A crime was committed just up the road from GrodsHQ in the wee hours of this morning.

A security guard was shot in the shoulder outside an adult entertainment business in Brunswick early today.

Police said a man wearing a balaclava and armed with a small handgun shot the security guard standing outside the premises in Sydney Road at 1.30am (AEDT).

The victim, believed to be in his late 40s, was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.

The armed man, who ran off down an alley, was described as 180 centimetres tall and of medium build.

Police have released a photograph of a man wanted for questioning over the crime, standing in front of the strip club in question.

If you see this guy do not approach as he is armed and dangerous