DeFranco Does Dublin

Philip DeFranco, a video blogger and YouTube celebrity, embarked upon his first live tour last October.  His final show, in Dublin, drew crowds of 1500 excited fans.

Excited fans wait behind crowd barriers to enter the venue.

DeFranco began video blogging on YouTube in 2006, and has gained popularity for his ironic commentary on politics, celebrity culture, and current events.  He has over 750 million views on YouTube, and 1.9 million subscribers.  He routinely vlogs three to five times per week, and has posted over 800 videos to YouTube.  He makes his primary living from his internet presence and associated endeavors.

Nice and Secure, in charge of DeFranco's personal protection for the entire European tour, as well as crowd control and general security operations for the Dublin event, also took on many administrative duties for DeFranco's appearance.  Prior to the event, Jeff, Managing Director for Nice and Secure, made a scouting visit to Dublin.  He was responsible for selecting the location, arranging the venue contract, and negotiating an Irish close protection liaison to work in tandem with the security team and the venue.

Jeff Formica, center, patrols the crowd prior to the beginning of the show.

Upon arrival in Dublin, the Nice and Secure team arranged crowd control barriers and all the details of securing DeFranco's talk. Colin, a security supervisor  with Nice and Secure, personally escorted DeFranco into the venue, while Jeff and other operatives secured the stage and managed the crowds.

Phil DeFranco enters the venue, escorted by Colin Luther-Davis from Nice and Secure.

The event was a huge success for DeFranco, and a significant job in Nice and Secure's rota.  DeFranco released the video of the event for free to the public on YouTube and his website:

Nice and Secure operatives can be seen throughout the video.  At ten seconds in, we see Colin speaking to Jeff on the radio, and then at 1.26, Colin escorts Phil into the venue.  At 4.15 and 4.45, Jeff can be seen on the right, observing the crowd throughout DeFranco's talk.  

DeFranco's London meet-and-greet appearance in Hyde Park drew unexpectedly large crowds.  The masses of excited fans eventually required spontaneous action by Nice and Secure; Nice and Secure operatives evacuated Phil DeFranco from the park safely and calmly.  

*All photos credited to DeFrancoDoesDublin's Flickr Stream. 

The King's Speech...and I

Carl Gilfoyle from Nice and Secure, stands guard, as the proclaimed "King of the Bafta's", poses for pictures at the fashionable Vogue Bafta dinner party. Paparazzi were keen to get a snap of Collin Firth, the night before the honorary award was bestowed upon him. "The photographers were very well behaved...all but one", commented Carl the following day. Communication is the key, treating people respectfully, usually results in harmony and to have the paparazzi on your side, outside a celebrity party, with A-list guests attending, on a pedestrian street, is always a good thing.

Nice and Secure Factor

Nice and Secure provide Cheryl Cole with a 3 strong human barricade as she exits the Connaught Hotel following "The Finalists" press conference. The security team huddle around Cheryl as she enters her car chased by eager paparazzi and fans. "It was a case of physically and I really mean physically pushing paps and fans back as Cheryl approached the awaiting car with two of our team escorting her through, what can only be described as a human hour glass of onlookers", reports Jeff Formica, MD of Nice and Secure. Sony Music employed our team of specialists to support the conference internally as well as on the street. All performers and judges entered and left the press conference safely, making for great press, pictures and memories for young and old fans alike.

SOCCER MEDIA ARTICLE

Lindsay Heart Throb

Lindsay Lohan visits London and one of our skilled, smart and savvy personal protection operatives wins her heart as he safely escorts her on several nights out to the West End's top nightlife venues.
Chased by paparazzi, all around London can be daunting, but a bodyguard ensures not only safety, but provides the comfort that someone is with you to hold your hand or for you to hold onto their arm and be reassured, that you will get to where you need to go at night, whatever the circumstances.

The "Kate" Escape!!

Jeff Formica safely escorts Kate Moss off premises, following the Take That Sing Star event at The Tabernacle in Nottinghill. "We tried to escape the paparazzi by using the exit at the rear of the building, into a quiet street. We timed it with Kate's driver, who was to meet us at the last second, but unfortunately the pap's had already set up at the location and were present in droves. The most difficult thing at night is the flash of the cameras, and guiding the client through the darkness and bodies of photographers-blind. We pushed our way through the wall of pap's and got her safely into her car".

SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP SECURITY

Jeff Formica, Managing Director of London's premier international security services provider Nice and Secure, is offering personal protection services and individual risk assessments to potential clients traveling to South Africa for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Following a recent article in The Times on security in South Africa and possible threats fans may face, Nice and Secure are working on tips for people visiting South Africa who are not able to afford personal protection. Take a look at our article here written by our South African security specialist Casey Christie.

Follow our blog and keep up with the latest developments on The Soccer World Cup to be held in South Africa throughout June this year.