If I’m not feeling you, I don’t give a damn what press it’s had. If you’re not on point, I don’t even want to go in there because I’m not even feeling you. “Once an older lady told me this: “ Your doorman is important because that’s the beginning of the experience. I take a nap about 1pm, wake up around 2:30pm and start my process.” Also an actor by trade, Ivan’s people skills and comedic, outgoing personality go a long way with the patrons entering The Wolves. Every day that’s what I do, it puts me in the zone. “I have blueberry bagels with blackberry jam, two eggs, two sausages, water, tea, and I watch Criminal Minds. “I wake up, I have bagels (my wife, she pre-makes my meals),” jokes Ivan. Ivan’s systematic routine of getting into the zone for a shift is reminiscent of the routine’s of the Steve Jobs and Zuckerbergs of the world. From walking around with a tactical vest on and two guns to nothing, it’s crazy.” I’ve been doing armed security for the last ten years. I mean, my wife thinks I look better in a suit, but I’m not used to being unarmed, it’s just different. It’s rough, I gave up the gun for the suit. I hadn’t done this is sort of thing in a long time, not since New York. I was like “Fine, let me send some guys over there.” So I worked a couple guys, and about a week later they call and say, “Ivan, it’s not going to work,” and I said “What, you’re firing me?” “They said no, we don’t want your guys, we want you.” So I started working the door for The Wolves. “Then we were talking, and he asked about my security company. “I met The Wolves’ owner trying to do a monologue for my actor’s reel,” says Ivan. From there he built his resume, working various gigs here and there and later opening his own small security firm called Security Agency. Working mainly in building security until he moved to New York in 1998, he has also worked as security for celebrities such as Russell Crowe and Dave Chappelle.”Those are my two, not a bad two either.” Ivan chuckles. Prior to working as a doorman, Ivan briefly worked for a pension firm setting up 401K plans, but has been in security since he was 18. He’s lived Downtown for four years and spent years previous to that living in Anaheim. An Ohio native and LA transplant, Ivan moved to Los Angeles when he was only fourteen.

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