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Publications · The Shadow Series

The Playbook
Series

Three books. Nearly two decades of field experience in federal service and the private sector, distilled into operational doctrine on corporate security, executive protection, and event safety. All titles publishing 2026.

The Series

Three books. One doctrine.

Written by Michael de Geus from nearly two decades protecting people, places, and events, from the United States Secret Service Presidential Protection Division to Fortune 500 boardrooms and global stadium tours. Each volume turns field-tested method into doctrine you can run.

The Corporate Safety & Security Playbook by Michael de Geus
Book One

The Corporate Safety & Security Playbook

Redefining Protection, Intelligence & Resilience for the Modern Enterprise

Advance methodology, venue operations, crowd dynamics, command and coordination, and mass casualty planning. Nearly 200 pages of operational doctrine drawn from 500-plus events across four continents, written for event producers, security directors, and anyone responsible for keeping a large gathering safe.

Corporate Safety Event Security Operational Doctrine
Publishing 2026 Read Excerpt
The Executive Protection Playbook by Michael de Geus
Book Two

The Executive Protection Playbook

Doctrine, Methodology, and the Discipline of the Advance

The complete methodology for close personal protection: the principal relationship, detail design, advance, motorcades, arrival and egress choreography, and the moments of greatest exposure. Drawn from U.S. Secret Service PPD training and a decade of private-sector principal protection.

Executive Protection Personal Protection Protective Operations
Publishing 2026 Read Excerpt
The Event Safety & Protection Playbook by Michael de Geus
Book Three

The Event Safety & Protection Playbook

Strategies, Systems, and Standards for Safe, Successful, and Secure Events

The full scope of Shadow doctrine in a single volume: events, executive protection, and the intelligence and advance work that governs both. The standards and systems behind safe, successful, and secure events at every scale.

Event Safety Protection Shadow Doctrine
Publishing 2026 Read Excerpt
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"The threat you prepared for is never the one that arrives. The mindset you build is the only preparation that actually transfers."

Michael de Geus · The Shadow Playbook Series
Core Frameworks

The four pillars of
operational security

01
Threat Assessment

Most organizations assess threats based on what happened last time. Michael's framework assesses based on what the adversary is capable of next. The difference between reactive and anticipatory security is this distinction, and it's the difference that matters.

02
Protocol Architecture

A protocol that doesn't survive first contact with a real incident isn't a protocol. It's a document. Every framework in the Playbook was designed to function under the conditions it will actually face: incomplete information, compressed timelines, and personnel who are operating under stress.

03
Response Architecture

Crisis response is not improvisation. It's rehearsed decision-making. The Playbook's response architecture defines the decision trees, communication protocols, and authority structures that allow organizations to act decisively when speed is the only competitive advantage available.

04
Organizational Resilience

Security is not a department. It's a capability distributed across every function of an organization. The fourth pillar addresses how to build security-aware culture without creating security-paralyzed culture, the distinction most programs get exactly wrong.