For the 2003 Tribeca Film festival, Empire Entertainment was again engaged to produce the festival's largest single component, the Family Festival, which drew an estimated 300,000 visitors over the course of the one day event. This year's family festival encompassed more than 10 blocks of TriBeCa and incorporated a series of large sponsored pavilions and many smaller vendor tents, outdoor stages and activities. Empire Entertainment managed the entire event and provided virtually all services including tenting, permitting and street closure, community relations, integration with city agencies, security, electrical power distribution, decor, staging, sound, lighting, labor, bathrooms, street cleanup, video and A/V, event design and layout, stage management, etc. The key features of this year's event were a reading room and library by Scholastic which again featured storytelling by Whoopi Goldberg and others, a Bloomberg pavillion, a DJ station where children could learn to scratch and mix music, a Starbucks Coffee House pavillion which featured a full afternoon of live talent, a General Motors pavillion which featured an exhibit on hydrogen fuel cell technology and a futuristic hydrogen vehicle, an American Express pavillion where children created crafts, an additional arts & crafts pavillion where children could draw, paint and assemble collages and sculpt, and a Puppetville world which included a series of puppet performances. There were also approximately 50 tents for local merchants, restaurants and crafts people. Another feature of the event included a Tennis area by the USTA, a basketball area operated by the New York Knicks, a fencing area, giant street chess, sidewalk chalk painting, a public art mural, a face painting area, a kite making workshop, jewelry making, and dozens of other activities. There was also a main stage and 5 satellite stages where performances happened throughout the day as well as more than 100 street performers who entertained children and families continuosly throughout the event.

Empire is a leading producer of sponsored events and is proud to be part of the innovative team that presents the TriBeCa Film festival.

For the 3rd year in a row, Empire again produced the annual client conference for one of the world's largest financial companies. For this 4 day / 3 evening event, Empire booked and produced all entertainment and provided keynote and topical speakers including authors Ken & Maddy Dychtwald, Neil Howe & Bill Strauss, Jeri Sedlar and Dr. Bruce Pfau.The opening evening featured world-renowned mentalist, Michael Weber, who stunned the audience with his client-approved, custom mind-reading show. The second evening was an Italian-themed dinner, set in the beautiful hotel gardens, and featured festive décor by McNabb-Roick Events and the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas. Empire complimented this décor and setting by booking classical Italian stringed soloists. Following the dinner, guests walked through the gardens to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge where a beautiful stage was set for concert headline entertainer, Chris Isaak.

For this evening, Empire provided stage & set design, which seamlessly conformed to the bridge architecture and outside surroundings and color schemes, lighting design, sound and all production. Isaak's 90-minute, audience interactive performance was the perfect entertainment for this warm desert night.The third night was a night out on the Las Vegas strip, for which Empire secured 100 tickets for the 'O' performance at the Bellagio. Finally, Empire also designed, built and installed the conference's Resource Center in which a dozen client participants / partners were provided custom-designed spaces to showcase their latest materials to the conferences 300 attendees. This space also served as a place where attendees could relax, network and check email between general sessions. Empire completely transformed a 100' X 50' ballroom space into a stately athletic club environment with custom-made wood desks, backdrops, bookcases, and custom-produced & framed artwork. These elements were complimented with a combination of rentals of leather furniture, beautiful props, floor lamps, trophies, newspaper racks, antique desks and a library area.

An email bank was custom-built in the form of a library study carral. The client indicated how pleased they were with the work that Empire had done for them with an onstage moment of recognition by the company's COO who stated, "Each year, Empire raises the bar…"

At the 2003 NYC Auto Show, Toyota needed a dynamic way to reveal their new Solara Automobile at a press event at the Jacob Javitz Center. Working with production company 02 Creative and in association with George P. Johnson & Co, LUMA created a runway of light in the dark routine set to music. The Solara came in during this blackout and undulating waves of light reflected off the side of the car. When the lights came up, the car was revealed but there was no sign of the methods by which the effect was created. The client was thrilled with LUMA's creative process and their ability to work closely with the client to develop performance solutions that meet their needs.

For the first annual Syndicated National Television Association Conference evening reception, Empire transformed a generic hotel ballroom into a sophisticated, elegant and exclusive nightclub/lounge. The ballroom was draped entirely in white fabric to create a blank slate and was filled with white square banquet tables, white square airport high tops and custom made white square ottomans. At the center of the room a 36’ x 24’ white bar stood with a giant white island in the center. Atop this island an array of white televisions displayed the color bar pattern that Empire brought to life through computer animation. Throughout the room the colors on the monitors were picked up and emphasized with bright bouquets of yellow, red, green and blue flowers, colored martinis containing lighted ice cubes, colored pillows, and extensive décor lighting. Along one wall, Empire printed and hung an image gallery consisting of 21 6’ X 4’ marketing images from various top syndicated television programs which were promoted at the conference. Comfortable lounge areas of low ottomans and stools were grouped around a dance floor and stage upon which a live band performed and a DJ spun dance music in front of a fiber-optic light curtain that changed colors throughout the evening.

For InStyle Magazine's What's Sexy Now Party Empire worked with Event Designer Colin Cowie and Ted Kruckle III to create a singularly sexy event in Manhattan's newest venue, the Hammerstein Ballroom. Reopened after a 60 year hiatus, the Hammerstein Ballroom was Oscar Hammerstein's vision of the rival opera house to New York's Carnegie Hall. At this elegant party for InStyle advertisers and celebrity attendees, Erykah Badu descended a series of candlelit stairs dripping with fag to sing her hits and enchant the crowd. After her set, a DJ spun a set of dance music while attractive models dressed in leather on roller skates danced on pillbox platforms beneath enormous plumes of ostrich feathers created by Colin Cowie.

Empire is a leading producer of Magazine and advertiser events.

In January of 2003 martial arts performance ensemble Art of War performed five major production numbers and four interstitial segments for a Novartis Pharmaceuticals conference produced by MJM Creative Services. The cast of six performers consisted of some of the film industry's top martial artists, including stunt performers from prime time television shows. This outstanding troupe performed in front of an audience of over 600 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.The meeting's theme, "Focus The Power" came to life on three large video screens depicting a full-grown tiger, stalking and running, while narration told the audience, "The greatest martial artists are said to have the Eye of the Tiger. Like the tiger, they know that flawless execution of their strategy demands a relentless focus on their goals..." As the shoji screens slid open, two orange and black clad martial artists, costumed like tigers, furiously twirled staffs before meeting center stage in a combat exercise that illustrated the process of two people learning from one another to expand their knowledge. Later that day, the Art of War troupe performed at the Masters Awards Ceremony for employees who had achieved high goals in the company. The shoji screen at stage left slid open to reveal a martial arts Grandmaster in a black ceremonial uniform. The stage right screens opened and four students in black and orange uniforms entered, followed by a small woman in orange silk. The woman in orange exploded into a gripping wushu performance punctuated by ceremonial drumbeats. Ending her test, she resumed her position in front of the Grandmaster, and ceremoniously exchanged her orange belt for a black belt. Master and student bowed deeply to one another. All of Art of War's performances were met with resounding applause and exclamations of enthusiasm. Art of War is the world's leading martial arts performance ensemble working in the field of customizxed business communications. Art of War also performs at special events and spectacles, and for commercials and event marketing programs.

One of the major emerging trends that Empire has witnessed over the past decade is the increasing use of special events and other forms of experiential or otherwise interactive programming for the purposes of marketing and advertising products and services. As a leading designer & producer of creative projects in these genres, Empire has become an essential production partner to PR firms, advertising and event marketing agencies seeking to deliver high return on their advertising & marketing expenditures. One project that highlights Empire’s value in this area was the recent launch of the National Geographic Channel on Time Warner Cable, Channel 65 in New York City. For this two week campaign, Empire was engaged by the National Geographic Channel to partner with several PR firms and NGC’s media buyers to plan and execute an integrated campaign of events & stunts to achieve both consumer and advertiser awareness and channel tune-in, in the world’s most important media marketplace. Empire assimilated the values of National Geographic Channel’s brand and created a program of public events and stunts that included: NGC day at the Central Park Zoo at which NGC on-air animal adventure hosts The Kratt Brothers presented animal enrichment toys made from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to several animals; An Urban Climbing Open House at NIKETOWN New York that featured a 30’ high climbing tower (designed & built by Empire), a DJ, climbing stunts, and footage from the upcoming special Surviving Everest.Exercise classes at New York’s Chelsea Piers Sports Center led by former West Point Academy fitness instructors Bob & Bonnie Stauffer that included an army-style obstacle course and sandbag circuit to promote the NGC series Surviving West Point. Empire also produced a signature party targeted to key advertisers, members of the press and cable television VIPs. This celebration event showed the fun and edgy side of NGC and showcased its programming. The event was held at the stately Explorer’s Club and featured an Adventure Photo Station in which guests appeared in a jungle or atop the Himalayas, live animals and handlers including a lion cub, baby kangaroo (joey), alligator and 11’ albino python, lively African drummers, belly dancers, striking décor including extensive foliage and faux zebra & leopard print fabrics, a polar explorer’s martini bar made completely of ice, and an exotic menu including tempura-style tarantula, crickets and scorpions. A series of plasma monitors & projection screens, each tastefully outlined with NGC’s yellow border, looped channel programming throughout the event. The event was attended by several celebrities including undersea explorer and Titanic discoverer Bob Ballard, reptile wrangler Dr. Brady Barr, and Perfect Storm author Sebastian Junger. The last component of the campaign was a 10-member Adventure Squad composed of actors authentically costumed as astronauts, undersea explorers, polar explorers, and mountaineers. This squad took to the streets with the National Geographic Channel flag in hand to distribute Channel information and promotional items and engage in adventure-themed ‘street theater’ in all of New York City’s major areas of public congregation. Empire cast, outfitted, trained, and deployed the Adventure Squad, updating their routes daily to achieve optimal results. By the end of the campaign, these brand ambassadors had connected with over 1 million New Yorkers. The client’s view on Empire’s performance: “Thank you to you and your team for the flawless execution of the events celebrating the launch of the National Geographic Channel in NYC. Empire partnered with NGC, our PR firm and media buying agency to create events that were on-brand, on-budget, and exceeded all of our communications goals. Empire has done a superb job with our launch. I don't think anyone else could have done it better… THANK YOU!”

In order to generate press and create excitement surrounding the DVD release of their hit feature film, "Ice Age," 20th Century Fox asked Empire to come up with an idea for a press stunt that would draw lots of media attention. In order to achieve this goal, Empire conceived of and produced an ice sculpting performance that took place on a stage on the sidewalk in front of Toys "R" Us Times Square. The feature of this show was a 16' tall Geoffrey the giraffe made of ice surrounded by sculptures of the other characters from the film. Empire brought in world-renowned ice sculpture team "Fear No Ice" to deliver the live ice sculpting performance. Lighting and fog effects were used to enhance the atmosphere and draw more attention to the show. Background music consisted of a compilation of thematic songs including "Ice Ice Baby," "Cold and Ice" and "freeze frame." The atmosphere was further enhanced by the live walk-around characters from the film who interacted and posed for photos with guests. At the completion of the show, the world premiere of "Scrat's" Missing adventure," a short film that is available exclusively on DVD and home video was broadcast over the Jumbo "Geoffrey-tron" and was introduced by Denis Leary who was the voice of Diego, "Ice Age's" devilish saber-toothed tiger.Ther event was widely covered by both electronic and print media.

When Along Came Mary Productions sought creative and production assistance from a New York-based resource to help with the production of the premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at Cipriani, 42nd Street, they turned to Empire. For this magical event, Empire conceived of and created thematic activity stations for the children who attended the event. The stations included the following:- A Magic Potion Bar: Children created their own potions by pouring different colors of kool-aid powder from test tubes into a cup and mixing it with ginger ale. It was then stirred with a glowing straw and finished off with a lighted ice cube and magical dust. -A Magic Wand Decorating Station: Children were given Styrofoam wands and decorating materials such as stars, moons, glitter, jewels and many other sparkly items to create an exciting and unique wand to take home and practice their spells.-A Mandrake Planting Greenhouse: At this station, guests put on aprons, gardening gloves, and ear muffs (to protect them from the mandrake's fatal cry) and were given terra cotta garden pots to decorate. Once the decoration was complete, our costumed staff helped guests replant a mandrake (fictitious plant children learned about in the film) in their newly decorated pot, gave them growing/maintenance instructions and placed it in a cellophane bag for guests to take home and watch it grow. The heavily attended event which included appearances by all of the film's stars, was wildly successful for client Warner Brothers.

For a private client's 50th birthday party, Empire staged an elaborate and lavish full-day murder mystery at one of the world's top five resorts, and former Rockefeller country estate, The Point Resort in Saranac Lake, NY. The mystery was based on "Gosford Park" and entitled 'Foul Play at the Point.' A cast of 10 professional actors, 20 guests (who each had their own custom-written role), dozens of authentic period costumes and the use of many historically accurate props such as a working Victrola & original 78's, classic cars, lake boats, as well as live performances of 20's jazz, set the scene convincingly in the 1920s. The 12 hour murder mystery included a shooting party, a luncheon, a 'murder' and a surprise-filled dinner at which nothing was as it seemed and the mystery was solved.

When client J. P. Morgan held a special family premiere event at SONY Lincoln Plaza cinemas for the release of the first Harry Potter film, Empire was contracted to create a magical, thematic reception at the adjoining Reebok Sports Club for 600 people. For this parents & children event, Empire created a custom entry façade of THE HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY. Once inside Empire designed, produced and staffed a series of children's craft & magic areas which included a "Design your own Magic Wand," station and an area where children could learn to do sleight-of-hand magical illusions themselves. Thematic Buffet Decorations that included clusters of magic wands, wizard hats, volumes of books, owls, golden chalices, eyeglasses, quidditch, broomsticks, the Invisible Cloak, and the Sorting Hat. Empire also provided an entry façade that guests passed through on their way into the movie theater.

Empire often works with clients like J. P. Morgan to create exciting and innovative customer loyalty events that have a real, positive impact on our client's bottom lines.

For the Automobile Club of America's annual delegates meeting, Empire partnered with Ronnie Davis Productions and caterer Great Performances to co-produce a remarkable evening of entertainment designed to complement the historic surroundings of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. As guests arrived via ferry, they were greeted by a group of children waving flags of many nations. At cocktails, guests were entertained by a stride pianist dressed in sleeve garters and suspenders playing music from the early twentieth century. Upstairs in the main hall, guests entered to a sumptuous dinner for 600 and were greeted by a singing choir of 30 members onstage. The choir then harmonized to support a dramatic reading of the 1883 Emma Lazarus poem "The New Colossus" that is engraved on the Statue of Liberty ("Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."). Following the dinner, guests enjoyed an uplifting performance by Irish Tenor, Ronan Tynan, who sang songs about the immigrant experience and concluded with a rendition of God Bless America with the backing of the choir that brought the audience to their feet to sing along.

For the fourth consecutive year, Empire partnered with Kaleidoscope Productions to contract the talent and related production logistics for the annual dealer meeting of one of the world's largest automotive companies. This year's meeting was held at the Los Angeles Staples Center, and Empire's mission was to secure acts of the highest caliber to fill the roles of host/emcee, concert headliner, and star of the short films played during the general sessions. The talent had to reflect the client-established Academy Awards theme, exceed the expectations of senior management, and be consistent with the company's conservative culture. The result - Billy Crystal's clean, yet witty comedy and interactive repartee as host/emcee was rivaled only by an awesome 90-minute concert by international musical superstar Phil Collins.

The short films, featuring multitalented film and television star Jim Belushi, were extremely well received. As a last-minute addition, Empire arranged for comedian Kevin Nealon who in tandem with Billy Crystal, brought down the house with a hysterical performance satirizing Arnold Schwarzenegger. When it comes to securing the world's best known talent, more corporations turn to Empire Entertainment than any other firm.

Working with leading event designer Colin Cowie, Empire Entertainment helped to produced Instyle Magazine's book launch of Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry at prestigious auction house Christies with a party and charity auction benefiting the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. In addition to providing audio and visual support, Empire created multiple digital projection presentations of the jewels up for auction, including images from Elizabeth Taylor's book. Among the many notable celebrities in attendance, Sir Elton John introduced Elizabeth Taylor, who presided and bid on several of the jewels herself, at one point bidding against Caroline Rhea. To accommodate the last minute request by the client, Empire secured a camera crew to provide image magnification and live feed to the many television news crews outside the venue. Empire has been privileged to work with Colin Cowie Lifestyle for many years.

After delivering Aerosmith in their first-ever corporate concert at a 2001 technology industry conference, Empire was challenged by the client to deliver an equally compelling concert event for 2002. Additionally, the concert would have to feature a world-class artist or artists that would draw both a domestic and international audience of over 5,000 people. Empire worked closely with the client's marketing department, and together determined that a demographically diverse, classically-American concert lineup would best achieve the objectives. Empire delivered an amazing double bill concert featuring platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winner John Mellencamp and soul legend Ray Charles who together provided the ideal mix of global and patriotic appeal, recognized hits, and the right tone to embody the post-9/11 American spirit.

Empire handled all contractual negotiations and worked on all production and travel logistics with both artists. The conference attracted more than the expected number of attendees, Mellencamp thrilled the audience with 75 minutes of back-to-back high-energy hits, and Ray Charles' closing rendition of "America the Beautiful" (accompanied by a multimedia montage of inspirational images) brought the audience to their feet.

Every year, a top global software and technology company brings together nearly 15,000 of its employees from around the world to attend its multi-day global summit. For this year's meeting held at both the New Orleans Convention Center and the New Orleans Superdome, Empire was contracted to secure all of the talent for the conference within the client's specific creative theme.To kick off this incredible meeting, Empire was challenged to deliver a performance that would capture the imagination of the attendees and introduce the overall meeting theme of recognizing and actualizing potential. Empire discovered and presented 10-year old prodigy violinist, Jeremy Cushman, who played an inspiring solo supported by video projection, aerialists, dancers, and spectacular pyrotechnics. This performance received a sustained standing ovation and exceeded the client's wildest expectations for setting the right tone for the meeting.

For this massive undertaking Empire also booked a wide variety of leading-edge talent including world-renowned technology illusionist Marco Tempest who opened general sessions to over 7,500 attendees, New Orleans-style jazz band The Flying Neutrinos performed the walk-in music, aerial troupe AntiGravity (who flew 4 performers up 150 feet over the heads of the astounded attendees), and for the 'All Night Party' multi-platinum rock group Sugar Ray performed a headline concert followed by a breakbeat dance set by UK artist DJ Rap.

For the 2nd consecutive year, Empire was privileged to work for one of the world's largest financial services companies on a client conference targeted towards Chief Financial Officers of major corporations. For this program, which was held in Chicago, IL, Empire was contracted to contribute a variety of creative elements that would add overall value to the conference. Empire provided elements ranging from design and construction of a general session set reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural work in Chicago, to the design, construction, and installation of a client resource center and email bank also inspired by concepts of architecture and design.

Empire was also responsible for producing two nights of Chicago-style entertainment. The first night featured the Second City sketch comedy & improvisation troupe and the second night was held at the Field Museum where The World Champion Trinity Irish Dancers performed and received multiple standing ovations. Empire also provided speakers for the conference including the Honorable Rudy Giuliani, Dr. John Sullivan and aging / demographics expert Dr. Ken Dychtwald. Empire was awarded this program for 2003, to be held in Las Vegas, NV.

Last Spring, Empire produced the national sales conference for over 1300 employees of a global financial services company at the Wyndham Anatole in Dallas, TX. For this most important annual program, Empire served as executive producer, responsible for all aspects of delivering two general sessions, eight breakout sessions, multiple awards programs and a banquet event and party. Achieving the right message for this conference was especially important as the client company sought to strike the right balance between focus on positive growth opportunities and acknowledgement of 9/11-related setbacks. Moreover, it was necessary to meet the challenge of delivering a conference of the highest quality consistent with past years' programs, with a greatly reduced budget. Empire's work on this program met all of our client's objectives and achieved very high ratings from attendees in terms of the value of content as well as the quality of execution. The success of this conference was instrumental in helping the client move beyond the recent difficulties, and to focus clearly on the opportunities of the future.

For the release of a major motion picture with a CIA theme, Empire deftly navigated the sensibilities of post-9/11 New York, and simulated a CIA training environment at New York's Pier 88 Passenger Ship Terminal for the premiere party. The event, hosted by the filmmakers and attended by the movie's A-list stars, featured lighted map tables whose surfaces were enlarged, high resolution satellite reconnaissance imagery, a central bar featuring live and pre-selected digital surveillance imagery, guest activities that included martial arts training, polygraph testing, handwriting analysis, speed chess, and an authentic spy gear showcase where guests could try the latest in intelligence agency technology. For this high-profile event, Empire handled every aspect from venue selection, decor & design, to staging, sound, lighting, entertainment, and activities

Empire is a leading producer of motion picture premiere events.

On June 11, 2002 Empire Entertainment produced for the 3rd year in a row, the Gerry Red Wilson Foundation Comedy Benefit Show in conjunction with The Toyota Comedy Festival at Town Hall in New York City. Each year, Empire works within the national comedy community to deliver the Toyota Comedy Festival's centerpiece show. The 2002 lineup featured performances by headline comedians including Dave Attell, Lewis Black, Jim Breuer, Eddie Brill, Adam Ferrara, Greg Fitzsimmons, Kevin Meaney, Patrice O'Neal, Colin Quinn, and Jon Stewart, with musical support by The Fenwicks.

Empire handled all talent booking, coordination, production & logistics for this public show, which has raised more than $100,000 for the Foundation. The Gerry Red Wilson Foundation is an organization dedicated to heightening awareness of and raising funds for research into a cure for meningitis.Empire is a leading producer of festival entertainment and is the industry leader in presenting comedians for corporate events.

As part of the First Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a star studded premiere charity screening of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was held at New York's Embassy Suites. The event, held to benefit the Children's Aid Society, was held immediately prior to the film's first New York screening and attracted over 1000 children and VIP guests including Natalie Portman, Denis Leary, Susan Sarandon and Michael J. Fox. For this event Empire provided a team of amazing face painters to transform children and adults into Star War characters as well as some of New York's top swordsmen and women who, costumed in authentic Jedi garb, did battle with real light sabers throughout the party on catwalks high above the event floor. Another highlight of the event planned and executed by Empire was the Jedi Training camp where the children were taught some authentic Jedi moves and received their very own light sabers upon graduation.

In May of 2002, Empire Entertainment produced the first-ever TriBeCa Family Festival, a major public outdoor street festival that was a central component of the TriBeCa Film Festival sponsored by American Express. Empire designed and executed virtually every aspect of the Family Festival, whose purpose was to revitalize economic and community activity in lower Manhattan's TriBeCa district post-9/11.

Presented in an area encompassing 10-city blocks in the heart of TriBeCa, Empire brought together an outstanding team who successfully produced the event, managing the wide-ranging issues and concerns of the community, local businesses, and over a dozen city agencies. Empire's production team designed, arranged, and coordinated all aspects of the event including permitting, tenting, staging, power distribution, sound, lighting, signage, decor, and security. The Family Festival drew over 100,000 attendees and involved the construction of 50 tents, including an activities tent (sponsored by MTV), an arts & crafts tent (sponsored by Barilla Foods), a reading room & story-telling tent (sponsored by Scholastic), a sports games tent, a carnival games tent (including displays by Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum), a community organizations tent, a community schools tent, a massive outdoor cafe area served by over a dozen neighborhood restaurants, speed chess, sidewalk chalk art, and a face-painting area among many other features and activities. The Festival also featured a main performance stage, several smaller performance stages, and more than 100 stage and street performers.

Highlights of the event included storytelling by Whoopi Goldberg, a martial arts performance by the USA Shaolin Temple, and an outdoor concert by Arista Recording Artist, Kelly Levesque. The Family Festival was instrumental in generating revenue and restoring a sense of community to TriBeCa, and was one of New York City's major event successes of 2002.

Empire is already organizing an even larger TriBeCa Family Festival for 2003.

For a global pharmaceutical firm, Empire booked and produced a perfect evening of beach music under starry Caribbean skies with musical legends the Beach Boys (featuring original members Mike Love and Bruce Johnson). The event took place on the remote island of St. John in the U. S. Virgin Islands where all staging, sound, lighting, power and band equipment had to be brought in by boat. At this wildly successful party, guests danced in front of the stage, on the sand and even in the water to all of the Beach Boys hits including "Good Vibrations," "Surfin' USA," "California Girls" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." The client was thrilled with the show and the opportunity proves that Empire can work its magic even on difficult, foreign shores.

For the fourth year in a row, Empire Entertainment served as event producer for The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's Kids For Kids event. This star-studded event took place at New York's Wollman Rink, which is located in the heart of Central Park. For this large, upscale event, Empire designed and supervised every aspect of the production from tenting, staging, and entertainment, to permits, activities, and security. Empire took on the formidable challenges of heavy rains and flooding to make the show go on. The 2002 Kids for Kids event was attended by over 2,000 people and featured games and activities hosted by over 100 celebrities including Richard Gere, Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Michael Douglas, Carmen Electra, Al Franken, Natalie Portman, Caroline Rhea, and many others. This year Empire booked the musical guest, J Records recording artist O-Town. In past years, Empire has delivered headliners including Mandy Moore, Eden's Crush and Destiny's Child.

Kids for Kids 2002 was chosen by industry publication BizBash as one of the Top 100 Events of 2002.

When a multinational computer company needed to find a special speaker with unique criteria for an incentive program in Hawaii, Empire worked with the company's chosen production company to identify an out-of-the ordinary choice that would far exceed the client's expectations. The speaker needed to appeal to employees throughout Asia but, if possible, would also have an American or Hawaiian connection. The client wanted the speaker to deliver a wow! factor but they also wanted a compelling and inspiring life story. Leveraging our connections in Japan, Empire was able to identify and deliver the highly respected, just-retired Sumo wrestling Yokozuna (Grand Champion), Akebono, to appear at the program. Akebono, an American (a Hawaiian native) and a sports celebrity in Japan on par with Michael Jordan in America, was a knockout with the hundreds of attendees, almost all of whom waited to greet the star personally after his speech. Empire is the industry's leading one-stop-shop for speakers of every genre and is the ideal resource when you are looking for 'Out-of-the-box' ideas that are hard to find on the 'usual suspects' speaker bureau lists.

In another example of creative cross-fertilization between industry-specific event forms and the fusion of Empire's creative, talent & production expertise, Empire produced a stunt-oriented fashion show for an automobile manufacturer to help them launch their new line of sportswear and accessories along with a new vehicle. The event was held in conjunction with the New York Auto Show at New York's notoriously challenging Jacob Javits Center. For this high-energy, one time only press event, aerial/acrobatic troupe Antigravity provided both audience thrills and the runway models to style the new line, Empire supervised all staging, sound, lighting, image projection, technical design & rigging, union labor negotiations, talent, stage management, music, costuming, choreography and special effects including a surprise vehicle reveal.

For the fourth consecutive year, Empire produced and staged the Twentieth Century FOX Retail Summit at the St. Regis Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. This year's program included a keynote presentation by movie icon Shirley Temple Black and a live performance by world-renowned ice sculptors Fear No Ice that was inspired by the FOX animated feature Ice Age. Empire was again successful in delivering a conference that greatly exceeded the expectations of our clients, managing every aspect from program development, staging, sound, lighting, video and creative design, to décor, onsite management and logistics. A leading global producer of filmed entertainment, Twentieth Century FOX repeatedly turns to Empire Entertainment for assistance with their business communications productions.

When 20th Century Fox sought to use a segment on the Today Show featuring original M*A*S*H* motion picture actors Elliot Gould, Tom Skerret and Sally Kellerman to promote the DVD release of the M*A*S*H* movie, Empire was hired to create a background for the segment. Working with limitations such as a small space on the Today Show set and an extremely short amount of set-up time, Empire created a realistic and convincing background that properly set the stage for the interview and created a visual that helped FOX to accomplish the promotion it sought. The Today Show segment aired on January 9, 2002.

When 20th Century Fox released the DVD version of their critically acclaimed film Moulin Rouge, they called upon Empire to create an engaging, interactive and exciting environment in which they could give the media a first-hand introduction. Utilizing a series of guest rooms on a single floor of New York's Morgans hotel, Empire created highly detailed vignettes depicting various scenes from the film. Media guests were treated to stimulating visual feast as they moved from room to room to experience and view the special features of the Moulin Rouge DVD.As the elevator doors opened on the Moulin Rouge floor, press members were greeted by costumed courtesans who escorted them to the reception salon and then to each of the six viewing rooms as follows: The Entrance, the Reception Salon, the Writer's Garret, Sateen's Boudoir, the Producer's Office, the Spectacular Spectacular Backstage, the Absinthe Bar, and the Moulin Rouge. At the end of their tour, guests were invited to conduct a one-on-one interview with the film's director, Baz Luhrman in a final, richly-appointed suite.

When the CEO of a top beverage company sought to entertain his top executives, they turned to Empire to deliver the right, all-American entertainment. The event was to be held at a private home in Greenwich, CT, just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The entertainment was to be an after-dinner surprise for an intimate group of fewer than 30 top executives. To meet this challenge, Empire was able to deliver iconic American singer / songwriting Don McLean to perform with just guitar and keyboards. Empire also designed a professional sound & lighting installation that would work inside the intimate environment. McLean performed his well-known hits "American Pie" and "Vincent" as well as 5 or 6 other songs that also included a new song, which he had recently written for his daughter. To the guest's delight, Don McLean played longer than he was contracted for, interacted with the crowd and encouraged them all to join him for a group sing-along along on "American Pie". The attendees were thrilled with his performance.Whether for the largest events for hundreds of thousands of people, or for intimate settings, Empire can provide the right entertainment solution.

In November 2001, Empire Entertainment once again produced 80's and 90's superstar act Huey Lewis & The News at the Mark Etess Arena in the Trump Taj Mahal Resort & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey. This fabulous 75-minute headline performance was sponsored by Commerce Bank for The League of Municipalities. The band played a greatest hits concert which included songs such as "Power of Love," "Heart of Rock N Roll," "Hip to Be Square," and "If This Is It" among many others. The event was a huge success for the audience of over 5,000 who were dancing and singing along before the first few songs were over. Empire was responsible for contracting the talent, and handling all logistics and production including image magnification via giant video projection screens. The event concluded with an enormous balloon and beach ball drop organized by the client.

In November 2001, Empire presented Grammy Award-winning artists, The Wallflowers featuring Jakob Dylan to entertain 1,000 attendees at the conclusion of a three-day business conference for a European Investment Bank. This spectacular show was held at The Pavillion at The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix Arizona. The Wallflowers, an awesome roots-rock band fronted by Bob Dylan's song, Jakob, performed for over 75 minutes, playing many of their hits from their album One Headlight Missing and several cover songs. This amazing performance was very audience interactive as Dylan brought an attendee up on stage to sing David Bowie's "Heroes" alongside him. The event was produced in collaboration with Susan B. Green Associates.

When Microsoft founder & CEO Bill Gates - one of the world's most innovative entrepreneurs - launched his book, Business @ The Speed of Thought, Empire Entertainment was contracted to produce his keynote presentation at New York's Ziegfeld Theater.Business @ The Speed of Thought focuses on how business and technology – specifically digital infrastructures and information networks - are interconnected. On March 24, 1999, Gates spoke to more than 1,000 Columbia University and New York University business students at the Ziegfeld Theater. The students warmly received Bill Gates’ inspiring & engaging keynote remarks, and moderated question & answer session. He followed his speech on the future of technology with an oft-shown gag video featuring Jay Leno and his long-time friend, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer.

The event was a complete success and Empire helped to plan and implement all aspects ibncluding venue selection and contracting, production desigm, creative develiopment, staging, lighting, audio, video and graphics projection, secdurity, logistics, press integration and decor. Empire Co-President J. B. Miller also worked creatively with Bill Gates to develop the presentation for the audience.Empire is a leading provider of keynote speakers from every walk of life and is also deeply experienced in producing individual speakers in theatrical presentations. Whether you require a motivator, an inspirational speaker, an expert speaker or just someone to engage the audience, Empire is the ideal one-stop-shop for every type of keynote speaker.

When Twentieth Century Fox held their International Rental Summit, which brought together over 140 Fox clients from 17 countries, Empire Entertainment was chosen to be the producer of the entire conference. The three day, multi-function program was held in mid-December and included general sessions that explored emerging trends in the international distribution of filmed entertainment, and previewed forthcoming video releases such as "X-Men," "Me, Myself & Irene," "Bedazzled" and "Big Momma's House" among others. The presentations required simultaneous translation into 7 languages. Empire Entertainment provided full-service management of this program including site selection, contracting the Four Seasons Hotel, destination management, banquet supervision, theme attendee activities such as helicopter tours and "Cosmic Bowling" and all aspects of the design, staging and production of the business sessions as well as all entertainment. The challenge: To excite, inspire and entertain top customers from around the world in the entertainment industry who have seen and done everything. The result: in the words of Fox senior management, Empire's work created "The best Summit yet!"

Empire produced two nights of headline entertainment at this spectacular resort setting on Mexico's Pacific Coast for a top international beverage company's senior management and most-valued clients. Complimenting the stunning environment with perfectly-suited entertainment, Empire produced internationally renowned Flamenco artist Ottmar Liebert under the moon & stars in a mission-style courtyard. On the second evening, Glenn Frey of The Eagles closed the conference with a 75 minute performance on the Pacific beach with with a 9 piece 'unplugged' band. To meet the challenges of providing world-class production value in the middle of the Mexican jungle, Empire Entertainment transported all staging, sound, lighting and crew from the United States, handling all logistics of cross-border shipping and permits and communications. Call Empire if you are planning a program in Mexico and take advantage of our experience in this country.

It's not often that corporate concerts are reviewed in major publications like The New York Times, but when Empire produced Grammy-award winning singer, Sheryl Crow, the business editor couldn't resist including a story entitled, "A Technology Crowd is Soothed by Song." The piece, which appeared in the business section of the Sunday New York Times, included... "There is a challenge to cheering up a bunch of downtrodden technology investors...but [Empire's client] may have found a way." ... "Ms. Crow ...belted hits like "Leaving Las Vegas" and "My Favorite Mistake." She and her band clearly brightened the mood of 1000 ... attendees from Palo Alto to Wall Street." The New York Times, 12/3/00. Sheryl Crow's rocking set and band not only brightened the mood but will be remembered as one of the most dynamic and hard rocking parties of the Internet boom years.

Empire constantly identifies and secures new, unexpected and often ground-breaking entertainment to fulfill our client's ever changing needs. At a conference for an international investor group, Empire produced another rare moment in corporate entertainment with British headline concert act Squeeze for an enthusiastic and responsive audience of over 400 executives. The appreciative attendees danced throughout the show and gave Squeeze multiple standing ovations after their 75 minute performance which included many of their biggest hits such as "Tempted," "Black Coffee In Bed" & "Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)." Finding and securing artists that pinpoint the needs of demographically mixed group is one of Empire's greatest strengths. The program also included a variety of other elements including a rousing motivational speech by baseball legend Tommy Lasorda.

In November 2000, Empire produced an extremely successful emerging technology conference / expo for one of the world's largest financial services firms.The two day event was held at Bridgewaters, at the South Street Seaport, New York City, and featured next generation technologies from nearly 70 high-tech firms & organizations including Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, Mercedes-Benz, TiVo and others. The participating companies showcased the latest wireless, voice-activated and internet appliance products in a unique, comfortable & multi-functional environment designed and produced by Empire Entertainment.Top Internet and technology speakers were also on hand to share their technological predictions and strategies in several general sessions, some of which were broadcast to international locations via satellite. The event was instrumental in helping to position this financial services client as a leader in emerging technologies.

When International Event Designer Colin Cowie Lifestyle sought a full service production & talent partner with international capabilities to partner with on a multi-million dollar wedding project in Florence, Italy, they chose Empire Entertainment to provide a broad range of services including production design, staging, sound, video projection & A/V support, labor, electrical power, stage management and talent booking & logistics.

The wedding program for 150 guests from around the world ran for a full weekend and included a Friday night event at the Castello di Vincigliata in the Tuscany Hills, a luncheon event in a Florence sculpture garden, a one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony and an unforgettable reception and after-party at the Palazzo Gerini in Florence.The spectacular wedding Ceremony was held in the Orsan Michele Church in central Florence. The ceremony featured, among other highlights, Steven Spielberg walking the bride down the aisle, a 14 member ensemble of Italian musicians playing ancient Italian musical instruments, an Italian children's choir, a choral group from Sweden and a gospel choir from the United States, Patti Austin and James Ingram working under the direction of Quincy Jones, The Poem of Rumi read by Deepak Chopra, an aria sung by opera legend Andrea Bocelli and a ceremony led by none other than the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

To stage this extraordinary event Empire utilized its extensive network of contacts throughout Europe to deliver the very best production technicians and craft people. Empire planned, organized and led the efforts of this multinational team of experts to execute a large series of incredibly demanding events in a very short period of time in a locale that presented many unique challenges in addition to the customary language & cultural barriers, communications difficulties, time zone response time lags, customs hassles, work permit & visa issues and archaic music licensing statutes.Empire delivered flawlessly under these adverse conditions and was able to integrate and orchestrate its efforts perfectly with the dozens experts on the Colin Cowie design team.The resulting weekend and wedding was one of the most extraordinary weddings ever staged.

When an international beverage & food company sought to convene their global management of many divisions in Puerto Rico for four days of business meetings, activities and entertainment, they turned to Empire Entertainment to manage the complex series of events, the wide variety of talent and the issues of producing meetings & performances in Puerto Rico.The conferences were ably managed by Kaleidoscope Productions but the entertainment which included performances by Harry Belafonte, Jon Secada and Celia Cruz with the José Alberto Orchestra were managed by Empire Entertainment.

The Harry Belafonte and Jon Secada shows were staged at the Hyatt regency Cerromar Beach but the focus of the engagement was an event staged outdoors in Old San Juan in a the Quartel de Bellaja, a colonial era building featuring a large indoor courtyard.For this engagement, Empire worked closely with the client, the caterer, the designers and a variety of production vendors and talent to deliver a seamless event with state of the art sound, lighting and staging in the unpredictable outdoor weather of Puerto Rico.Empire brought in massive staging, fully self-sufficient electrical power systems, a lighting system that included a huge number of instruments to light the historic architecture of the courtyard, state of the art sound that served the needs of both the CEO who addressed the audience and the series of bands who led the international guests in dancing late into the night.

Presented in Dakar, Senegal this year, the 19th Grand Challenges Annual Meeting hosted over 60 sessions across two venues, and over four days, with over 1,400 attendees, promoting the sharing of information across global health verticals. This year’s Grand Challenges Annual Meeting was the largest to date. During daily plenary sessions, delegates heard from the likes of Bill Gates, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Comoros President Azali Assourmani, U. S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, and a wide range of scientific leaders representing various fields of research. Added to this year’s event were several musical and artistic elements, including an evening concert by Senegalese musical superstar and health advocate Youssou N’dour and a performance by the Kanjele Gospel Choir. It was a privilege to be involved in another meaningful and impactful Grand Challenges Annual Meeting.

To learn more and view the sessions visithttps://www.grandchallenges.org/annual-meeting

To celebrate the premier of ABC Television's star-studded version of Annie, Empire was called upon to 'imagineer' an elegant theme. After the screening of the film, over 1,000 guests proceeded to The Roseland Ballroom in New York City, which Empire converted for the evening into the grand and glorious mansion of Daddy Warbucks. The Christmas environment featured at the end of the film was replicated with the use of snow machines that blew snow over iron gates and an antique car that marked the event entrance.Once inside, guests drank eggnog and danced to the sounds of the George Gee Big Band while children decorated gingerbread cookies and opened presents under a giant Christmas tree in the center of the room.

When the world's largest financial services company set out to produce their most important, global management conference for its top 800 executives from around the world, they chose Empire to produce the entire conference including the general sessions, the resource center / technology lounge and the gala entertainment night.This massive event was programmed to appeal to an audience comprised of highly educated and worldly people representing dozens of countries around the globe. The meeting was the first of its kind for the new Chairman and his management team and was conducted in a business climate that was both enthusiastic about the technology boom taking place in the markets and also cautious about the volatile international business climate.

For the two days of business general sessions, Empire designed and fabricated a massive stage that was capable of accommodating keynote speeches, panel discussions and interstitial entertainment elements. Behind this stage in an arc stood five massive screens displaying projection images that had been synced. The general sessions included a speech by globalization expert and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman who had recently released his bestseller The Lexus and the Olive Tree, and an inspirational and motivational program led by musical conductor Ben Zander. At the conclusion of the meeting, a simulated lowering of the ball in Times Square combined with a giant confetti cannon burst and closing music kicked off a simulated celebration of the forthcoming Millennium New Year's Eve celebration.

A massive technology lounge and resource center featured approximately 25 trade show like stations, each constructed with curved rear walls and silver pedestals, that showcased the latest technological innovations from companies and organizations ranging from Microsoft and SONY to MIT Media Lab. Empire designed and created all of the furnishings, provided lighting design, music and special effects and supported the needs for a variety of prototype technologies, some of which were being demonstrated for the first time.

On the final night of the conference, Empire was called upon to create a once-in-a-lifetime entertainment event that would appeal to the all of the participants and provide an element of fun for the guests. Empire created an original show entitled "GLOBAL FUN" that brought together over 100 leading performers from around the world, representing a variety of cultures and performance styles. The show began with a dramatic Japanese Taiko Drumming number and then transitioned to a performance by Argentina's Forever Tango featuring tango dancers and musicians. Then, representing Africa, Tsidii Le Loca, star of Disney's Lion King on Broadway, performed a rousing number with 35 Congolese drummers and dancers. Following this, the Peking Acrobats of China performed a set of their world-renowned routines including the hair-raising chair stacking sequence and a number where 16 acrobats all rode one bicycle. Up next were the Umbilical brothers, a physical comedy duo from Australia who regularly play the Sidney Opera House. They had the audience in stitches with their innovative brand of slapstick humor and their stunning 'Wall' sequence where they create the illusion of impossibly flexible arms & legs.

When Microsoft Corporation planned to give a sneak preview of their Office 2000 Software in conjunction with the PC Expo Trade Show in New York, they wanted to create a fun and interactive environment for the press and their key customers in the New York area.They turned to Empire Entertainment to conceive and design a sneak preview event that would provide both a forum for previewing the product and an enjoyable, interactive party experience.

For this event, Empire created a movie-themed event that consisted of two parts: a 'premiere screening' theater and a working soundstage.As guests arrived on buses organized by Empire, they were greeted by paparazzi flashing their photos on a special red carpet. They were then ushered inside to a movie theater that we had created complete with branded popcorn stands and bags, walk-in music, costumed ushers and ticket takers and a projection screen with curtain warmer uplights and branded gobos. The guests were treated to a brief presentation which featured a hilarious movie trailer that previewed the product. The trailer began with a version of the Motion Picture Association of America green screen that stated "The following preview is approved for all computer users...."

Once the screening was over, the rear wall of the theater was removed with a fly-away curtain that revealed a movie soundstage with three full movie sets in production, each equipped with sound, lights, props and scenery. The sets represented a western saloon, a space-based action adventure with a space ship bridge, model field and alien planet surface, and a jungle-based action adventure complete with a crashed aircraft tail sticking out of the brush. The sets were positioned around a large commissary-style cafe & bar with director chair seating.

On each movie set a director and crew of lighting, sound, clapboard PA, camera man and special effects supervisor actively shot pre-scripted scenes using costumed actors from the Gotham City Improv troupe. As the evening progressed and the drinks flowed, the guests got into the action, directing the scenes and donning costumes as they "acted" in the different scenes.At the end of the evening, each guest walked home with a copy of their own screen test.

Empire Co-Presidents J. B. Miller and David Yamner received the prestigious Emmy Award For Extraordinary Achievement in the News & Documentary Category for their roles as Executive Producers on the feature, documentary motion picture "The Cruise."Shot entirely on digital video and transferred to 35mm film, "The Cruise" was the first feature film to reach national theatrical release that was produced in an entirely digital format."The Cruise" is a black & white documentary about a New York City double-decker bus tour guide named Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Best described by the Village Voice who called him "The guy Woody Allen can only dream of being," Levitch appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to promote the film.Released nationally in 1998 by Artisan Entertainment, the film received "Two thumbs up" from Siskel & Ebert, an "A" rating in Entertainment Weekly and solid praise in publications ranging from The New York Times, USA Today and Newsweek to the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Variety and Rolling Stone.This rewarding experience has helped Empire to develop new producing skills to apply to our clients' projects.You can visit the official website for "The Cruise" at http://www.TheCruiseMovie.com/

Empire Entertainment Co-Presidents J.B. Miller and David Yamner recently served as Executive Producers on the motion picture entitled, "The Cruise." Shot entirely on digital video and transferred to 35mm film, "The Cruise" is perhaps the first feature film to reach national release that was produced in an entirely digital format. "The Cruise" is a black & white documentary about a New York City double-decker bus tour guide named Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Best described by The Village Voice who called him "The guy Woody Allen can only dream of being," Levitch appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to promote the film. Released nationally by Artisan Entertainment, the film received two thumbs up from Siskel & Ebert, an "A" rating in Entertainment Weekly and solid praise in publications ranging from The New York Times, USA Today and Newsweek to the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Variety and Rolling Stone. This rewarding experience has helped Empire Entertainment to develop new production skills to apply to our clients' projects.

Empire was engaged by one of the world's largest corporations to provide their worldwide management meeting with thought-provoking entertainment for their final night gala.The creative mission laid down by the executive team hosting the meeting was to create 'Something new, young, different, and forward looking...' Because of the global and senior level nature of the audience, the event created would have to appeal to some of the most sophisticated people in the world representing countries from every region of the globe. Accepting this challenge, Empire rapidly mobilized and worked in close creative collaboration with the client for many months to create and produce a 'Circus of the Future.'

This once-in-a-lifetime show included performances by nearly 50 unique artists including Antigravity, Le Clique, Michael Moschen and Penn & Teller. The tented production integrated state-of-the-art lighting, sound and special effects technology and was supported by the efforts of a technical crew of over 100 people.For this grand undertaking, Empire planned, supervised and executed every detail from creative development, site selection, tent construction (using one of the largest free span tents in North America), seating design, decor, and production design to scripting, talent booking, special effects design, onsite direction and production management. The results of our months of work were described by the client as '...the subject of great discussion and acclaim...' and '...One of the most successful events ever staged...'

Empire is a leading producer of original productions and made-to-order, one-of-a-kind events.

Empire's growing theme party division creates company theme parties for a wide variety of audiences — from corporate clients to company employees. This past summer, the Disney Corporation hired Empire Entertainment to produce a party for affiliates of their film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The result was a festive event which captured the look and era of the film, featuring medieval characters, organ music, fine cuisine and a venue recalling the interior of the historic Notre Dame.

Site-selection, decor and menu and live entertainment are all a part of Empire's theme party services. When it came to selecting a site for Disney's "Hunchback" event, Empire chose New York's Landmark on the Park, an historic church and party venue that perfectly captured the essence of the film. The interior was illuminated with custom-made lights and banners promoting the movie and Disney's corporate identiy.In keeping with the party's medieval theme, Empire hired actors and actresses from the Renaissance Fair to play roles representative of the film's European era. Actors playing minstrels, jugglers, kings and commoners joined characters from the film to man craft-stations, which enabled children of affiliates to partake in a variety of playful activities including necklace creation to statue painting.

Previous to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame's" successful launch party, Empire worked with Disney to create another theme-oriented movie-launch celebration for the motion picture "Toy Story."