Local Talent
10-15-2009, 07:43 PM
Have you ever given much thought to whether your personal ride was EP-appropriate?
If you think I'm going too far, and that one's car choice is irrelevant and private, please consider that the job already affects our choices when it comes to wardrobe, weapons, gear, grooming, hairstyle, and so much more.
Then there's those questions:
1. Can your car win a fight?
If memory serves, mine has been used to transport VIPs (a client's kid to school, another client's friend to a hotel), escort other vehicles (movers transporting art works), transport valuables (usually jewelry to various film/fashion shoots or stores), work surveillance jobs, take part in training exercises (motorcade drills), and I must forget some.
In a perfect world, I should have been insured for all that, and would register the vehicle under my co. name if I were running my own show. In an even better world, the company or client would have provided the vehicles (it's usually the case). But in reality, it often comes to: do you want the job or not? Witness the number of guard outfits that'll have you patrol their sector in your own car...
Hard to say no to a client when in a bind, too.
So... what if I had come under attack while working those assignments? We all know that armed or not, your car is your best weapon, right?
Is yours strong and powerful enough to run someone off the road, or hit another car and keep going?
Can you lose a tail? The paparazzi?
2. Is it "presentable"?
I've mentioned the guy who showed up for an interview with a Republican with "Vote Hillary!" bumper-stickers on his ride... There was also the one who came to the same account in a beat-up Toyota whose rear-view mirror was taped so it wouldn't fall off.
How seriously do you think a millionaire (billionaire in the above cases) will take you if you drive onto their estate in a junker or other oddball car?
It's not about showing off in luxury cars to impress clients (seen it). It's about projecting an image of success and, especially, seriousness (yes, partly stolen shamelessly from American Beauty!).
Also, see #1 for potential VIP transport: you need a reasonably comfortable and clean car to avoid embarrassment. If you take TFTT's VIP Protection course (a rush and a steal, BTW), you'll probably get to hear Max Joseph's hilarious story about having to transport a rich (is there any other kind?) client in an old beat-up range pick-up full of ammo: the man was in shock...
3. Is it low-profile?
An agent I know (otherwise a great guy, mind you) drives a bright yellow Dodge Charger Daytona. A part of me envies him (the part that's going through a mid-life crisis): this is one cool car!
But what if he takes a surveillance job? What if he is followed to/from a high-risk client's location one day? What if a celeb client decides to jump in his ride to fool the paps? That's a hell of an easy mark in traffic...
4. Is it roomy and comfortable?
On a lot of jobs, my car became my main post and/or field command center. Whether spending the night in it watching a subject's house or a client's estate (yes, sometimes you protect them from their driveway or across the street), or simply in need of a spot to relax and eat, it has felt like the thing was my second home more than once.
Imagine yourself spending 8 to 12 hours all geared up (radio, weapons, batbelt, armor) sitting in a sporty subcompact with rock-hard bucket seats... Imagine having to cram a client in the back of your coupe...
And do you have enough room in the trunk, glove compartment, center console, door pockets, etc. for all your gear? I operate in L.A., so between the risk of a natural disaster and that of "civil unrest", my car is "loaded". Ever wondered why cops prefer large sedans or SUVs to sporty cars (no, I don't envision myself taking and transporting prisoners, but I need room for gear, ammo, cases, food, etc.)?
5. Does it convey the right image?
I've known a guy to drive a Prius (actually, that's up to THREE, now) and another a VW Beetle. Clean cars, too. But before you even get a chance to establish your reputation as a serious professional, why give the impression (to clients, the public, or fellow agents) right off the bat that you're in the wrong line of work? These rides fail miserably at #1 and #4, anyway, but I really think that they send the wrong message by not passing the macho test. :D I think these guys try to appeal to the Hollyweird crowd as a lot of their clients are entertainers, but it's misguided, I think.
So... after doing this job for so long, I've "become the job" and drive a large domestic vehicle in the most common color in the country. It's a sleeper.
But what do you guys think? Let me know by refuting the above, adding your comments, and voting. Cars can be a touchy subject, especially for men, so if I hit a nerve let me have it! :)
ETA: changed cars since this post. Now behind the wheel of... a large (and even more powerful) domestic sedan, still in the most common color in the US. :)
If you think I'm going too far, and that one's car choice is irrelevant and private, please consider that the job already affects our choices when it comes to wardrobe, weapons, gear, grooming, hairstyle, and so much more.
Then there's those questions:
1. Can your car win a fight?
If memory serves, mine has been used to transport VIPs (a client's kid to school, another client's friend to a hotel), escort other vehicles (movers transporting art works), transport valuables (usually jewelry to various film/fashion shoots or stores), work surveillance jobs, take part in training exercises (motorcade drills), and I must forget some.
In a perfect world, I should have been insured for all that, and would register the vehicle under my co. name if I were running my own show. In an even better world, the company or client would have provided the vehicles (it's usually the case). But in reality, it often comes to: do you want the job or not? Witness the number of guard outfits that'll have you patrol their sector in your own car...
Hard to say no to a client when in a bind, too.
So... what if I had come under attack while working those assignments? We all know that armed or not, your car is your best weapon, right?
Is yours strong and powerful enough to run someone off the road, or hit another car and keep going?
Can you lose a tail? The paparazzi?
2. Is it "presentable"?
I've mentioned the guy who showed up for an interview with a Republican with "Vote Hillary!" bumper-stickers on his ride... There was also the one who came to the same account in a beat-up Toyota whose rear-view mirror was taped so it wouldn't fall off.
How seriously do you think a millionaire (billionaire in the above cases) will take you if you drive onto their estate in a junker or other oddball car?
It's not about showing off in luxury cars to impress clients (seen it). It's about projecting an image of success and, especially, seriousness (yes, partly stolen shamelessly from American Beauty!).
Also, see #1 for potential VIP transport: you need a reasonably comfortable and clean car to avoid embarrassment. If you take TFTT's VIP Protection course (a rush and a steal, BTW), you'll probably get to hear Max Joseph's hilarious story about having to transport a rich (is there any other kind?) client in an old beat-up range pick-up full of ammo: the man was in shock...
3. Is it low-profile?
An agent I know (otherwise a great guy, mind you) drives a bright yellow Dodge Charger Daytona. A part of me envies him (the part that's going through a mid-life crisis): this is one cool car!
But what if he takes a surveillance job? What if he is followed to/from a high-risk client's location one day? What if a celeb client decides to jump in his ride to fool the paps? That's a hell of an easy mark in traffic...
4. Is it roomy and comfortable?
On a lot of jobs, my car became my main post and/or field command center. Whether spending the night in it watching a subject's house or a client's estate (yes, sometimes you protect them from their driveway or across the street), or simply in need of a spot to relax and eat, it has felt like the thing was my second home more than once.
Imagine yourself spending 8 to 12 hours all geared up (radio, weapons, batbelt, armor) sitting in a sporty subcompact with rock-hard bucket seats... Imagine having to cram a client in the back of your coupe...
And do you have enough room in the trunk, glove compartment, center console, door pockets, etc. for all your gear? I operate in L.A., so between the risk of a natural disaster and that of "civil unrest", my car is "loaded". Ever wondered why cops prefer large sedans or SUVs to sporty cars (no, I don't envision myself taking and transporting prisoners, but I need room for gear, ammo, cases, food, etc.)?
5. Does it convey the right image?
I've known a guy to drive a Prius (actually, that's up to THREE, now) and another a VW Beetle. Clean cars, too. But before you even get a chance to establish your reputation as a serious professional, why give the impression (to clients, the public, or fellow agents) right off the bat that you're in the wrong line of work? These rides fail miserably at #1 and #4, anyway, but I really think that they send the wrong message by not passing the macho test. :D I think these guys try to appeal to the Hollyweird crowd as a lot of their clients are entertainers, but it's misguided, I think.
So... after doing this job for so long, I've "become the job" and drive a large domestic vehicle in the most common color in the country. It's a sleeper.
But what do you guys think? Let me know by refuting the above, adding your comments, and voting. Cars can be a touchy subject, especially for men, so if I hit a nerve let me have it! :)
ETA: changed cars since this post. Now behind the wheel of... a large (and even more powerful) domestic sedan, still in the most common color in the US. :)