Christian West: Vision and Execution

Welcome to another episode of Down and Dirty with Michael Julian. Today, we’re getting raw and real with my good friend Christian West.

Christian is a true icon in the executive protection industry. The Danish native shares his fascinating journey – from working as a bouncer and DJ in Copenhagen, to making the bold move to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in entertainment security. He opens up about his early days providing protection for high-profile music producers and celebrities, which gave him invaluable experience.

Christian then walks us through starting his own successful security firm in Denmark, selling it to the major company Securitas, and then launching his own renowned company Asymmetric Solutions. He provides candid insights into growing AsymmetricSolutions into a $70 million business before ultimately deciding to exit when he felt the quality was declining under new ownership.

The conversation takes an introspective turn as Christian reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic allowed him to actually slow down for the first time in his globetrotting career. He shares the profound realizations that came from finally being grounded and able to experience simple pleasures like bingeing TV shows.

Christian then dives into his latest venture, EP Access, an innovative online training platform designed to disrupt the traditional executive protection training model. He passionately discusses his philosophy around maximizing learning through a blended approach.

Throughout the episode, Christian’s wry Danish humor and philosophical musings shine through. Whether he’s drawing parallels between his work and the show Ted Lasso, or waxing poetic about the “science” of how a cold Diet Coke is served differently around the world, his insights are as entertaining as they are insightful.

It’s a refreshingly honest look into the life and mindset of one of the EP industry’s true pioneers. Grab a cold one, settle in, and get ready to be inspired by the incomparable Christian West.

Michael Julian is a distinguished security and investigations professional with a career spanning over 30 years. Michael’s extensive security training encompasses a wide range of critical areas, including behavioral threat assessment, active shooter survival, executive and asset protection, self-defense, defensive and evasive driving, close protection, aviation security, interview and interrogation techniques, protective and counter-surveillance, and covert protection.