Last week we saw the renowned actor Will Smith march to the front of the stage at the academy awards and assault the equally famous comedian, Chris Rock, after a joke Chris made about Will Smiths’ wife went a step too far.
There has been outrage across the world, firstly about Chris Rock’s joke, and secondly about Will Smith’s actions. Thirdly though, the Academy Award organisers (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or AMPAS) have come under some scrutiny. Namely around their security, and critically, the lack of stage protection. Organisers commented “our usual hosts and comperes are worried. There is talk that the security available in the USA is not up to the task. Some comperes are refusing to honour their contracts unless we tighten up security. Our security was in place, but no one expected Will Smith to do that and now we are left needing to think outside the box when it comes to solutions”.
FGH Security are known as the best in the UK when it comes to security, crowd management, and crucially, for stage protection services, and after a hasty tender and proposal, FGH have been chosen as the future security provider for all Oscars ceremonies.
The AMPAS Head of Innovation commented: “We wanted fresh ideas. Doing what we did last year is not enough. Therefore, we chose to search the globe for a company that was full of innovation. FGH Security, based in Europe, had this innovation in leaps and bounds. They already have an amazing reputation and produced ideas that we had not previously thought of. It is not just about having smart and well-trained security guards lining our stage area – we need more than that.”
Some of the ideas included:
The ability to offer better head protection to our comperes. The day after the incident, Chris Rock was said to have been left with ‘Fresh Prints’ on his face. The stylish head protection that FGH Security offered could be of an immediate benefit to our presenters.
The threat neutralising arm tethers. There is a lot of focus on protection. However, FGH Security realised that if the threat is removed, protection may not even be necessary. This starts with Will Smith. If he wants to attend any ceremonies next year, it is on the condition he is tethered to a member of the FGH Security team. The idea was inspired by a set of toddlers’ reigns.
Peter Harrison, FGH Security Founder and MD commented: “We are ecstatic with this contract win. In recent years we have been chosen as national providers and to work with household names, such as Glastonbury, the Commonwealth Games, adidas and JD Sports Group. The Oscars is the icing on the cake for us – well done to all involved in the pitch.”
