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Elijah Shaw Interview: Celebrity Bodyguard+

As Hollywood gears up for the Academy Awards, Elijah Shaw tells what he's learned from protecting CEOs and supermodels alike.

February 19, 2008 — CSO — What do R&B artist Usher, supermodel Naomi Campbell and corporate executives from Ford and Dairy Queen have in common? They have all been clients of Elijah Shaw, president and CEO of Icon Services, a security firm specializing in VIP and executive protection.

While executive protection and celebrity security often call for different approaches, Shaw aims to build a bridge between the two areas, by using the best tactics and methods for each--all while trying to move beyond the traditional “bodyguard” image as much as possible.

In honor of the Oscars, CSOonline.com recently caught up with Shaw about security at high-profile events, the CEO as a celebrity, and his strategies for creating a security plan that’s fit for a king (or a rock star, or a CEO).

CSO: How is the level of security at a high-profile event like the Oscars different from a typical day on security detail with a celebrity?

Elijah Shaw, president and CEO of Icon Services: Celebrity security is a balancing act. They are trying to interact with their fans, so they want to be somewhat accessible. At the same time, our role with security is to keep them safe, so we have to bridge a gap between those two things. That job becomes even more challenging at an awards show like the Grammies or the Oscars, because the celebrities’ schedules are published ahead of time. People know where they will be appearing. The other piece that makes high-profile events like those more challenging has to do with the logistics. There are more paparazzi, media and potentially disruptive protests, and that can cause greater security concerns, whether or not they are directed specifically at our client.

In terms of physical security, where an artist might have two or three bodyguards on them at the Oscars, a movie premier or when they’re on location, if they’re running errands, they may just have one bodyguard. On a daily basis, different celebrities have different security needs.

CSO: How do executive protection and celebrity protection compare?

Shaw: With executives, the threat level goes from mild to high, depending on the type of interaction they have with their client base. If an executive travels overseas to high-risk areas like Iraq and Afghanistan frequently, we have to put procedures in place to counter those threats. On the celebrity side, we’re dealing mostly with threats from fans and potential stalkers. Usually our main job is to try to make the celeb