“It’s a man’s world out there. You better know your stuff before you step your foot out.”

Yvette Freeman could have been talking about life as a woman in the security industry. Instead, she was reflecting on her years as an actor and director — most notably in her role as Nurse Haleh Adams on the series ER between 1994 and 2009. More specifically, Freeman was commenting on the limited opportunities for women to direct films.

Now she has her chance, having recently been tapped to helm The WOMEN IN SECURITY Documentary, a trailer for which dropped this month and can be viewed here. The parallels between Freeman’s struggles and those of females in the security profession are not lost on her.

Despite several successful decades in Hollywood as an actress and theater director, Freeman has found film directing jobs to be elusive. That’s a common complaint among women in Hollywood. Determined to upskill, Freeman attended the Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) at the American Film Institute, where she collaborated with other aspiring female directors. Other well-known DWW graduates include Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, and Cicely Tyson, among many more. Freeman sees the same drive and spirit of cooperation among female security professionals, hoping to elevate and inspire their colleagues.

Security business is not show business, however, and Freeman is quickly getting up to speed on the roles and experiences of the women whose journeys she is chronicling. “It’s a tall order, but it is a rewarding one because these ladies are truly inspirational,” she says.

Spotlighting the careers of several female security professionals, the documentary will demonstrate how women have played an outsized role in the industry, from responding to the Boston Marathon bombing to joining the security industry in the aftermath of 9-11. The film will also capture female security professionals’ day-to-day challenges, successes, and indignities, including being asked to attend business meetings in strip clubs and having colleagues comment on their anatomy.

The documentary has been in the making for almost five years. It is the brainchild of Richard Ticho, who got to know many extraordinary female security leaders as part of the production team for ASIS events worldwide between 1995 and 2016. 

“It’s a gaping hole in the historical record that the role of women in security hasn’t been well documented or told,” explains Ticho. “This production addresses that oversight, but, more importantly, it aims to inspire new generations of women to enter our field, celebrate achievements of women in security, recruit talented professionals to the industry and empower them, and strengthen the profession by virtue of new and diverse skill sets.” 

“It’s also a testament to the fortitude and persistence of these women that they succeeded despite the many impediments in their way,” adds Freeman. 

More than just a sequence of talking heads, the documentary contains recreations of significant incidents, archival keynotes and interviews, podcast segments, and rare footage.

Among those featured are:

• Angela White, Past President, Electronic Security Association
• Andrea Chedas, Head of Corporate Security, Wealthsimple
• Bonnie Michelman, MBA, MS, CPP, CHPA, Vice President/Chief Security Officer, Mass General Brigham
• Constance Matthews Reynolds, Founder & CEO, ReynCon
• Danielle Weddepohl, Canadian Chapter Young Professional Liaison, The Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM)
• Karen Gispanski, Senior Director of Enterprise Cyber Security, Privacy, and Information Officer (CISO), Millennium Healthcare
• Linda Florence, Ph.D., CPP, Director of Security & Business Continuity, Planned Parenthood, Orange & San Bernardino Counties ~ CA
• Lynn Dohm, Executive Director, WiCyS
• Mackenzie Phillips, MBA, LPC, Senior Manager, Security & Loss Prevention, Amazon
• Marene Alison, Advisor, The Cybersphere Group, and Former Chief Information Security Officer, Johnson & Johnson
• Melissa Mack, CPP, CPRW, CIC, Director, Pinkerton
• Mindy M. Pretzman, US Secret Service (ret.), Secret Service Agency, President to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (Emeritus)
• Niamh Vianney Muldoon, Global Innovation Lead and EMEA CISO, BNY Mellon
• Nicole Buratovich, Sr. Manager, Program Management | Culture & Wellness, Amazon
• Stacey Champagne, Founder & CEO, Hacker in Heels
• Stephanie Carter, Principal, Compliance Advisory
• Tia Hopkins, Chief Cyber Resilience Officer & Field CTO, eSentire
• Valerie Lyons, Executive Director, BH Consulting

As a member of the film’s advisory board, last summer I attended a two-day event that combined a conference on women in security with interviews for the documentary.  The energy and excitement at the event were palpable, feeding off keynotes by Michelman, Dohm, Hopkins, and Pretzman, as well as panel sessions on critical topics.

The struggle for recognition and acceptance is far from over, but acknowledging the role and accomplishments of women in security through this film is a step in the right direction. Learn more about the film here.