Informa TechTarget | SearchSecurity Cybersecurity Dive InformationWeek Channel Dive Explore our brands Dark Reading Resource Library Black Hat News Omdia Cybersecurity Advertise NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP Cybersecurity Topics World The Edge DR Technology Events Resources CYBER RISK Cybersecurity In-Depth: Feature articles on security strategy, latest trends, and people to know. CISOs Break Their Silence in 'Declassified' Docuseries Million-dollar heists, divorce, and career-ending burnout are all stories told in the latest docuseries revealing a behind-the-scenes look at the cybersecurity community. Arielle Waldman,Features Writer,Dark Reading August 18, 2026 7 Min Read SOURCE: ALEKSANDAR GEORGIEV VIA GETTY IMAGES Most attendees at RSAC and Black Hat conferences go to network and learn about emerging threats. But Danielle Lewan, Clint Howard II, and 11 long-time chief information security officers (CISOs) arrive with cameras rolling and a different agenda: turning their breach-response stories into compelling television. Last year, Lewan launched Red Mirror Studios, an independent film studio dedicated to cybersecurity alongside Howard, co-founder and chief creative officer. She founded the studio after working to produce a different docuseries titled "CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted," while director of global marketing at Nagomi Security in 2025. Now, as Red Mirror Studios founder and CEO, she will release an 11-episode limited series called "Declassified," in which 11 cybersecurity experts from enterprise, government, and critical infrastructure organizations will share their stories on screen. "Declassified" was filmed in March during RSAC Conference in San Francisco, and the first episode aired on July 28, days before Black Hat USA 2026 kicked off in Las Vegas. Related:Sherlock Holmes Was the 'OG' Social Engineer The series aims to promote candid conversations for CISOs who deal with high-pressure breaches, internal failures, and personal struggles. While the studio provides a place for CISOs to share vulnerable stories, the series also raises security awareness for individuals who encounter cyberattacks daily — whether they receive breach notifications or work in affected organizations. Cyberattacks make headlines, but transparency is often limited. By sharing real experiences, the series could help people understand why security fundamentals, like strong passwords, matter. Meet the Directors Risk is a constant in cybersecurity, particularly for CISOs who spend their careers managing it, mitigating it, or falling victim to it. Lewan knows the word well because it has defined her film journey too. Lewan and Howard's first project, "CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted" carried some risks, she acknowledges, but “it proved that security leaders who built this industry are eager to stop repeating mistakes.” When that project didn't go quite as they expected, it confirmed to Lewan and Howard that if they wanted to change cybersecurity through stories, they had to take an independent route, she tells Dark Reading. Producing a docuseries as a vendor had expectations that did not align with how they wanted to move forward. Corporate politics clashed with their vision for a docuseries. For example, the lead venture (VC) capitalists funding "CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted" wanted to omit certain CISOs and change the title after Lewan had completed market research and validation. They feared it would deter CISOs from entering the role, she explains. Related:More Countries Jump on the Social Media 'Ban Wagon' "Instead of following through with a docuseries that would honestly reflect the reality of the job, they decided it was too much of a risk to their bottom line," she explains. "Money ruled. They have since changed the docuseries name." Refusing a VC who controls the start up's funding is an employment death sentence, she adds, stating how she refused. She refers to herself and Howard as two stubborn storytellers who were never afraid to fail. They consider themselves professional failures, which she says makes them relatable to every cybersecurity leader they interview. When they failed with "CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted", they took matters into their own hands to find a compatible VC who shared the same passion for candid stories. That commonality builds trust between the founders and the subjects sitting behind the lens. If people don't trust you, you don't get to have the conversation, much less truth, Howard tells Dark Reading. He applauded Lewan for having spent her career building that trust with security leaders. Related:Third-Party Breaches Teach Education Sector a Costly Lesson in Vendor Risk "I get to borrow against it and bring my experience to the stories that are usually redacted, confidential, or only ever told in board rooms," Howard says. "That's a rare position in any industry." Most of what gets made within cybersecurity is product or promotional, he says. "Declassified" features people on camera who have never talked about their work publicly, he adds. Meet the Characters One of those people is Tyson Kopczynski, partner at White Rabbit VC. Like many of the "Declassified" participants, Kopczynski credited Lewan's determination and ability to bring people together for getting him on board. Though Kopczynski is an investor now, he previously worked as a CISO, first in finance and then in healthcare. CISO stress is constant, and transitioning from a well-funded industry like finance to healthcare, which significantly lacks resources while providing services for a vulnerable population, made it unbearable. The U.S. healthcare system, is “highly dysfunctional," Kopczynski says. "They're also way behind from a cyber perspective, and they're struggling." Attack fallout can lead to deadly consequences, but his job was to move the ball forward as much as possible, explains Kopczynski. The paradox weighed on him. The expectations and the liability risk were too high, a problem many CISOs face. And that's when he hit a breaking point and left the industry. By becoming involved with Red Mirror, Kopczynski hopes to overcome some of the challenges that CISOs face, particularly the lack of transparency around what they do all day, and often into the night. Because so much of what they do is confidential, support and a general definition of the CISO role is limited, he explains. Cybersecurity professionals don't do a good job of explaining their field, says Kopczynski. He hopes the new series will paint the industry in a more relatable way, not as mysterious as Hollywood makes it look, with hackers typing furiously in dark rooms. "We talk in our own language typically," he says. "We're not good at telling stories because either we can't tell them because we're not allowed to, or we don’t have the language to speak in those terms. But that's also a detriment because people don't know what we do." Hear the Stories Finding a platform for CISOs to share their stories is one reason Chainguard CISO John Sapp Jr. signed on as well. He and Kopczynski appeared in the first "Declassified" episode. Aspects of the role, like the long hours and sensitive material, are stressful for CISOs but also their families. Sapp was happy with the opportunity to explain that in depth, and how the isolation affected him. Pressure and communication barriers even led to his divorce, he reveals to Dark Reading and on camera. "I think it's a healing opportunity because we had to carry this stuff bottled up inside of us for so long," he says. "We go home, and we have spouses and others in our lives who we want to talk to, but there are certain things we can't say." Even if they want to tell their stories, potential blowback from employers is one concern that keeps CISOs silent, he tells Dark Reading. They're afraid of what may come back on them, but they're also worried that sharing their frontline experiences could prevent them from getting their next opportunity in a career that didn't even exist 25 years ago. In the docuseries, Sapp did discuss a hack that happened while working for a global manufacturing medical device company with an office located in Brazil. The bank they worked with was adding multifactor authentication to its security posture when threat actors used the opportunity to conduct a social engineering campaign. In one moment, a seemingly legitimate bank call turned into $2 million stolen. "There is an importance to what we do because if we don't do it, society as a whole will be impacted," he says. "Cyber terrorism is real, and we are the generals that are responsible for defense." Read the Reviews Burnout isn't exclusive to the CISO role. The cybersecurity space is full of people dealing with the turmoil that leads towards burnout, says Bryson Byrd, cybersecurity advisor for Huntress and CISO and co-founder of Servitium Cyber. To that end, Byrd agreed with the goals of the new Red Mirror Studios project, noting that any medium that helps raise awareness of the problem and let professionals know they’re not alone is a good thing. As a professor and mentor at the University of Texas, he champions a human-centric approach to cybersecurity. When pillars of the community are willing to be vulnerable and share their struggles with “all of this anxiety, burnout and depression stuff,” it makes the rest feel both seen and not alone in this fight, Byrd tells Dark Reading. "Just being able to know, 'Hey, this is another human being going through challenges, and I'm going through them too,' makes you feel less alone," he says. "So, I think that's huge." About the Author Arielle Waldman Features Writer, Dark Reading Arielle spent the last decade working as a reporter, transitioning from human interest stories to covering all things cybersecurity related in 2020. Now, as a features writer for Dark Reading, she delves into the security problems enterprises face daily, providing context and actionable steps. She looks for stories that