This is Ben. As a kid he wanted to be Grant Kenny so got training in full contact knockdown karate at his local YMCA, which of course led to his first job in… security, working doors in Kings’ Cross. After seeing some particularly nasty fights he signed up for a course in corporate security and investigation that led to…
Is being a PI as cool as Tom Selleck made it seem?
A Ferrari doesn’t make a great day to day surveillance vehicle but there are many aspects of being a PI that are cool: working on your own terms, problem solving, thinking on your feet… There are those in the industry that are quite ostentatious getting around with personalised number plates like ‘I spy’ and ‘GUMSHOE’; then there are the real pro’s, the grey men who understand ’silence is the mark of the professional’. If you are looking to hire a PI they are ones you want to go to.
Best case you worked on?
I located a family member caught up in a cult and return them to their family that was very rewarding. But the one that stands out was my first job: my boss and I crawled for 30min through bush in Queanbeyan to set up under cammo to get proof a guy wasn’t injured like he was claiming. We were under cammo but still got busted by his son – they got out the shotties and we copped a light peppering.
Then a call from The Netherlands changed your career.
The brief was to identify a woman believed to be romantically involved with Crown Prince Fredrick. Not much was known about this girl from Tassie and followed is the story of Princess Mary. I surveilled her for weeks, reported back to the client and they’d feed my info to a Tassie pap who was working with their journo. I’d watch the paps follow Mary and eventually they caught onto me, watching them. I got chatting with one about the work and found out what photos sold for. I ditched being a PI and became a pap.
MADDAWG! Lamest person you photographed?
I got a call from a limo driver asking me to come to the airport to take a photo of his client who was really annoyed he had walked out of customs and no one was there – it was 50Cent and we didn’t bother going! Too lame and the dude doesn’t sell.
LEL has anyone ever muscled you?
Usually it’s some 2nd rate security trying to be all secret service to impress their client, but :
Guy Sebastian – once jumped into my car after I took pics of him and his son. To avoid fisty cuffs I deleted them but then he slammed the door as he got out which annoyed me so lol psych, I recovered the files and sold them.
Health Ledger & Naomi Watts – he was changing into his swimmers at Bronte beach and as I was firing away Little Heath made an appearance. He caught me and made me show him the shots. Luckily in the sequence there was no actual dick pic or I’d hae been in trouble.
Prince Harry – at Sunshine Beach and after a few shots, he sat down next to me. I didn’t know what to do – take his pic? say G’day? – so I just sat there looking out at the water like he was doing. After 10min he walked off. I’m still unsure what it was all about.
Best person to pap?
Easy – Karl Stefanovic. He is great. He has no issue with me doing my job, he just takes us paps in his stride.
Biggest selling photo you’ve ever cashed in on?
Shane Warne’s family holiday to Fiji, after getting back with Simone. It was a massive $ale.
Royal goss?
Princess Eugene may have been ‘experimenting’ with a ‘girlfriend’ while on holiday in Phuket during her gap year. I didn’t shoot the smooching, much to my business partner’s disgust.
Ben are you trying to convince me you have a heart?
Yo Sprink I’ve been doing it for over 10years and its a job based on relationships. With journos, agents, publishers and celebs – I have A-listers and reality stars texting me telling me where they’ll be and at what time.
How does the whole system work?
Take pictures. Edit pictures. Sell pictures. Publish pictures. At one time publishers would bid on exclusive imagery as they’d help sell more magazines. But print is dying and photos that would have gone for $10K are being sold for a 10th of that. So I needed to adapt.
Tell me about the pivotttttt
I’ve pivoted to publishing online – and why not go niche and in the fastest growing area of entertainment…REALITY! I partnered with some journos and we came up with this www.thewash.online
OMG IT IS REALITY HEAVEN CAN’T TALK BYE