Hizonner's Photographer

The Screen Actors' Guild Awards show was held on January 27, 2008, and was telecast live on TBS and TNT networks.

On the Thursday before the show, I, the chief of security for the show, got a phone call from Kathy Connell's assistant (Kathy Connell is the head person from SAG for the production). The assistant, Manuella, a very pleasant person, was telling me that the Mayor of LA and the Mayor of San Francisco would be at the show, and wanted to know what could be done about their security people. I told her to give me the name and phone number of a contact person and that I would take care of it and I did. There would be five police officers and that was fine with me for two mayors. Manuella was very happy with me for solving one of her problems.

Next morning I received a phone call from Ms. Kim from the Mayor's office. She had five more staffers that wanted to come to the show and heard that I was the man to make it happen. "Sorry for the misunderstanding" I said. I can't help you. She wanted to know who could and I told her I don't know. I suggested that she contact whoever told her to call me. Later I went up to Manuella's office and asked her if she had heard from Ms Kim. She hadn't. I told her that she might and that I thought having five staffers in addition to the security detail was a little excessive but that would be Kathy Connell's call.

Sure enough, the call came. Kathy Connell was a little miffed but allowed that three staffers could come in with the mayor. Ms. Kim was pushing for a photographer and was told "Absolutely Not." Pictures inside this event are sold for big bucks and they didn't want the Mayor's photog getting a free scoop. We felt there was a possibility that they would try to bring the photog anyway and they did.

Day of the show, the Mayor's staff comes in with their proper credentials followed by the photographer (with no credential at all). I was right where I needed to be. I listened closely as my people explained over and over that the photographer could not come in. And these folks were relentless. We were disrespecting them, the photographer, the mayor and a bunch of other things. Finally I saw an Asian looking woman join the others and I stepped up. "Are you Mz Kim?" She was. I asked her why she had brought a photographer after being told not to. I think she was embarrassed and had been hoping that confusion would allow the photog to slip through.

While I'm talking to her, one of the staffers who looked like a dead ringer for a Louis Farakan devotee, steps up and asks me why I'm disrespecting Mz. Kim. "And you are????" I asked. He didn't think I needed that information so I told him I didn't think I needed to answer any questions.

Well I had a great time bantering with these folks. Bottom line, is I told them if anyone is being disrespected here it's us. We graciously and enthusiastically invited the two mayor's here to OUR party. We told them not to bring a photographer and they did. I told them further that my position is they were party crashers and that made them trespassers and would like these details discussed with the media?

They couldn't leave fast enough.

I don't know how many times in my life I've been scammed, but there have been a few times where the attempt didn't work. This was awfully satisfying.