NEED TO KNOW
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Dustin Folkes transitioned from the Marine Corps to protecting celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian
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He credits communication and going above and beyond as the keys to success in celebrity security
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Folkes is writing a memoir about his journey from Marine to bodyguard and his experiences with high-profile clients
Before Dustin Folkes was hired as personal security for some of the world’s biggest celebrities, he was fighting on the front lines.
Folkes served in the Marine Corps — the 15th MEU, to be exact — and tells PEOPLE he “did a lot of stuff overseas,” from tours in Iraq to operations in Indonesia in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. However, once his time in the service came to an end, he was unsure what his next phase of life would look like.
“Coming out of the Marine Corps, I’m like, ‘Well, what do I do with this skillset? Where do I go with everything I learned and trained to go to Iraq and all these other things? What am I supposed to do here?’ There’s not a lot to do,” Folkes, 41, says. “So my first thought was, ‘Well, I’ll go run for the L.A. Sheriffs.’ “
However, while applying for the position, he was contacted by Gavin de Becker & Associates, a large security firm known for protecting public figures.
Dustin Folkes (L) when he was in the Marine Corps.
Credit: Courtesy of Dustin Folkes
“At the time, I was really not in the celebrity loop,” he admits. “I mean, I was a surfer kid. I grew up in San Clemente. I surfed, I skateboarded. I didn’t really follow celebrities.”
“In my mind, it didn’t click like they needed security; they needed bodyguards. And obviously, in hindsight, they do, but it wasn’t something that registered to me,” he adds.
Still, Folkes, a new dad at the time, decided to “entertain” the offer — and before he knew it, he was working for some of the “biggest names” in Hollywood. In the decades since, his client list has included Justin Bieber, David and Victoria Beckham, Shaun White, Selena Gomez, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian, Heidi Klum, Jon Bon Jovi, George Strait and Eric Church, to name a few.
“The career just kept going, and you succeed with one and it kind of segues to another,” he says of his high-profile client list.
Dustin Folkes behind Princess Kate Middleton
Credit: Courtesy of Dustin Folkes
The father of two spent four and a half years working at the firm before opening up his own private security business. The “secret” to being a good celebrity bodyguard, he says, is “communication.”
“I think being very, very, very hyper aware of everything and going above and beyond,” he says, noting that, sometimes, you have to do things outside of the job description.
“There’s a lot of security that will just stick to simply, ‘I’m here to protect you. I won’t pick up this thing for your kid or I won’t build this bike in the front yard or I won’t run and grab this for you.’ They won’t go above and beyond and do the little things that really make the day spin,” he explains.
Folkes, who currently works for Conor McGregor, notes that you also “can’t be afraid to talk to your client.”
Dustin Folkes with his two children.
Credit: Courtesy of Dustin Folkes
“A lot of people are timid, and they’re scared to talk to their client. I have no issues talking to any of them,” he emphasizes. “If you’re hiring me, you’re hiring me because you know what I do, you know what my expertise are, and I’m here to advise you one way or the other.”
Folkes says that if a client wants to do something that “doesn’t make sense” — especially from a security perspective — he will always speak up. Not only does it help mitigate potential issues, but having that open communication also helps in the instance of an emergency.
While the California native retired from full-time security work last summer, he still works part-time for a select few clients. When he is not working security, he is focused on his clothing brand, VYZN Apparel, and writing his yet-to-be-announced memoir, which he plans on calling Day in the Life of a Celebrity Bodyguard.
He admits he had to reach out to a few past clients who had iron-clad NDAs in order to write about his experiences, but says nearly all of them gave him the green light.
“There were a couple that had some crazy NDAs that I didn’t even want to touch because it was going to be too much of a headache to try and get to that point,” he admits. “There were some that had NDAs that I asked and got permission, and then there were some that I have zero NDAs.”
“It’s not a tell-all, it’s not a gossip piece, it’s not a bash piece,” he emphasizes. “There’s nothing negative in here. It’s just a story of this random skateboard and surfing kid from San Clemente that went to the Marines.”
The book begins by detailing his experience going to Iraq, noting that while they were trained for combat, “none of us were trained” for “the humanitarian piece.”
“That was a big mental shock for all of us,” he admits.
Dustin Folkes behind George Strait
Credit: Courtesy of Dustin Folkes
“I had to go back and remember exact dates and all that stuff from when I went to Indonesia for the tsunami, and it really took me back there,” he says, recalling the “chaos on the ground” in the aftermath of the devastating natural disaster.
“So there’s that, and then leading from that, growing this massive career of being a celebrity bodyguard.” He adds, for instance, reflecting on his first time meeting Pitt, who he describes as a “low-key, laid-back guy.”
Looking back at his decades-long career, Folkes still can’t believe where he ended up.
“It’s spiraled — in the greatest way — it’s been the greatest career, and I’ve done it for… I’m in my 20th year now, which is kind of insane to think back,” he says.
Read the original article on People
