The Blue Highway Beacon: Vol. II, NO. 2

Building for the Times in Which We Find Ourselves

By Ian Christopher McCaleb, BHA Founder & Principal

New Capabilities and New Arrivals

Rights Administration

Well, what a start to the year we’ve all had.

I’ve spent a bit of time fussing over this latest Beacon introduction, given that developments, prevailing winds and accompanying attitudes in both of our operating bases, the US and the UK, might presently and properly be characterized as “fluid, with a hint of volatility.”

But “fluid, with a hint of volatility,” while mirthfully understated, would seem to call all-the- more for thoughtfulness, a calm hand and a steady voice for our current and prospective clients alike. Volatility, after all, even when it is of the deliberate variety, has a habit of settling itself out. 

Thus, even with circumstances changing by the hour on most days of late, we’re more confident than ever that these times are the “THAT” that Blue Highway Advisory was built for.

And as we build, we add new pieces. Or, in moments of great client need, one then becomes ‘two.’

Please familiarize yourself with the soft launch of our sister organization, Blue Highway Global  (BHG). What you are reading here is not a formal rollout, but rather a light introduction to a corporate capability that we are building quickly, with purpose, to meet the most pressing needs of the day.

And the most pressing need of all would seem to be that for accurate, reliable, trustworthy and actionable information.

BHG’s underpinning is Open-Source Intelligence, or “OSInt.”

OSInt is an exacting information acquisition process that answers precise questions, builds narratives, corrects deliberately injurious or adverse narratives, counters falsehoods, and helps bolster and fortify ground-level truths in a fulsome manner that is explanatory, verifiable, complete, and most importantly, lawful.  

“Open Source” simply indicates that the information acquired and synthesized by our team comes from readily available, publicly accessible and viewable sources – and here, we mean, The Internet.    

We live in an information age like no other, powered by the Internet, and so much of the world lives online. We want to use our skills to give our clients the ability, once again, to understand and perhaps control, once again, their own narratives. Yes, there is data out there about everyone and yes, it is often used malignantly and damagingly by others. We offer a remedy to that.

We are PINK and deliberately so. (It’s a bit counterintuitive, isn’t it)?

So, why pink? Because so much of this sector is determinedly black, militaristic, full of awe and implied secrecy and risk. We don't believe this commonplace pretense is helpful for us or, more importantly, our clients. We instead strive to be openly ethical, honest and trustworthy.

Malcolm Taylor is the UK-based inspiration, face and Big Brain behind BHG.

As BHG makes itself known to the world, Malcolm says,

“There is something additive and expansive about plurality and patriotism, and the subtle power both can offer in combination. I am a patriot. I worked for 20 years for my country and for the democratic world, to protect it. I still do, but the focus is changing. By giving people renewed ownership over their data and their own narratives, we play a role in making the world a safer place for individuals and organizations alike.

“Blue Highway Global and Blue Highway Advisory staff alike are all highly skilled, experienced and unique in the world of strategic services. I believe we have earned the right, all of us, to be selective in what we do, and for and with whom. I want to work with clever people that I enjoy spending time with, doing interesting, thoughtful and worthwhile work for a client set that needs our steady hand to accomplish their own worthwhile missions.

“Blue Highway Advisory is already a trusted partner of artists, musicians, filmmakers, individuals, law firms, NGOs, research organizations and corporations. Blue Highway Global is the next stage of that development, broadening our offer to extend this same trust while offering much more capability, experience and skills to address the fullest range of client concerns.”

BHG is our response to the trust that clients have given us. 

Coinciding with the soft-launch of BHG, the legal industry magazine Lawdragon has published an expansive profile of Malcolm and his vision for the company, accessible here.

There will be much more to reveal about BHG in the coming weeks, including suites of service offerings that will include wide-ranging investigations; digital footprint assessments and reviews of digital and physical security footprints and postures; enhanced due diligence, with penetrative capabilities that cannot be matched in the private sector; threat monitoring; customized trust-and-safety programs for online platforms and new social media capabilities, and much more.

Keep an eye on the Beacon, and on BHG from this moment forward for constant revelations and updates.

And, next Beacon submissions will arrive in rapid succession, as we keep you apprised of new growth in our Crisis management and communications capabilities, new marketing and social media strategies led by Andy Och, recognition for our own James Matthewson, and more updates on the unceasing work of our Creators’ Rights warrior Amanda Harcourt.

We greatly look forward to showing you what we can do!