My Britney Spears Story
The day I turned down a million dollars.
Note: I am editing this story to fine-tune my writing skills. If you found this and want to read it, I would humbly ask you to come back in 30–60 days (9/27/24).
I have owned a few companies in my life. One of them dealt with securing high-profile entertainment individuals. Our focus was on My sophisticated perimeter detection systems and executive protection. We had access. to a systems we sold could track people within twenty-four inches of any ground. The equipment was all military-grade. Dont ask me how I had access to that kind of tech, just know it was all legal. The central processor of this system cost over one hundred thousand dollars in 1999. A number of my clients had there or four processors and a cadre of other tech to lock down their homesteads.
Feeling safe in their home was of utmost priority for them; unlike you and me, to go out into the public required exhaustive planning and contingencies. Their homestead is their safe place.
It was my job to design and deploy systems that guaranteed this. I took this seriously.
My clients have included Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Dr. Dre, Deathrow, Deman Entertainment, Interscope and Ted Fields, Nick Jonas, Ron Burkle, and Brintey Spears.
Before you think I will give you some juicy salacious gossip about Britney, I am not. That would be unethical. I will tell you that she was pregnant and married to Kevin when she was my client.
*The early 2000s was when the "paparazzi" was ferocious and deviously out of control. They had their mindset on trying to get any pictures of Britney’s newborn. One such paparazzi fell down a four hundred-foot cliff trying to repel into her backyard. For them, that kind of picture would have commanded a record-breaking fee, and the paparazzi “terrorists” would do anything to be the first one to get it.
Our fixation on these entertainers is not a healthy one. Give these people some room when you encounter them. Enjoy thier art but respect thier lives. Try not to be a fanatic, fan. Just a thought.
One other thing I will tell you; I was asked by others in her "camp," not Britney, not Kevin, to install hidden cameras in her closet and bathroom. The person that called me stated surveillance was needed because "the help" was stealing her things. My response was, "Sure, soon as I get the ok from Britney, I will go ahead and do that." Ten minutes later, I got a call on my "Don Johnson" cell "Nevermind our request, and keep this request confidential." That always bothered me, but I had no idea what was going on with her and not my business.
You make up your minds, but to me, #freeBritney is not an understatement. I hope she gets her life back and makes those who wronged her pay for their greed and abuse.
We all have the right to manage our affairs, even if it means financial ruin. I doubt Britney would have ruined her life, but so what? That doesn't give anyone else the right to control her life for twenty years. It bothers me to the core that some Judges and conservators can get away with this. It is an injustice.
If they were so concerned about her mental health, why did they sign off on nightly shows in Las Vegas? This disregard in its self tells you the conservators got their teeth in and would not let her go. They will bleed her dry if she doesn't win back her life. It's looking good for her now, but time will tell.
In Malibu, there is a great little lunch spot hidden in one of the many canyons. While my team was working on her estate, I would go there and get everyone lunch. It became routine because the food was so good. My team was working their arses off under a tight deadline, so lunch was a small perk I wanted to give them. We were in our sixth week on the project, and like the day before, I took my team's order and headed out to pick it up.
On the way, it was such a beautiful day I decided I would take a minute for myself and eat lunch on the patio. When I got to the restaurant, I ordered my food and asked for the rest of the order to go. Luckily I had found an outside bench in the Malibu sun and begun to enjoy my Avocado Egg Sandwich, with a side of sweet potato fries.
Malibu at lunch was like a theatre with many strange and beautiful people buzzing around, especially at the best lunch spot in the canyon. This day I watched Gary Bussey (or was it, Nick Nolte, not sure) cutting in line and going off on some bizarre tangent, then apologizing and buying the person he cut in front of her lunch as well as everyone behind her. All those wronged forgave him, and hugs began.
As I finished eating, a man I had never met but recognized from somewhere sat down across from me. He slid over an envelope and smiled. I opened it and wondered its purpose, and my heart was beating a little faster.
He didn't say a word, but along with the letter was a cashier's check for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, made out to my name. The note read, "provide me with one picture of the newborn, in her arms, and you can cash this check" He didn't say a word, just stared at me.
What would you have done?
In the blink of an eye, I told him no, that in no uncertain terms would I do that. I told him he picked the wrong guy. I slid the envelope back to him, stood up, and walked to my car. He decided to follow me and kept raising the amount verbally. He finally asked how much it would take; I said "a million dollars," hoping for him to go away.
I think we can do that ..he said
Now you may be saying that I was already well off and didn't need it. Not So, a million dollars is life-changing for anyone who runs a small company. That million dollars would have been a sweet bridge to some extraordinary things in my life. For two seconds, I considered it. I then closed my door and told him to go away. My heart was pounding even more; what had I just done. I just gave away a million dollars.
I passed my test with the Darkside, thats’s what.
These high-profile people paid my company to protect them. I understood that it extended beyond my contract. I wasn't under any NDAs; back then, that wasn't standard operating procedures. No one had sat me down or, for that matter, anyone else on the job to threaten action if we acted immorally. It was implied that contractors would act professionally, and that meant discretion. Ethical behavior was required, and rightfully so.
I have always had a strong sense of ethics and know this world is better when ethical people make hard choices. That is what we are missing now. I also don't care about the material acquisition as I have painted for you earlier.
I want to die as an ethical person, even if that means being poor. I don't need to build an "empire of dust" that gets thrown into the trash bin at the end. So far, it looks like I won't die broke, but we shall see.
I got back to the job and immediately found the head of security. I told him what had just happened. He was blown away and thought I was making it up. He finally realized I wasn't joking. The next day NDAs were on the job, and every person working there had to sign them, except me.
Britney never talked to me, nor did anyone in her camp. They paid their invoice promptly. What did happen was that I started getting a lot more sales inquiries. No one disclosed how they were referred to my company, just that I was to be trusted. It propelled me for the next ten years, a good run until it was time to sell.
There is no moral to this story only a final statement.
I want to live in a world where more of us live ethically and not because it gets us something; because it's known that it makes everything else around us better. Join this fool, and let's make this human experience better. Cease building your empire of dirt, it isn't worth a life of chasing it.
If this content felt worthy of your time, clap away, I think you are allowed 50 claps on medium. If I see people like it, I will share my story of Nickolas Cage, and it won't be gossip, just an honest story where no one is hurt.
