see our article: Celebrity Stalking Cases.

“Celebrity stalking can easily cross the line from the online to the physical world”

In combating stalkers, it is important that the amount of information that is put into the public domain, either by the celebrities themselves, those in their inner-circle or via PR agencies, is controlled and measured. There is a fine line between PR and information that can put the celebrity at risk; managing that personal information is an important part of managing the online presence.

We live in a world of instant posts on Social Media, including: ‘checking in’ at locations and being ‘tagged’ into posts. It does not take much investigation for a determined stalker to follow-up on that information to gain close access.

Part of any Bodyguard worth his salt will be able to advise clients on their use of social media. For more information on this subject, see our blog: Social Media, your ego and security.

The Bodyguard film – The Romance

The fact is, Bodyguards do work very closely with their charges and as in any walk of life, as relationships deepen, romance can develop.

The issue here is – as a professional Bodyguard, you will have crossed the line at getting too close and too familiar.

A professional Bodyguard should always maintain that professional and emotional distance between a client and his or herself. You cannot advise or be objective if there is a close emotional tie. At that point, the level of service provided is diminished to the point where any security provided will be ineffective.

There are quite a few examples of Bodyguards being romantically involved with their charges. A well-publicized example being HRH The Princess of Wales and her relationship between herself and her Bodyguard, Barry Mannakee. Although Diana never publicly admitted having the affair, Mannakee was removed as her Personal Protection Officer, as it was deemed that there was an “inappropriate” relationship. Barry Mannakee died in a motorcycle accident a year after, leading to speculation of foul-play. Diana herself spoke in later years (on the ‘Diana Tapes’) that she was once “deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment.”, and said: “I was only happy when he was around” and his death was “the biggest blow of my life”; it is widely thought that she was referring to Mannakee.

Whatever the true nature of the relationship between Diana and Mannakee, it was deemed inappropriate enough for his removal from his post as Personal Protection Officer.

The Bodyguard film – The Contract Killer

History is full of real-life stories of contract killers, most of which are involved with organized crime gangs. How this ‘Contract Killer’ is dealt with during the film does stretch reality. You would want to hope that a professionally trained Secret Service Agent in the form of Frank Farmer, would know when to increase the size of the security detail. One man cannot be everywhere all the time, and in reality, with a celebrity of Marron’s stature, given any credible threat, you would look at increasing the team to include Protective Surveillance.

In recent history there are few examples of contract killers, but plenty of celebrities have been shot and killed, notably John Lennon in December, 1980, by Mark Chapman. It is not certain if Close Protection would have saved Lennon, but solid security would have sure been a significant deterrent.

Chapman later said that he had an ‘alternate hit list’ that included David Bowie, but that John Lennon seemed to be the easiest to find. Bowie was appearing on Broadway in the play “The Elephant Man”, ironically, Chapman had front row tickets for the performance the day after the Lennon killing, so did John Lennon and Yoko Ono! Bowie later recalls that there were three empty front-row seats at that performance.

The Bodyguard film – Fact and Fiction!

So, the fact is that the storyline of The Bodyguard film, while seen as “cheesy” by many, is not only believable, but also based on real life scenarios, as given in our examples.

There was talk of a “The Bodyguard” sequel and even a remake of the film. If either were released today, it would surely mirror some modern examples that we have discussed. In 2011, it is said that Rihanna turned down an offer by Warner Bros to be involved in a remake, so maybe we will have to wait!

The Bodyguard – Security Failings

Being a provider of Executive Protection Services, when we advise clients, we do so knowing that in the worst-case scenario, the advice we have given may be tested and questioned in court.

Was one Bodyguard at all adequate to a celebrity facing the ongoing threat of a stalker?

Why a total lack of Police liaison given the severity of the threats?

How might a personal/romantic relationship affect the ability to provide an appropriate level of security?

Of course, The Bodyguard is just a film, and like any film can be dissected by professionals who work in the field covered.

On a serious note, the film could not have portrayed the professional Bodyguard industry in a worse light, inadequate security and personal relationships, needlessly putting a client at risk.

All security employed should be done with sensitivity and be part of a measured approach based on a Security Review. It is easy to scale down security, but being ever reactive, rather than proactive, puts huge pressure and strain on existing personnel.

 

Female Bodyguards

In an industry that is dominated nearly exclusively by men, the demand for female bodyguard services is on the rise, opening new doors to women who want to take up on a new challenge. Indeed, more and more celebrities and dignitaries use the services of women Bodyguards, such as the like of the former UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, stars like Beyoncé and of course in the Royalty Protection of the Duchess of Cambridge.

China is the prime example of this new tendency. With a flourishing economy, the country gathers a very high concentration of High Net-Worth Individuals, who opt for female operatives for their security to keep a low profile.

So, what makes female Bodyguards stand out from their male counterparts?

1. A More Covert Option

A good example of the deployment of Women in Executive Protection is in a Protective Surveillance role or where low-key, covert is the best operational option.

A 7-foot tall burly male Bodyguard that stays in constant close proximity of his principal, will often draw unwanted attention of the public on the person they are protecting, putting their client at further risk.

Many celebrities that you see in the media are protected by big and burly operatives, because the client thinks that their imposing stature is intimidating and will keep potential attackers at a distance. But in many cases, this does the exact opposite!

In contrast, women Bodyguards can blend in the principal’s entourage and be mistaken for a personal assistant, or a friend, which is a more discreet option and ensures that the client stays unnoticed. As a result, when it comes to size or look, a woman Bodyguard doesn’t need to look imposing and “as hard as nails”, she should simply just look like the girl next door.

On the ground, brain power is more important than muscle power; operatives must think on their feet to make dynamic, strategic decisions to prevent a situation from happening. This prevails on their appearance!

Additionally, female Bodyguards are also a better fit for families, as young children are less intimidated by the presence of a woman. They can easily pass for the children’s nanny or mother, when doing the school run or taking them to a park, which minimizes the risk of getting unwanted attention.

2. Omnipresent Protection

One of the main advantages of using a female Bodyguard is that if the principal is a woman, protection doesn’t stop at the door of the ladies’ room!

Thus, certain places can prove to be a stumbling block to Close Protection, as male Bodyguards cannot follow ladies’ clients to certain locations that only allows persons of the same sex, including dressing rooms and hotel suites. This could affect the level of security that should be provided, as the principal and his Bodyguard would be separated in two separate rooms. Even if it’s a matter of minutes, this could have a major impact on the principal’s safety!

On the other hand, it is also a less obstructive solution, as principals can get on with their daily life as normal, while they are being accompanied.

 

3. Female Propriety

For cultural and religion reasons, Middle Eastern families often prefer to employ female Bodyguards to escort their wives and daughters, as the presence of a man would not comply with propriety rules.

Other individuals may not find appropriate to have a man in close proximity of their wives at all times. Stories like those of Princess Diana with Barry Mannakee, or Daniel Ducret with the Princess of Monaco set a bad precedence and have a lot to answer for!

4. Unique Qualities that Women Possess

Women bodyguards have certain qualities that set them apart, or can provide additional value to a Close Protection team, when men and women are working together on the same task. Their softer skills prove to be an asset in managing conflicts, with less chances that confrontations will turn violent.

Besides, their attention to details and organizational skills are some of the key skills they possess that ensures safe planning and that the job can run smoothly.

Female Bodyguards it must be said also have a better handle on Etiquette for Bodyguards, with the softer skills shining through.

Sadly, the number of women that work in the Executive Protection industry is limited and make up an estimated 5-10% at the very most. Females leaving the Armed Forces or Police should consider a career as a female Bodyguard because good female operatives are rarely out of work!