Adventures of a bodyguard

Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM, BY ERIN SEMPLE

Professional fighter Justin Schalk, 31, is also a private personal security guard. He has protected celebrities ranging from Hilary and Haylie Duff to Prince. Nicknamed The Ultimate Power Machine, Schalk began his career as a personal security guard in college.

“I wanted to be a professional fighter, and I'm a big guy, but it was just extra work in college,” he says. “Now it's just work.”

Being a guard for the stars has its benefits — and challenges. Schalk prepares for a typical night of work by setting up a security zone for crowd control. “I make sure everything is organized,” he says. “I call in advance to where we are going.”

Last summer, Schalk worked for NASCAR driver Stevie Braith. “I flew with him to Colorado and stood next to him the whole time,” he says. “I also walked him back and forth to the track and hotel rooms.”

Schalk says his main task is to “make sure nothing is out of ordinary.” For four years, he has been a bodyguard for recording artist Vaja, who is working on her debut CD. (Visit her Web site at www.vajamusic.com)

“He is the best security provider I have ever used,” Vaja says. “He knows how to protect his clients.”

Schalk is “on call” for sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff. “I escort them to clubs and take them to their table,” he says. “I also call ahead to get them VIP service.”

Schalk says his adventures as a bodyguard can get scary. “One night, I was shot at four times at Club Ivar in Hollywood,” he says. “I was working at the front door, trying to diffuse a situation. A guy pulled out a gun, and bullets were hitting off the wall behind me. He had gotten in a fight with some people on Hollywood Boulevard.”

Schalk has also served as a guard at private parties. Recently, he worked for a movie producer in Malibu. “The party was on a beach, so I hired four guys to help me,” he says. “We set up the perimeter, and two of us worked the front desk and made Polaroids for badges. This job was tough because the beach is open to locals, too.”

Even Ashton Kutcher was at the party.

Schalk has also worked for some rowdy people, including Anna Nicole Smith. “We went to the Grammies together last year, and she was out of control,” he says.

On nights off from personal security gigs, he works as a bouncer at Club Xes for owner Kat Schwartz. “When he is working, I know everything is secure,” Schwartz says. “Justin can work anywhere in the city because of his know-how.”

Schalk recommends to other personal security guards to keep things professional and keep their cool. “You need to know how to talk to people,” he adds.

His experience in ultimate fighting includes the Ultimate Fighting Championship, caged fighting and Pride K1. “I started wresting at the age of six and started martial arts about six years ago,” he says. Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. Fighters in the sport use combinations of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Muay Tai, karate and other martial arts. The UFC is currently owned and operated by Zuffa Entertainment LLC.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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