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Spy School on Television Television
The instructional staff and advisers at Spy School are drawn from the Intelligence Community, and from Special Forces. Even the adventure weekends are based on real world intelligence and espionage, the exercises in corporate espionage and cyber threats plucked from the headlines of the media. On the many TV and Radio interviews we have to tread lightly to prevent us giving away technology and techniques currently being used on missions around the world. But constant updating, and back channel briefings ensure we do not put any real intelligence operations at risk. Our goal is to produce informative and interesting television and radio. Film Production & Series Research
We also have a series of presentations and talks on espionage and the characters that have been caught. Several hundred former OSS, CIA, Special Forces and members of the intelligence services, past and present can be contacted, and some are willing to speak in public. Over the years many interviews have taken place with individuals who were part of major espionage and intelligence operations, and who wanted to tell their tales before they passed away. Today our advisers include leading Information Warfare, Cyber Intelligence and Cryptography Experts. We also have some of the best Stunt Directors, Hairdressers, Chef's and production crew for anything you would ever want to create about the world of espionage or intelligence.
Workshops & Courses The Scene is Set
Gary is an expert on the Cold War, as well as being the Director of the Cold War Museum. He has audiences enthralled with first hand accounts of espionage in the Cold War years, and the trial and imprisonment of his father brings the scenarios to life. The technical knowledge of the Reenactors is unsurpassed as they can explain the uniforms, duties and threats of military personnel you may encounter in Spy School and Spy Games. The Training Begins
You may learn to fire a range of weapons, depending on the country and locale of the Spy School course. The training is always based on the local laws, and the liability requirements of the type of training. This is why we just can't carry out many of the extreme training courses in the US, or the live firings of automatic weapons and handguns in the UK and Europe. If the training module is based on cryptography, computers or code you will be trained in a neat clean hotel or conference center. If it involves blowing cars up you will be far, far away from the hotel. If it is about being James Bond, or Emma Peel for the weekend then you will spend a lot of time grooming, being groomed and creating the image. Since we began training military and civilian courses all the instructors have been highly qualified and experienced instructors from the military or intelligence services. We do have a number of Interns and volunteers to make your learning experience as comfortable and rewarding as possible. We have world famous Chef's and Wine Experts to ensure you know what to order, how and when. The Mission is Briefed
It may be a newspaper article that raises concerns about a leak in an R&D lab, or details of a piece of hidden code discovered on a secret military computer. It could be details of a target corporation, and the threat they pose, or a CD that came through the mail. There are so many scenarios we have used since the 1970's and they constantly change to meet the needs of the audience, and current threats. The mission could require staying in the hotel, or conference center, or it may require stealthily moving around the streets of a major town. It could even include cross-country travel, or crossing rivers and extreme obstacles. Some briefings also include a request not to play with the wildlife, especially those that can eat you, and the snakes with large heads, or colored bands you can never remember in which order tells you they are deadly. In Australia a long time is spent on the spiders, and the 16 foot Crocodiles that like farm raised humans. The briefing style and format are as varied as the scenarios. Your Planning Begins
For corporate intelligence scenarios the information may not all come at the same time meaning the planning will be ongoing, and updated as information is received. Some scenarios just use information through the Internet, and laptops. On the lighter classes there will be menus to create, dress, hairstyles, appearance and social entertaining etiquette. You will have to fool the people you meet, and make sure you identify yourself only to the right person. Your planning and resources used depends on the classes being presented. Your Exercise Starts
Before you grab for that new swimsuit, you may never leave the conference room and just search the Internet for the entire exercise devouring Pizza and copious cups of coffee. The white board may be full of programming notes and code. Or you may dream of a hotel bed as you hack your way through the undergrowth hoping your compass and GPS haven't been tampered with, or wish you had listened when the instructor explained how to beach the inflatable. There are many exercises for many age groups and classes. The Debrief
We do not issue attendee lists, clients or photographs! This year we will be looking at using selected courses for Reality TV, but that will only be done with consent, and filing cabinets full of signed forms and lawyers disclaimers. And no George did not attend one of our Spy Schools. Maybe he should have!
The History of Spy School
In the new digital world we have added experts in cryptography, computers, cyber espionage and cyber crime. We have experts in satellites and aerial reconnaissance. For a more leisurely approach we have world class Chef's and Wine Experts, Make Up Experts and experts on blending in around the world. We have experts on bugging and nasty little listening devices. Above all we have experts in making your experience of Spy School an entertaining and valuable learning opportunity. The only thing we don't do is teach spying. That is illegal. Spy School is on Twitter and LinkedIn |
Spy School has been featured in programs and documentaries around the world and even the International Spy Museum taped Alan J Simpson for their greeting video. 
Over the years we have assembled an enviable library and rolodex of contacts which are often put to good use by producers, attraction planners, and authors seeking information on espionage, the personalities and guidance for plots and realistic scenes. 
When it comes to realism Spy School can call upon some world class experts to set the scene, and bring a sense of realism into exercises. Here Gary Powers, jr. the son of the famous Francis Gary Powers takes a break with Alan J Simpson and two of the expert Reenactors, who's bring depth and knowledge of the setting being used.
You may learn about Dead Drops and how the famous spies contacted their handlers. This ordinary looking mailbox was used by the famous Aldrich Ames to contact his Soviet handlers. This mailbox is so important to the history of espionage that we took this photograph shortly before it was removed and put into a DC Museum. 
The planning is based on military operations and we use the same maps as the military, and intelligence agencies, and similar high definition satellite photographs. There may be sketches from agents, or the "underground" and decrypts of radio transmissions. Often there will be a flow of OSINT information from newspaper articles, or intercepted radio broadcasts.
Your contact may be by the side of a pool and may be the perfect beauty you always dreamed about, or maybe she killed your contact and took her place. Or ladies, your contact isn't that dreamy hulk, but that little runt cleaning the sides of the pool, who whistled at you before you kicked him in. 
We always reinforce the learning experience and ensure we have feedback. Many courses have a required goal as regards learning, and it is in the debrief that this goal is often revealed, especially for corporate teams. This is especially important in threat analysis and counter espionage training.
The original training scenarios were developed by us in the 1970's for military, survival and escape and evasion training. Over the years these have included experiences in the Far East, Africa, Middle East, across Europe, in the UK and in the United States and Mexico. The core team are experienced in Jungle, Arctic, Desert and Sea Survival and operations. The firearms and combat advisers are Special Forces.