​The Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) is where technical experts from around the world, with Microsoft, come together to help educate, facilitate the exchange of ideas and give people a venue to share best practices and discuss future opportunities around Windows. Microsoft asked Empire to help with the production of this year’s Exposition and Reception Party.

WinHEC is a series of technical conferences and workshops that ran from 1992 to 2008, and was brought back in 2015 by Microsoft with the intention of holding multiple conferences throughout the year. For the recent kickoff event they looked to discuss advancements in the Windows platform as well as Microsoft’s growing investments in Shenzhen and China.

Working with the local agency Uniplan Guangzhou, Empire handled the secretariat duties for the Exposition partners which included a number of local Shenzhen IT companies. In all, 22 booths were created for the event, with Microsoft showcasing the latest in Cortana technology.

Empire also planned and produced the Reception Party held on the opening evening of the two day event. The restaurant at the Grand Hyatt was transformed into an amazing party venue featuring IROCO furniture. Wireless LED bracelets were given to guests, adding ambience to the event as they changed color in sync with the music. Beijing-based DJ Juliana entertained the crowd well into the evening.

Empire’s success in Shenzen showcases our ability to produce the highest quality events for the biggest brands anywhere in the world.

​AMC Networks recently called on Empire to produce an ultimate ‘fan boy’ experience in celebration of television’s highest rated series, The Walking Dead.

From the moment guests arrived they were wowed by Highline Ballroom’s electric and clubby décor, complete with the spectacle of themed arcade games, bite-sized snacks and made to order sushi. Nearly 400 ad sales execs partook in skee-ball, ping-pong, and air hockey, printed their very own The Walking Dead T-shirts and made social media photo booth GIFs, all curated by AMC and Empire.

Whilst noshing on truffle Mac & cheese eggs rolls and chicken & waffle bites, AMC presented an energetic stage program hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, with introductory remarks by AMC and SundanceTV President and General Manager Charlie Collier.

Throughout the stage program, AMC’s next generation programming was presented by show-runners and network stars, unveiling exclusive looks of the network’s forthcoming programs. These included Dave Erickson and Cliff Curtis of Fear The Walking Dead; Jonathan Brackley, Gemma Chan and Sam Vincent of Humans; Al Gough, Miles Millar and Daniel Wu of Into The Badlands; and Evan Goldberg of Preacher. The Preacher segment was accompanied by a pre-recorded video message by the show’s Co-Executive Producer, Seth Rogen.

To conclude the stage program, Pete Holmes introduced AMC fan favorites, The Walking Dead’s Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Norman Reedus. After some playful banter about their experiences on the show, the two stars introduced the teaser of the scintillating The Walking Dead Season 5-finale episode, leaving all the guests ripe with anticipation for the season’s conclusion.

After the stage program, guests danced to the sounds of Twin DJs AndrewAndrew, played games and made their own ice cream sundaes.

Empire was proud to once again support AMC and to help the network celebrate the most successful show on television, The Walking Dead, as well as premiere future AMC programming.

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Empire served as producer of a major event at New York's Manhattan Center to advance the global movement on women’s rights and gender equality.

Presented by UN Women and the United Nations Foundation, the evening was attended by over 2000 VIPs and featured participation by many global leaders including Secretary Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Melinda Gates, and many others.

The evening began with red carpet arrivals and a reception featuring installations by all female contemporary visual artists such as Swoon, Kara Walker, AM-NYC, Marilyn Minter, Olek and Ayana Jackson.

Once guests were seated, a powerhouse program of speakers galvanized the room. New York’s WABC news anchor Sade Baderinwa was the emcee for the evening and introduced a series of impactful appearances and speeches. Presenters included Mayor Bill De Blasio, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Melinda Gates, Transgender Rights Activist Geena Rocerro, and Academy Award winning Actress, Patricia Arquette who reinforced the importance of a gender equal society and immediate action.

“Twenty years ago, declaring that women’s rights are human rights was considered ground-breaking – thankfully it’s now routine,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “I see a future where we unlock the vast potential for women. To realize this vision we’ll have to step it up – step up our commitment to finishing this, the great unfinished business of the 21st century.”

After the program and call to action, followed a series of high-energy musical performances by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Farhan Aktar from India, Grammy nominated artists, Les Nubians, Melanie Fiona and Jill Scott. Musical performances were backed by an extraordinary live band led by Musical Director Onree Gill.

A confetti blast in United Nations colors of blue and white marked the finalé of the celebration as the women gathered onstage to sing “I’m Every Woman,” together in unity.​

On March 25, 2015, Empire presented The Fray for a private event at Tryst in Las Vegas. While the club is designed primarily for DJ performances, we were able to have the band work with far smaller stage dimensions than they usually require. The club atmosphere and the close-knit group on stage added to the incredible energy in the room as the band thrilled the crowd with their hits including "How To Save A Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)".

Empire presents headline concert artists for special events worldwide. We take pride in our ability to work with performers and tour managers to determine their flexibility in order to deliver shows like this one.

​Every year, Los Angeles hosts the Grammy Awards as well as many other high-profile events during Grammy Week. This year was no exception and Empire was once again called upon by recording artist and visionary will.i.am to produce the 4th Annual TRANS4M Gala, benefiting the i.am.angel Foundation. Founded by will.i.am, the Foundation supports trans4mation and revival in distressed East Los Angeles communities by providing STEAM youth educational opportunities.

Traditionally presented as large-scale concert event, this year’s event was designed as a more intimate and high-level gathering with a curated VIP guest list and greater interaction with the Foundation’s programs and students. The cocktail, dinner and after-party were designed around exclusive access to will.i.am’s private studio in Hollywood aptly named “The Future".

On a warm February night, 250 of i.am.angel’s most important supporters arrived to experience the Future. They were immediately greeted by an animated virtual will.i.am represented in an amazing 3D projection mapping installation. As will.i.am’s Technicolor image morphed, will sang to a custom electronic track.

Next guests entered a cocktail space designed so that donors could witness up close and personal demonstrations presented by the very students who benefit from the i.am.angel STEAM programming. Students engaged guests with their life-size, hand-built robots, projection mapping displays, coding hackathon and immersive experiences using oculus rift glasses. There was also a 3D printing lab where guests could print a representation of their own face and integrate themselves into 3D games, videos and photos, all hosted by students.

After cocktails, guests were ushered into the Future’s sleek white contemporary atrium and soundstage space which had been trans4med into an elegant dining room with long banquet tables. Flourishes of color from florals, lighting gobos and projections added to the futuristic aesthetic.

A stage program with a series of videos, animations and speakers underscored the importance of the Foundation’s work while guests dined on hyper-modern tableware. will.i.am, and others were joined onstage by i.am.angel scholars and students to poetically tell the story of the important and successful work of the organization. The program included remarks from Chief Philanthropy Officer Tatiana Litvin, Head of STEAM Programming Lilly Kam, Director of Learning & Development at College Track Tina Kim, as well as student Cynthia Arenas who gave a heartfelt tribute to will for all that the STEAM education programs have done for her.

will.i.am then spoke genuinely about his purpose for creating the i.am.angel Foundation and his commitment and inspiration to give back to the community. As a highlight to the evening, three students who were featured on a 2009 Oprah Winfrey Show with will.i.am where he graciously sponsored them with full scholarships to college surprised him onstage. They thanked him for his dedication to the program and shared personal stories of how the Foundation’s work has helped them become the first college graduates in their families.

International superstar recording artist Moby then closed the program with a performance featuring several of his hits, as well as Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin covers. After Moby’s performance, guests were invited back into the cocktail area for passed desserts and cocktails, while we quickly transformed the dinner space into an after party where DJ Dnice spun and guests danced until the late hours.

By the end of the event, the i.am.angel Foundation had raised over $800,000 for its important programs that trans4m lives though education, inspiration and opportunity.

Empire is honored to continue our long-term partnership with the i.am.angel Foundation and to serve as producer of this exclusive event in this unique Los Angeles venue. For more information on the foundation, please visit www.iamangelfoundation.org

On Thursday, January 29, BizBash inducted five veteran eventand meeting professionals into the BizBash Hall of Fame, including J.B. Miller,Empire Entertainment’s President and CEO. Chosen by the BizBash executivecommittee for their work, accomplishments, and contributions to the industry,the honorees joina group of some of the most prestigious names in events. Theceremony, held at Urbo in Times Square, drew more than 300 guests.

J.B. Miller has more than two decades ofexperience as a producer in the entertainment industry and since foundingEmpire Entertainment in 1993 has overseen the production of countless corporate,nonprofit, and private events in countries around the world. These include theTIME 100 Gala, the White House's United Nations General Assembly reception, theWebby Awards, and events for Spotify, Viacom, Google, and Microsoft. In 1998 hereceived an Emmy for his work on the feature documentary The Cruise. An extensive traveler, Miller has also served on the boards of ReelWorks Teen Filmmaking and Keep a Child Alive as well as on the performing artsadvisory committee of the Japan Society.

Read more about the 2015Bizbash Hall of Fame here: http://bit.ly/1BjHQ17

​In January 2015, Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen hosted a “Journey to the Stars”-themed gala dinner for over 800 prominent guests at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva.

A highlight of the evening was a performance by the group enra, cast and produced by Empire Entertainment, to perform two customized pieces in celebration of the 75th anniversary of IWC’s legendary Portugieser watch family. The clients and audience were thrilled by the performance with an overwhelmingly positive reaction and a standing ovation.

Based in Japan, enra is an internationally renowned group of artists who fuse live performance art with projection mapping. They are experts in genres that include martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, juggling and street dance. Examples of their work can be seen at enra.jp.

Guests and brand ambassadors who attended the gala evening included movie stars Emily Blunt, Christoph Waltz, Zhou Xun and Moritz Bleibtreu, filmmaker and screenwriter Marc Forster, sports personalities such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Luís Figo, supermodels Adriana Lima and Karolina Kurkova and musicians Aloe Blacc and Ronan Keating. Additional performances by musician Mick Hucknall and high-tech illusionist Marco Tempest completed the magical evening.

Empire is proud to have produced enra in Switzerland and is a leading producer of worldwide talent.

When a corporate client wanted to treat their 800 meeting attendees to aspecial night out at the House of Blues in Houston, TX, they turned to Empireto provide the perfect headline entertainer.

Coming off of their headlining NativeSummer Tour, OneRepublic was the perfect act for this group.

Before the show, lead singer, Ryan Tedder and the band participated in ameet & greet with VIP guests.

When it was time for the concert to begin, three of the client’s contestwinner’s took the stage to introduce the band, as the curtain opened behindthem, and OneRepublic began their rocking set.

The audience sang along as the band performed hit-after-hit including “FeelAgain,” “Counting Stars,” “Love Runs Out,” “I Lived,” “All the RightMoves,” “Secrets,” “Good Life,” and afinale of “If I Lose Myself” which ended in a confetti burst over the crowd.

Following their performance, DJ Ravi Drums kept the crowd on their feet,dancing away the night.

Empire was responsible for contracting OneRepublic as well as providing alltechnical and logistical support for this perfect corporate headline act.

From Alicia Keys to ZZ Top and everyone in between, Empire is the leadingsource for headline musical talent.

​In December 2014, Empire produced a Las Vegas recognition and awards event series for a top Japanese marketing company. Over 2,500 of the company’s key stakeholders traveled from Japan to be treated to a series of informative, entertaining, and memorable events, all conceived and produced by Empire.

In addition to classic Vegas-themed entertainment and activities, the events featured cutting-edge technology including a 360° “gigapixel” group photo and a 30m (100ft) wide interactive screen. World-class performances, produced and staged by Empire, included those from Jon Bon Jovi, DJ Skee, and Skylar Grey.

Empire was recently honored to once again serve Oprah Winfrey and world-class event designer, Colin Cowie, to produce a historical series of events in Santa Barbara entitled “Legends Who Paved the Way”.

Oprah Winfrey first created the “Legends” Ball in May 2005 based on her vision of honoring champions of equality in America and the African American community and to thank them, celebrate their achievements and recognize them during their lifetimes.

In this spirit of gratitude, Oprah convened a gathering of some of the most influential African Americans living today, including Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Sidney Poitier, Dr. C.T. Vivian, Diane Nash, Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Juanita Jones Abernathy, Marian Wright Edelman, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy Jr., and Julian Bond.

The gala included performances and remarks from Oprah Winfrey, a spoken word performance by the entire cast of Selma (which premiered earlier that evening) led by director Ava DuVernay, and a headline performance by The O’Jays. After the O'Jays performance, the Troy Curtis Band returned to Legends to play an amazing dance music set that kept the celebrity guests dancing until the early hours of the morning.

The weekend concluded with a gospel brunch at Oprah’s home, The Promised Land, led by musical director Bebe Winans and featuring Bill Withers, Kim Burrell, Kori Withers, Kathy Taylor, Joshua Nelson, Marvin Winans, Carvin Winans, Ledisi, AJ Calloway, and Angela Basset. Guests of this December gathering included Oprah and Stedman Graham, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, Cory Booker, Gayle King, Common, Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, David Oyelowo (who plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma), Ben Vereen, Netflix’ Ted Sarandos, Dicovery Communications’ David Zaslov, Ivan Reitman, Rashida Jones, Linda Johnson-Rice, Smokey Robinson, Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi.

For this remarkable occasion, Empire was once again responsible for all talent booking, coordination, contracting and logistics, stage management and run of show.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level and historic events commemorating the events that shape our times.

​Every year, the Turkish government assembles prominent technology leaders who have made significant contributions in the form of innovation to Turkey and the world during the Turkey Innovation Week convention.

On Saturday, December 6, 2014, Empire partnered with ID Creative to deliver scientist and robotics engineer Dr. David Hanson to deliver a keynote presentation for the 2014 Turkey Innovation Week.

Dr. Hanson is the founder of Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based organization that develops and manufactures human-like robots and smart software that brings robotic technology to life. Dr. Hanson creates robots through integrated research into cognitive artificial intelligence, bio-inspired mechanics, materials sciences, sculpture and animation. The results are next generation, walking and talking humanoids with intelligence and faces that effectively simulate human emotional expression.

Before an audience of over 3,000, Dr. Hanson delivered remarks on nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robots in future life, alongside ARTHUR, his newest humanoid robot, who assisted him in his presentation.

Empire is a leading provider of innovation speakers, futurists, technologists and scientists from every field for thought leadership conferences that help to define the future of our civilization.

When the Organizing Committee of Miss Vietnam wanted a world-renowned artist to perform at the final night of the 2014 pageant, they asked Empire Entertainment to secure Kelly Clarkson for her first-ever visit to Vietnam.

The Miss Vietnam 2014 pageant took place at newly-opened Vinpearl Land on Phu Quoc Island and was broadcast live throughout Southeast Asia and the world on Vietnam Television (VTV). The event featured performances by Kelly Clarkson and Vietnam celebrities such as Ha Anh Tuan, Hong Nhung, and others creating a magical night for some 2,500 audience members.

Kelly Clarkson performed her hits "Because of You" and "Stronger", featuring a video of flashmobs from around Vietnam recreating the song's music video. For the finale, she performed "A Moment Like This" (her first single after winning American Idol) as a gift to the 38 contestants who joined her on stage.

Upon Kelly Clarkson's arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, a press conference was held to introduce her to Vietnam. She took questions from the local media, posed for photos with Vietnam's top celebrities, and sat down with Vietnam Television (VTV) and MTV Vietnam for on-camera interviews.

In addition to artist booking and contract negotiation, Empire managed each aspect of Kelly Clarkson's participation for the press conference, performance, and all other logistics throughout her visit in Vietnam. Empire coordinated with the local audio vendors, television and stage directors, lighting, and graphics using Vietnamese translators when needed to ensure that all production aspects were in order. Empire also assisted with press inquiries and press releases, as well as the coordination of air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and visa acquisition.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of international talent and events throughout Asia and the world.

Every year, the Gotham Independent Film Awards bring together the best and brightest in the independent filmmaking world for a gala dinner and awards program.

Taking place each December, the Gotham Awards are a bellwether for how the best independent films will fare at the Academy Awards and the evening is often referred to as the kickoff to the awards season.

Empire was once again proud to help produce the 24^th Annual Awards event at Cipriani Wall Street with a jam-packed room of Hollywood A-listers.

Uma Thurman hosted the program, which featured participants including Meryl Streep, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, Amy Schumer, Will Arnett, Ethan Hawke, Jon Hamm, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei and many others.

Birdman won as best feature, with Michael Keaton winning best actor for the film. Julianne Moore won best actress for Still Alice, and CITIZENFOUR, the Edward Snowden story, took home best documentary.

Tributes went to Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller for his work on The Cruise, Foxcatcher, Capote and Moneyball, Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, and Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton.

This year’s Gotham Awards were livestreamed on variety.com and hollywoodreporter.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile awards programs in film, fashion, technology, the arts and various other industry sectors.

Since its founding, charity: water has been re-inventing philanthropy while working to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. The organization enlists private donors to fund the operational costs, allowing 100% of public donations to go directly to the field, local partners to implement the work on the ground, and volunteers who donate everything from time to money, campaigning to raise the funds for clean water. This year, charity: water wanted to celebrate and honor these individuals directly, so they created "Tribute".

The invite-only Tribute brought together over 800 people who have helped make their work possible. The raw, construction-like aesthetic of 23 Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop to highlight the inner workings of the organization’s success. Displayed throughout the space were installations celebrating the various constituents: Well Members, Pipeline Members and Campaigners. Juxtaposed over awe-inspiring images captured in the field, lenticular-like installations celebrated the benefits that clean water has on health, safety, time and energy.

The program began as Scott Harrison, charity: water’s Founder/CEO, took the stage to give an in-depth look at some of the great contributions made by the guests. He told moving tales of the trials faced in the field, coupled with the inspiring stories of the changes effected. Finishing the program, guests were invited to help amplify their impact through a custom donation site ran on Valet.io’s online fundraising platform. In just over 5 minutes, over $1.5 million dollars was raised from more than 500 donors, which will give charity: water the ability to serve over 52,000 people clean water.

A big shout out to Pinch Food Design who creatively catered the occasion once again, along with Anthem, Hurst Communications, EventFarm, MB Productions, AVS, 4Wall, Rainbow, The Factory, Taylor Creative, and AFR for their continued production support.

To learn more about their work or to get involved, please visit http://www.charitywater.org/

Established by Blackstone Group’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, and designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century.

Whether in politics, business, civil society, or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. To facilitate this understanding, Schwarzman Scholars created not only the scholarship but has also invested in a state of the art educational facility at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

In order to announce the program and facility worldwide, Empire was engaged to help Schwarzman Scholars produce a series of events in a whirlwind tour of the world, including New York City (The Morgan Library), Singapore (the Fullerton Bay Hotel), London (Tower Bridge), and Palo Alto (Stanford University). Each of the four intimate events consisted of a cocktail reception, screening of an overview video, remarks by Schwarzman, and remarks by VIP speakers local to each region.

Tasked with sourcing and managing local vendors for all events and on-site management, Empire designed a streamlined system to produce this series of events, all taking place within six weeks.

Working through time zone differences, language and cultural barriers, we swiftly sourced venues, technical production, video crews, photographers, catering, and local staff to execute these events.

Each venue was unique to its location yet was appropriate for the VIP audience and consistent with the messaging relating to familiarity with China and higher education.

In New York, the Morgan Library was the perfect backdrop to such a scholarly event. The Singapore event enjoyed sweeping views of Singapore’s harbor, one of the great connecting points of global commerce. London guests were treated to an event in a historical landmark— the Tower Bridge —where speakers drew metaphors relating to bridges between China and the world.

Empire is honored to have played an integral role in what will be one of the most progressive and important educational initiatives shaping the future.

For more information about the Schwarzman Scholars program and its Beijing campus, please visit www.schwarzmanscholars.org.

​Microsoft's developer product division, Visual Studio, brought their “cloud-first, mobile-first” story to life with a bold two-day conference event at Spring Studios in New York City. Drawing 270 attendees to the high-touch, in-person experience and over 340,000 online, the event generated unprecedented engagement from the developer and IT communities.

Led by Executive Vice President of the Cloud and Enterprise Group, Scott Guthrie, and Corporate Vice President Developer Division, S. Somasegar, the Keynote event focused on .NET and Visual Studio product announcements and was heralded as a “milestone moment for Microsoft".

Spring Studios, a recently opened, raw space in NYC’s trendy TriBeCa neighborhood, provided a clean, contemporary environment featuring 22’ floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the perfect setting for an event dedicated to vision, collaboration and the boundless possibilities of cloud computing.

To balance the sun-filled window backdrop with the need to beautifully illustrate the data-driven content, three large-scale LED screens were custom-built to fit within the existing window frames, and the “view” was extended along the sides of the room with backlit scenic skylines. The audience was seated on custom white lounge furniture that delivered both comfort and contemporary design. The space’s design delivered the visually stimulating wow! factor that the client sought as well as uncompromised clarity of the presented content.

The visual aesthetic and brand messaging were integrated into every aspect of the event. Large-scale, interactive screens “codified” passers-by as they moved through registration. The lunch space incorporated campaign artwork into the decor in the form of menu boards and a large-scale light installation on the ceiling to subtly echo the cloud. Afternoon breakout sessions offered custom content tracked to attendees’ varied interests and needs.

Channel 9, Microsoft’s own online video community, broadcast the Keynote and live post-event interviews to tens of thousands of real-time viewers.

From registration, breakfast and keynote to lunch and evening cocktails, every element of this program was custom-designed to communicate brand values and foster a high-touch guest experience. We were proud to once again serve and collaborate with Microsoft to create and execute this top-tier business communication event.

Empire is a leading producer of conferences and business meetings worldwide.

On November 19, 2014, EBONY Magazine presented the 3rd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African Americans and guest of honor, legendary producer Quincy Jones.

This year’s Ebony Power 100 took place at the historic Avalon Hollywood and Bardot Lounge, and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO, Desirée Rogers, of the Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Melody Hobson & George Lucas, Anthony Anderson, Beverly Johnson, Teyonah Parris, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, David Oyelowo, Jesse Williams, Niecy Nash, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

After an elegant cocktail reception, guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by television star Wayne Brady and musically directed by Rickey Minor. Throughout the night, attendees were entertained by a wide array of musical performances, each one representing Jones’ career and influence in the music industry over the past 70 years. Performers included Terrence Blanchard, Savion Glover, Kem, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Chaka Khan.

At the end of the dinner program, LL Cool J presented the Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award to Quincy Jones. Jones addressed the crowd, stating, "It's amazing to be around and have a career last almost seven decades and watch everything that's happening. Everything's going to be all right." This year's gala focused on issues of race in particular, and Jones said that he was especially humbled to receive the Award because he considered the founder of Ebony magazine, John H. Johnson, to be a mentor.

DJ Kiss spun at the Bardot Lounge afterparty and performed throughout the event.

The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance and other sponsors and partners included Ariel Investments, United Airlines, Ciroc Vodka, Starz, McDonald’s, Vosges Chocolates, Georgia Pacific, Toyota, Fashion Fair, Twitter and Comcast.

Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer for the Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue selection, catering, production, talent booking & coordination, music, registration, videography & media distribution and event logistics and onsite management.

Empire is a leading producer of broadcast and non-broadcast, celebrity-driven media events.

​

Reel Works is one of the leading digital media educators in the United States. They are the only filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It’s a powerful combination that changes young lives while creating startling and original films that have been seen by over nine million viewers since their founding in 2001.

This year's Reel Works Gala began in the mezzanine level of the Edison Ballroom, where guests were invited to mingle and enjoy cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. Custom posters featuring the movies of the seven teens that were nominated for the evening's award decorated the cocktail area. Guests were encouraged to participate in the silent auction prior to making their way into the ballroom for the program and dinner.

Sade Baderinwa, Emmy Award-winning journalist for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News, kicked of the program by welcoming students on stage and highlighting their accomplishments and history with the organization. The program featured honorees, chair members, and students, with a special surprise from Vice President of Talent Integration and Pipeline Programs at NBC Universal, Michelle Hord-White, who presented Dexter Dugar Jr. the the F. John Outcalt Award for Outstanding Filmmaking and a $5,000 scholarship.

Later in the night, energetic James Donahower took the stage as the live auctioneer, helping to raise a record $380,000. The evening wrapped with a special musical performance by Angela Johnson. Event sponsors included Empire Entertainment, Comcast NBC Universal, A&E Networks, Viacom, Comedy Central, Raine, CNN and HBO.

Empire was proud to work on this year's Gala, Reel Works’ most successful benefit dinner to date.

After their highly successful inaugural gala fundraiser in 2013, the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund chose to honor cultural icon and internationally recognized fashion designer, Stella McCartney, with their Women’s Leadership Award.

Lincoln Center Corporate Fund once again turned to us to design and produce all aspects of the evening.

Held at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with two VIP cocktail receptions with hedge walls lining the entrance pathway. The hedges served both fashion and function, accentuating the “English Garden” design theme, while concealing the 40-table dinner reception that was to follow the stage program.

Stella’s friends who could not be in attendance including Bono, Chrissie Hynde, Kate Winslet, Gwen Stefani, Quincy Jones, Amy Poehler, Reese Witherspoon and Doris Day, gave heartfelt video tributes.

Chelsea Handler surprised everyone by submitting her video in which she claimed to be too cheap to purchase the plane ticket to New York and then appeared onstage as the evening’s host.

The program’s second act featured a sit-down with Stella and Jerry Seinfeld in which the comedian interviewed her as only he could, touching on the important industry issues such as the “shorts epidemic for men” and “angry-faced models”.

Seinfeld then introduced the presenter of the Women’s Leadership Award following their conversation—Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Paul flew all the way from Brazil that morning to surprise his daughter on stage.

The program concluded with a musical performance by Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison, whose acoustic rendition of Love of My Life, a favorite of his “Big Sister”, Stella, set up the finale, which summed up the tone for the entire night. The walls which previous to that had been the backdrop to the “English Parlor” design treatment were quickly rolled away to reveal a full band and 21-piece orchestra who backed Dhani as they performed Live and Let Die to the delight of guests and Sir Paul himself.

The event raised $1.6 million for the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to ten performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and The Juilliard School.

Sponsors for the evening were American Express, Hearst Corporation and Harper’s Bazaar.

To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org

We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts and in strengthening our expertise in the area of high-end fashion events.

On September 30, 2014, Empire presented two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey to deliver the closing keynote at the IAB MIXX Conference in NYC. The MIXX conference is the centerpiece of Advertising Week, and this year the theme was “Digital’s Renaissance Moment”. And who better to speak to that topic than the star of “House of Cards”, the smash Netflix series which may well be the show that finally makes the internet a true competitor to television networks.

Spacey was clearly passionate about the subject, attributing the success of the series to the “creative courage” of the actors, writers, and the executives at Netflix who green-lighted the show without seeing a pilot. And he compared that courage to the integrity of Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty. And he closed with an inspirational note, stating that “if there's one thing that overlaps between business and art, it's that the risk-takers are rewarded.”

Empire’s strong Hollywood relationships have allowed us to deliver incredible talent for our clients over the years, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Greg Kinnear, Charlton Heston, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Biel, and dozens more.

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, Empire produced About.com’s Expert Conference for the second straight year at the IAC Building in NYC.

The conference gathers together hundreds of About.com’s experts—the people who write content on the site on topics ranging from travel, health, and tech, to sandwiches, etiquette, and women’s hairstyles. The site is visited each month by approximately 90 million users.

At the 2013 event, new CEO Neil Vogel received applause from the experts throughout the day as he explained the many changes he was planning for the website. He took the stage once again at the 2014 conference, this time to show that he had delivered, taking the once staid website and making it vibrant, exciting, and alive—a site designed to attract viewers to the site and to keep them there. Many images and videos from the new site were displayed prominently on the fantastic high-resolution video wall at the IAC Building (120’ wide x 11’ high).

Vogel introduced other company executives to speak throughout the day and led a panel discussion with some of the site's most popular experts. Attendees also enjoyed catering by Abigail Kirsch, who also provided delectable passed hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail reception that closed the day.

Empire managed all aspects of the About.com conference, providing stage management, registration, TPA procurement, technical direction, catering management, décor. Empire is proud to produce business conferences for some of the world's leading companies.

Boon the Shop​, well known as the first "modern luxury specialty store" in Seoul, South Korea, reached out to Empire to secure the perfect talent to provide music at the grand opening event of its highly anticipated flagship store located in Cheongdam. Empire delivered the Misshapes as DJs who are in high demand for fashion and luxury brand events.

On October 17, 2014, the first day of Seoul Fashion Week, Boon the Shop opened its doors for the grand opening celebration, inviting over 1,200 VIP clients, celebrities, models, fashion designers and industry leaders, bloggers and media from around the globe.

Notable attendees were Anna Dello Russo from Vogue Japan, the store's architect Peter Marino, Supermodel Lindsey Wixson, Haider Ackerman, Chitose Abe of Sacai, Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, as well as Korea's A-list celebrities such as G-Dragon, Taeyang, Ko So-Young, and Ha Jung-Woo.

Boon the Shop opened up all of its retail floors for the party, displayed its featured merchandise, launched exclusive collections from leading fashion brands, and presented an exhibition for Proenza Schouler.

The Misshapes, including Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol, provided the soundtrack for the entire evening with a cool and classy mix of the latest pop, hottest indie music, and funky dance tunes. They started off on the main floor and then moved over to DJ at the VIP lounge.

It was a special night for fashion in Seoul where international fashion VIP got together at this new Asian luxury landmark.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for retail and luxury events around the world and Empire has worked extensively in Korea for over a decade, providing its world class services through our Seoul-based representative.

For the second year in a row, Empire was proud to serve as producer of the Lowline Anti-Gala, which helps raise funds to convert an abandoned, turn-of-the-century trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. Using innovative solar technology to enable plants and trees to grow underground, the Lowline will become a new kind of public green space and a must-see cultural attraction in one of the world’s most exciting urban environments.

The Lowline has attracted visionaries, artists and creators since the concept was first envisioned so it was no surprise that this year’s hosts would be some of the most celebrated creative figures today – Girls Creator Lena Dunham and Academy Award-winning director Spike Jonze.

Working closely with the Lowline team, Empire worked to develop an overall creative concept to reflect the plans for the park itself. The event would take place underground and would provide glimpses of what the Lowline will feel like once it is built. Skylight Modern, with its cavernous, yet minimal subterranean space would be the perfect venue for this concept.

The evening began above ground with a cocktail reception showcasing a circular bar set around a towering tree. Guests sipped Absolut cocktails concocted by celebrity mixologist Dave Arnold from Booker and Dax and Momofuku while VIPs appeared in front of a media backdrop in the form of a hedge featuring a fire-stenciled wooden Lowline logo.

At the end of cocktails guests made their way underground into a subterranean paradise. Buskers and beatboxers played as guests made their way down the stairs and into a walkway surrounded by trees, plants and foliage provided by Terrain.

Emerging at the far end of the venue, guests abruptly found themselves in a cavernous clearing in which was set a dazzling seated banquet served by Neuman’s Kitchen and Chef Julian Alonzo. The dinner menu included a salad of “edible soil” with raw and cooked garden vegetables, herbs in a flower pot and other sumptuous courses.

In keeping with the spirit of the evening, Lena Dunham and Spike Jonze performed custom skits as Vaudeville characters, inviting guests into their “salon”. Dunham recounted, “as a native New Yorker, I am committed to continuing to create public spaces that reflect the ingenuity and diversity of our city. As downtown kids, our safe outdoor spaces were few and far between—it was before the West Side Highway had been done up all fancy, so a rare trip to Central or Prospect Park was my only experience of the magic of public green spaces.”

Co-founders of the Lowline, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, spoke about the exciting developments of the upcoming project, estimating a 2018 opening of the Lowline.

Auctioneer CK Swett began with a bottle of Dom Perignon and a starting bid of $1 to warm up the crowd. Lots included tickets for two to Broadway’s Cabaret, a deluxe Tahoe Ski Getaway, a visit the set of Girls, tickets to the Foxcatcher premiere and after-party, and a night on Larry Ellison’s sailboat. Two of the packages sold for $20,000 each. Lena sold the dress off her back, which featured a custom-designed print of the Lowline itself.

Star-studded communal tables served the likes of Edward Norton, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, filmmakers Bennett Miller and Darren Aronofsky, Celerie Kemble and Boykin Curry, Senator Cory Booker, contemporary artist Tom Sachs, and film producer Megan Ellison, as well as slew of New York’s young and established artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and socialites.

As the evening shifted into afterparty mode, blacklights once again transformed the space into an Avatar-like fantasy world as the dinner guests were joined by a second wave of attendees. A beatbox battle by Too Many Zooz and a percussion funk band set the tone for the evening’s headliners: Jack Antonoff’s band, the Bleachers. After their set, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy DJ’d well into the night.

Empire was proud to once again serve Lowline and help them create another standard-setting, creative fundraising event that perfectly suited their style and message. To learn more about the world’s first underground park, visit www.thelowline.org.

Empire is a leading creative producer of innovative events and fundraisers worldwide.

When one of the world’s leading, luxury jewelry brands sought to launch a new jewelry collection, they turned to Empire to create an exclusive event the likes of which its top clients had never experienced before. In keeping with the character of the jewelry collection, every element of the elegant event was designed with a touch of mystery.

On the evening of the event on Rodeo Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills, guests approached entrance by walking on a custom “red” carpet, emulating the ruby and diamond design of a bracelet that had yet to be revealed. Two immaculately attired male models opened a set of double doors, revealing the salon, completely redesigned as never seen before. Upon entering the salon’s foyer rotunda, guests were surrounded by an installation of sapphire and diamonds, animated within the wall vitrines and projected onto the chandelier, further teasing the bracelet design.

Stepping through the doors guests entered the dimly-lit salon transformed into a breathtakingly elegant, Art Déco-era house of secrets. Model wait staff served custom cocktails and bespoke hors d oeuvres, including caviar pillows and black truffle beignets presented on polished black lacquer trays in unique jewelry-inspired vessels. While enjoying Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne in tall champagne flutes, guests were treated to the first glimpse of the collection, showcased on a group of exquisite female models placed within a tableau vivant or ‘living picture’. With glamorous hair, makeup and wardrobe to mirror the aesthetics of the jewelry collection, the models' movements and interactions with the guests were choreographed by Emmy-award winning director duo, Nappytabs.

The tableau vivant was presented on a custom-designed Art Deco stage comprised of geometric cut mirrors and a gold metallic frame, richly adorned with period accurate props whose use was incorporated into the model choreography. In the center of the room, a large jewelry vitrine adorned with a tall arrangement of white flowers was filled with fog providing guests with a tantalizing glimpse of the jewels on display below and perfectly capturing the mystery of the collection, Upon a musical cue, the models took their places on stage with a dramatic finalé pose showcasing the full collection. Following the performance, the salon’s director invited guests upstairs to a floor which was transformed from a generic suite into a dramatic dining room of black & mirror complete with custom-designed wallpaper, mirrored dining tables, lush tufted chairs, custom-embroidered napkins, and dark, moody, and refined floral centerpieces.

After mingling on the terrace on a beautiful Beverly Hills evening, guests enjoyed a seated four-course meal created by Patina Caterers. Courses included Blue Fin Tuna Tartar, Alba White Truffle Risotto, A-5 Japanese Kobe Cote de Boeuf, and a Cranberry Chutney Cheesecake Sphere for dessert, unveiled by the lifting of a cloche glass. Each course, accompanied by pairings of rare wines, was delivered to the guests via choreographed and synchronized waiter service, intermingled with the female models, which gave the guests more time to get a closer look at the jewels.

Following dinner, guests were invited back downstairs into the yet-again transformed salon, which was now recreated as an elegant Jazz age nightclub. Guests were seated on black leather lounge furniture and served Yuku Kosho Caramels along with vintage cognac, single malt whiskey and dessert wines. As a finalé to the evening, guests were treated to a live performance by Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Jane Monheit, accompanied by her pianist, who performed on the tableau vivant stage.

For this ambitious, top-tier luxury brand project, Empire created and developed the concept and provided all design, décor, production, talent, catering, permitting, floral displays, scenic elements and staffing, and managed the project from conception to completion.

We were honored to have been part of this pivotal launch for this esteemed jewelry brand. Empire is a leading producer of top-tier luxury events worldwide.

On October 1, 2014, Empire presented vocal group Boyz II Men for a corporate audience in Puerto Rico. Approximately 1,100 guests of all ages, including children packed the ballroom at the El Conquistador hotel for the private performance.

The audience flocked to the stage as Boyz II Men performed all of their greatest hits from the past 26 years including, "It's so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday," "End of the Road," "On Bended Knee," "Water Runs Dry," and an amazing finale of "Motown Philly"

They also performed a Motown medley as well as a Rock medley, including songs by Tom Petty, Nirvana, and Lenny Kravitz.

While performing in Puerto Rico, Boyz II Men were named the "Musical Artist of the Year" in Las Vegas at the Casino Entertainment Awards.

Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical elements for Boyz II Men. Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of talent for corporate events and celebrations around the world.

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On October 30, 2014, Empire Entertainment served as producer for Keep a Child Alive’s 11th Annual Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Parfums Givenchy and Jynwel Charitable Foundation Limited, the Black Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Sean Puffy Combs, David Byrne, NAS and Angel Haze.

Hosted by Keep a Child Alive’s co-founder and 15-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, Grammy Award winner Sean Puffy Combs, and the legendary Swizz Beatz, the Black Ball has raised over $22.6 million since its humble beginnings in 2004.

The event, designed by Creative Director Earle Sebastian, featured an elegant cocktail reception under a ceiling of simulated stars that were reflected in black mirror with music by DJ Dhundee. In the main ballroom guests were seated at long tables topped with candles and all-white floral arrangements. A proud Alicia Keys and CEO of KCA, Peter Twyman, took the stage to deliver inspiring remarks about the power and potential of young people living with HIV/AIDS.

This year’s Black Ball honored Givenchy’s Artistic Director, Riccardo Tisci, for inspiring new and compassionate ways of thinking through his bold and unapologetic voice in challenging discrimination while breaking cultural barriers in the fashion industry and beyond.

A star-studded guest list of over 600 came out to support Keep a Child Alive’s mission with guests including Madonna, Kanye West, Clive Davis, Selita Ebanks, Estelle, Gayle King, Lala Anthony, Marina Abramovic, Aretha Franklin, Olivia Harrison, Padma Lakshmi, Russell Simmons, Steve Van Zandt, Alek Wek, Mr. Brainwash and amongst others.

Guests dined on a delicious family-style dinner, with a menu designed by guest chef Johnathan Adler of Franny’s Brooklyn and catered by Creative Edge. This year’s Black Ball raised $2.3 million through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, pledges and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse and one-of-a-kind shirt designed by Riccardo Tisci, an India wellness trip package, a Dubai and Maldives luxury vacation, an exclusive dinner and tasting of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac, two custom designed pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes for parent and child, and other exclusive packages.

Alicia Keys and her band then put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several amazing musical guests.

Sean Puffy Combs joined Keys to open the concert for an old school classic “Mo Money Mo Problems,” and started the energy on high. Rising star Angel Haze then came out to perform OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” segueing into a duet with Keys on “Battle Cry".

NAS took the stage next with a hard hitting set of “Streets of NYC,” “New York State of Mind” and “Made You Look.” Puffy then joined him for a pumping “Hate Me Now.” NAS brought out a crowd favorite Phil Collins song, “Coming in the Air Tonight” then a duet with Keys on “If I Ruled the World.”

Closing out the concert, legendary Talking Heads frontman David Byrne joined Alicia Keys to perform “Once in the Lifetime", “Strange Overtones", "Life is Long", “It’s my Life” and “Burning Down the House".

Swizz Beatz and DJ Runna took to the stage to DJ the Afterglow party, having all guests dancing into the early hours of the morning.


Empire has been proud to serve as the Producer of the Black Ball since its inception in 2003 and partner with Keep a Child Alive and Alicia Keys over the past decade to grow it into one of New York’s most anticipated annual fundraising events.

To learn more about Keep a Child Alive, please go to www.keepachildalive.org.

Photos: Chris Saunders and Winston Struye

​For the fifth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment served as producer of ARTWALK NY – New York City’s foremost annual art auction fundraiser, benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless.

More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art-lovers, and celebrities gathered in the Metropolitan Pavilion to celebrate ARTWALK’s milestone 20th Anniversary with an evening that included cocktails, a silent auction, and a live auction in the adjoining Altman Building. Actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany were honored this year for their mission to help the homeless. Bettany recently directed a film about homelessness, starring wife Connelly, to raise awareness of the plight of the thousands of homeless men, women and children living in New York City.

Watch Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly's remarks at ARTWALK: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/paul-bettany-jennifer-connelly-artwalk-ny/

The Metropolitan Pavilion served as the main cocktail space and silent auction gallery, featuring over 110 works of contemporary art donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Christo, Miya Ando, Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, Swoon, and Andy Warhol. Paddle8 supplied iPads throughout the gallery for bidding as well as an iPhone app enabling guests to place their bids and receive immediate notifications if they were out-bid or ultimately won their auctions. In the live auction room, Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off works by Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Roxy Paine, Pat Steir and Ed Ruscha.

The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Mary Giuliani Catering and cocktails graciously provided by Chopin Vodka, Ca'Del Bosco, Peroni and ONEHOPE Wines. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, Acme, The Odeon, Delicatessen, and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations. DJ Harley Viera Newton spun tunes in the silent auction room.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Dolce & Gabbana, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.

ARTWALK NY is the Coalition’s largest annual fundraiser and it benefits their many initiatives, which provide permanent housing, job training, emergency food & clothing, crisis services, and special childrens' programs to over 3,500 New Yorkers each day.

Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters to make this year’s landmark anniversary event a huge success.

To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org

In October 2014, Avex, one of the world’s biggest music labels, asked Empireto support the visit to New York of 9 member Cheeky Parade, one of Japan’sfastest rising idol groups, during their NINE LIVES tour of the UnitedStates.

Empire handled all negotiations with the organizers of the CBGBFestival, one of New York’s largest music and film festivals, managing tosecure 30 minutes of stage time in Times Square amongst a line up that included Jane’s Addiction, We Are Scientists and Macy Gray.

At New York Comic Con, Empire organized a panel interviewwith all members of Cheeky Parade attended by a group of avid fans, flown in fromJapan, and local followers who were able to ask questions of their idols before joining a photo session with them.

Empire supported the moderator scripting and simultaneoustranslations for both the panel interview and communication with the media.

This was a truly exciting project in which we once were ableto handle an international event that resulted in significantoverseas publicity for the client.

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During the 2014 United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Empire’s Latin America Division had the privilege to serve as production company for a keynote presentation by the Honorable Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico.

The keynote took place at the St. Regis Hotel at a conference presented by the Economic Club of New York for approximately 200 top executives and a large contingent of members of the international media.

Empire was responsible for all technical production, staging, sound, lighting, video projection and simultaneous interpretation of the program as well as coordinating with security and the Mexican Government on all event needs.

In the United States or in any other region, Empire’s Latin America Division serves government agencies, corporations, not-for-profit institutions and private individuals with a wide range of services to support the communication of their messages and initiatives to their target audiences.

Empire is honored to regularly support keynote remarks and appearances by Heads of State throughout the world.

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Once known as the Museum for African Art, The Africa Center has expanded its mission to become the world's leading civic African institution. Together, we worked on a series of events to raise community awareness and provide a gateway for engagement between Africa, New York City and the world.

On Saturday, September 20, The Africa Center opened its doors to the community for a day of performance, art and education. Attendees enjoyed African-influenced Grill Tastings by The Cecil, an Immersive Art Installation depicting Lagos, Nigeria by Emeka Ogboh, Dance Performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a special appearance by Chelsea Clinton and more.

Later, guests were invited to a very special evening of music and exploration as we journeyed to the heart of the Malian blues with the Festival in Exile, which featured musical performances by Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Vieux Farka Toure, Samba Toure & Amanar and other special guests.

On Monday, September 22, the events continued with a UN Policy Summit, in collaboration with the United Nations, Boston Consulting Group and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The full day of panel discussions gave dignitaries such as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta the opportunity to discuss the importance of inclusive economic transformation and sustainable development, and to promote the practical measures, partnerships and mechanisms that will make Africa’s vision of the future possible.

A week of events concluded with a private screening hosted by the Brazzaville Foundation, that showcased the untold story behind history, Plot for Peace. The film screening was followed by a Q&A session with panel discussions and cocktails.

Additional events showcased art, film and performers from all over the continent, leaving guests with a better insight on The Africa Center’s mission.

Empire served as overall producers for the entire event series. Empire helped develop the original concept for the event series, executed several lead-up development events, handled all design, technical production, event logistics and services and staffing for the extensive project.

We look forward to continuing our work with The Africa Center and partnering with them as they move towards a permanent opening.

To learn more about the Africa Center and to get involved please visit http://www.theafricacenter.org/index.php

Empire’s Brazil / Latin America Division, and Brazil Managing Director, Béco Dranoff, recently served the U.S.-based Brazilian NGO, BrazilFoundation, as technical producers and logistics coordinators of their 12th Annual Gala Dinner, a fundraising event to benefit ongoing social projects in Brazil.

The black tie event took place on September 18th, 2014 at the atrium and terrace of the David H. Koch Theater at New York’s Lincoln Center. Over 500 exquisitely-attired attendees swarmed the red carpet, enjoyed the cocktail reception and feasted on a sumptuous multi-course dinner all while watching live performances by Brazilian music pop-star Baby do Brasil, classical ballet dancer, Ingrid Silva, and dance group Capoeira Nagô.

The evening’s emcee was Homeland star, Morena Baccarin and, among the many notable guests from Brazil and elsewhere, was Brazilian Ambassador Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen and singer Bebel Gilberto who received the Foundation’s Global Brazilian Award. Following dinner, Phillips auctioneer August Uribe conducted a live auction of 15 lots including precious artwork and priceless experiences. Béco Dranoff, who is also an accomplished music producer, served as DJ for the evening spinning an amazing mix of Brazilian music for cocktails and dinner.

Emphasizing the event’s theme Celebrating Women, several videos of the Foundation’s work were shown on a large projection screen and three Brazilian social project leaders received awards.Restaurant Associates provided catering and flowers were generously donated by Brazilian florist, Zezé Flores. Brazilian brands featured prominently in the evening’s parting gifts including Melissa shoes as well as Gelatto by A.B. Biagi and Brigadeiros by Brigadeiro Bakery.

Empire was honored to work in collaboration with HCampos Group – Helio Campos, on the BrazilFoundation Gala, New York City’s most noteworthy annual Brazilian society event. To learn more about the BrazilFoundation and its programs visit the Brazil Foundation.

Empire’s Brazil / Latin America Division is a leading producer of events both on behalf of international clients seeking to execute projects in Latin America, as well serving Brazilian and Latin American clients in the United States and aroundthe world.

​In September 2014, Empire delivered two incredible Australian artists, Colin Hay and The TEN Tenors, to perform at an insurance company’s incentive program in Sydney. For a very small audience of 50, Empire recommended Colin Hay, the former lead vocalist of “Men at Work”, and singer of “Down Under”, arguably the most well-known song about Australia. Colin’s solo acoustic performance fit the intimate event perfectly, and included not only his signature song about his home country, but other hits including “Who Can It Be Now?”, “Overkill”, “It’s A Mistake”, and more.

And for the client’s evening at the Sydney Opera House, Empire presented The TEN Tenors, one of Australia’s greatest entertainment success stories. Celebrated for their colorful repertoire, breathtaking arrangements and powerful live performances, The TEN Tenors respectfully tip their hats not only to the great classical composers, but to contemporary music’s most popular artists. Their troupe gave the attendees goose bumps with their arias and classical pieces, which fit perfectly in what is perhaps the best known Opera House on the planet, but then also surprised the guests with their breathtaking renditions of more current performers including Jeff Buckley, creating a party atmosphere.

Empire is proud to have presented and produced headline artists in more than 30 countries worldwide, and takes pride in being able to recommend and secure the ideal performers for conferences and events around theglobe.

On September 20th, UN Women hosted a special event with Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson to kick-start #HeforShe, a global solidarity movement in support of women’s rights and full equality between women and men. The campaign aims to galvanize one billion men and boys as advocates for ending the inequalities that women and girls face globally. Empire acted as the overall event producer handling all audio, video, staging, scenic and signage aspects as well as the creative framing of the stage program.

Moderated by CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer, the HeForShe event put men at the center of activism to end persistent inequalities faced by women and girls around the world. A highlight of the event was the activation of the HeForShe map— a real-time map with a geo locator that captures men’s engagement with the initiative around the world over the next 12 months and provides a tally against the campaign’s one billion target. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the initiative’s first goal, which is to mobilize the first100,000 world citizens in this way. The top UN official, through his map activation, was counted as the ‘number one man’. To read his speech, click here.

The event brought together renowned personalities, including senior UN officials such as UN General Assembly President, Sam Kahamba Kutesa, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and Former Finland President, President Tarja Halonen, along with actor Kiefer Sutherland, who offered the male perspective on genderequality.For more information on U.N. Women and the HeForShe Campaign go to http://www.heforshe.org To stream the entire program click here.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) celebrated its 20th Kids4Kids family festival at the Field House at Chelsea Piers in New York City, again partnering with Empire as their production company. The event, co-chaired by world-renowned fashion photographer and EGPAF board member Nigel Barker and his wife Cristen Barker, raised funds and awareness for the effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Celebrity attendees at Kids 4 Kids included New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, Miss Universe Gabriela Isler, Olympic swimmer Matt Targett, and actress and EGPAF celebrity ambassador Fatima Ptacek. Other celebrity guests included cast members from Netflix's Orange Is the New Black Joel Garland, and Yael Stone; Clare Foley, Zabryna Guevara, J.W. Cortes, and David Mazouz from Fox's new series Gotham; Johnny Lee Miller from CBS's "Elementary;" and Kristen Taekman of Real Housewives of New York. Bluegrass band Seven Handle Circus closed the event with an acoustic musical performance. The New York Observer was the exclusive media sponsor. Special activities included classes with the Boston Ballet's Kathryn Boren and yoga instructor Tara Stiles, graffiti wall art with artist Shantell Martin, and physical activities with Kirk Myers Fitness. Families also experienced interactive games from Disney, created beats with Scratch DJ Academy, and got creative with retailer Skip Hop. Some of New York's favorite restaurants and chefs, including caterer Abigail Kirsh, Michael's Restaurant, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, Pain D'Avignon, Sofia Wine Bar, Luke's Lobster, the Chester, Grandaisy Bakery and (The Mercer) Kitchen provided event food and refreshments.

About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF): EGPAF is the global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/ AIDS, and has reached 20 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently supports more than 7,000 health facilities and works in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit EGPAF.

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On August 31^st, 2014, the global tire company, Michelin, hosted a groupof 80 Chinese distributor partners and members of the media for a day at Japan’slegendary race circuit, Fuji Speedway. The event took place on the day of theJapan leg of the racing car endurance series, the 2014 Asian Le Mans. Teamsfrom across the world pitched high performance racing cars and world-classdrivers against each other in this contest of skill, stamina and cutting edgeengineering technology.

Michelin’s guests were given the rare privilege of pre-race track access and a “pit walk”of the Oak Team’s pit where team engineers explained various aspects of the carand the race itself, all supported by our tri-lingual (Chinese/Japanese/English)attendants.

In the media lounge, designed and constructed by Empire, we coordinated mediainterviews with the race winning Oak Team, including their star Formula 1driver from China, Ho-Pin TUNG.

By successfully supporting Michelin’s Japanese event for its valued Chinesebusiness and media partners, Empire has once again demonstrated our expertisein cross-border event planning, coordination and hospitality.

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On the eve of the 2014 World Cup Final, Empire produced Sony's Gala Dinner event.

For the evening, Rio de Janiero's port of Pier Maua was transformed with a mixture of classical chandeliers and cutting-edge projection into an ever-changing and breathtaking environment.

World famous chef Matsuhisa Nobu designed a Brazilian-inspired culinary experience and Brazilian superstar Claudia Leitte and Carlos Santana performed and brought down the house.

For more, check out the time lapse.

For the 2nd consecutive year, The Fragrance Foundation selected Empire to produce the Fragrance industry’s premier event - the Fragrance Foundation Awards.

Held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the perfect, early Summer evening began with guest arrivals and a cocktail reception in Alice Tully Hall’s outdoor sunken plaza and soaring glass atrium. Amidst a series of artfully printed floral walls, guests mingled and sipped Champagne while arriving VIPs walked the red carpet and posed for the flashing ticket of press photographers in a separate tent on West 65th Street.

Once seated in the theater, the evening’s Host, Saturday Night Live veteran and self-proclaimed Best-Smelling celebrity, Dana Carvey introduced Elizabeth Musmanno, President of the Fragrance Foundation, and Jill Belasco, Chairman of the Fragrance Foundation Board, before kicking off the star-studded award program.

This year’s celebrity presenters included Leigh Lezark, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Chrissy Teigen, Angie Harmon, Marisa Tomei, Kellan Lutz, Leonard Lauder, Hilary Rhoda, Sean Avery, Coco Rocha, Michael C. Hall, Carine Roitfeld, Gwendoline Christie, Mary Alice Stephenson, Lily Donaldson, and Nicolas Mirzayantz.

There were also notable acceptance speeches from Hall of Fame winner and retired Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdales, Michael Gould, as well as Perfumer of the Year winner, International Flavors and Fragrances’ Carlos Benaim.

Singer and songwriter, Judith Hill, graced the audience with a performance of “Hallelujah.” Guests were left in awe of her elegant piano performance and breath-taking voice.

The after party was held in the Alice Tully Hall atrium and outdoor plaza, creating the perfect summer night cocktail experience while DJ Donna D’Cruz spun an intoxicating mix of music.

The Fragrance Foundation Awards brings together virtually every luxury and consumer brand in the fragrance space including Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Givenchy, Elizabeth Arden, LVMH, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes, Lancome, Zegna, Clinique and Gucci among others.

Empire is a leading producer of events and programs for the luxury brand industry, as well as a leading producer of award shows.

Empire congratulates all of the 2014 Fragrance Foundation Award winners.

On Saturday, June 6, Empire collaborated with Colin Cowie Celebrations and the Troy Curtis Group to help produce one of the biggest social events of 2014, a first-class, once-in-a-lifetime Bat Mitzvah at the world-famous Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.

Family and friends were delighted to watch as the guest of honor beautifully led the Havdalah service, accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra and the Jewish a cappella group, Pella. At the end of the ceremony, guests were mesmerized as a performance by a shadow dance group told the story of the young lady’s life.

As guests exited the theatre to an orchestral arrangement of Pharrell’s smash hit “Happy,” the adults were led to a crystal- and diamond-laden dinner, where the Ikonix band and Pella performed hits from the Four Seasons, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Adults dined on the finest oysters and sushi and enjoyed vodka drinks mixed with rose petals. Meanwhile, the children were escorted to a 13-year-old’s fantasyland, with magicians, dancers, and various games and activities. Kids could design their own baseball cap, or get glammed up with eyelash and hair extensions.

At the end of dinner, a performance by a percussion group led all of the guests into the dance party, where DJ Neza was ready to keep the night going.

The dance party was a young girl’s dream come true. In keeping with the pink and diamond motif, the room was full of pink glistening staging, platforms and a catwalk, games, dancers, custom furnishings, and a wall of video screens and ceiling projections mirroring the music played throughout the night.

When it came time for the father-daughter dance, the always classic and delightful Natalie Cole wowed the guests, singing “Unforgettable” as the duo danced beside her.

For one last surprise, DJ RedFoo of LMFAO broke through the backdrop as his party-rock crew dancers covered the staging and catwalk. As the room became a blacklight playground, the guests joined RedFoo onstage as he performed “Party Rock Anthem,” “Sexy and I Know It,” and other hits.

Empire was honored to once again be chosen by Colin Cowie to join his team to create another extraordinary experience.

Building on the success of the inaugural Fitch Ratings Why? Forum, presented at the New York Public Library in October of 2013, Fitch Ratings held the second installment of this thought leadership event in London. In keeping with Fitch’s exploration of the ‘reasons behind the rating,’ The London Why? Forum focused specifically on Europe’s return to growth and the opportunities and threats that are most likely to impact that trajectory.

The London Why? Forum event took place at the historic Tower of London whereEmpire and Fitch’s design firm, Addison Branding, were tasked with transforming a 12th Century venue into a contemporary and innovative event space. The centuries-old wood columns and ceilings beams were juxtaposed with black leather and chrome and an enormous LED wall, was constructed to serve as a backdrop for the stage.

The program began with welcoming remarks from Fitch Group CEO, Paul Taylor, who laid the groundwork for the evening’s discussion and introduced the evening’s keynote speaker, former Governor of the Bank of England, Lord Mervyn King. Lord King spoke to an audience comprised of some of the most influential institutional investors, senior officers, bankers and European market participants.

Following an audience Q&A with Lord King, a panel discussion began featuring economist Nouriel Roubini, Managing Director of JP Morgan Asset Management and former Economics Editor of the BBC, Stephanie Flanders and Hearst Corporation’s President and CEO, Steve Swartz. The panel discussion was ably moderated by Fitch Rating’s James McCormack and covered topics ranging from Europe’s recovery, the validity of the Eurozone model, Russia, the Ukraine and the “Pivot to China,” and the growth opportunity in Africa.

At the conclusion of the stage program, the New Armouries courtyard and café were transformed into a reception where guests mingled with program participants and further discussed the evening’s topics.

For this unique program, Empire served as overall producer, helping to secure the keynote speaker and contracting the panelists, handling all technical production, scenic and staging, catering, and guest logistics.

To learn more about this innovative new series, check out the Why? Forum website at www.whyforum.com

Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership forums that provide insight to business decision-makers worldwide.

On June 19, 2014, Empire once again served as producer of the Happy Hearts Fund Gala, which raises awareness and funds for schools in regions affected by natural disasters. This 10th anniversary gala, honoring President Bill Clinton and featuring a performance by Sheryl Crow, commemorated 10 years since the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004 and celebrated 85 schools already rebuilt.

Departing from the tradition of bringing awareness to a single country, this year’s gala, sponsored by Chopard cast a spotlight on all of the countries who have benefitted from the aid of the Happy Hearts Fund and focused highlighting the HHF mission, which is to rebuild schools and education.

Within the impressive Cipriani 42nd Street venue, over 500 guests enjoyed cocktails and a seated dinner surrounded by school-room décor with chalkboard-inspired screen graphics, neon-colored rulers used as bidding markers and a classroom scene set onstage. The stunning host and founder of the Happy Hearts Fund, Petra Nemcova, even dressed as “Principal Petra” as she addressed supporters in her welcoming remarks.

Heart-shaped floral centerpieces surrounded by “thank you” written in different languages adorned the guests’ dinner tables.Prestigious honorees and speakers included President Bill Clinton (presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award), President Michel J. Martelly of Haiti (presented with the Leadership in Education Award), John Caudwell (presented with the Children’s Champion Award), United Airlines (presented with the Honored Partner Award), and Apl.de.ap and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas (presented with the Spirit Award).

Guests were also treated to energizing performances of “I’ve Got a Feeling” and “Where is the Love?” by Apl.de.ap, a surprise rendition of “Let It Be Me” (Elvis Presley) by President Martelly of Haiti (who was then joined onstage by another surprise guest - Wyclef Jean - for a one-of-a-kind rendition of “No Woman No Cry”), and Sheryl Crow, who performed four songs including “Soak Up the Sun” and “All I Wanna Do”.

Notable attendees included fashion designer Donna Karan, musician Taboo, singer/songwriter John Legend, actress Naomi Watts, and supermodels Coco Rocha and Arlenis Sosa. Event sponsors included Chopard, Clinique, and United.Rounding out the stage presentation was a lively auction led by renowned auctioneer Simon de Pury of Phillips de Pury & Company, with packages including tickets to the 2014 Victoria Secret Fashion Show, a luxury trip to Ibiza for eight guests, including air travel via private jet and yacht, and the opportunity to attend the Cannes Film Festival while sporting a custom made jewelry piece designed around a 5.12 carat Colombian emerald from Chopard. A highlight of the auction included a fashion show featuring Coco Rocha and Petra Nemcova walking the catwalk.

Between ticket sales and auction packages, the Happy Hearts Fund raised over $2.5 million through which the HHF has reached the goal of raising enough to rebuild 15 more schools which will accomplish their foal of rebuilding 100 schools before the end of 2014.

Working closely with Happy Hearts Fund, Empire served as producer of the gala, managing elements including venue, décor, technical production, performing talent and stage management.To support or learn more about the Happy Hearts Fund, please visit www.happyheartsfund.org.Empire is honored to have been part of such a worthy event and is a leading producer of not-for-profit, for-cause events globally.

As a part of Bloomberg’s Global Leadership Conference at Sea Island, Georgia, Empire created and delivered an original, immersive experience that took place over the course of a full evening to promote understanding of international business protocol in the emerging markets of China, Cuba, Nigeria and South Africa.

For this sophisticated, executive audience already fluent in international relations, Empire engaged, scripted and curated Ambassadors from each country to represent their nations and showcase their cultures and traditions. During cocktail hour, guests mingled with these International representatives and engaged in some light-hearted competition playing games indigenous to each culture. The Nigerian game of Ido was played on one side of the room while others enjoyed a game of Ping Pong with a professional Chinese player.

The transition from cocktails to dinner on the patio was signaled with lively Cuban dance and music.Once the first course was served, Cuban ambassadors and Cuba Libre cocktails greeted guests.

Throughout the dinner service, Chinese, South African and Nigerian Ambassadors circulated the room, visiting each table to deliver a brief presentation illustrating the various “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of their country’s business culture.

Bloomberg executives were entertained, informed and delighted.Desserts, coffee and tea were served in the foyer of the Sea Island Resort as guests were invited to a South African game of Jukskei in the gardens and espresso at a table of Cuban dominos or cubilete, the traditional dice game. Guests were also welcome to Chinese Oolong tea served by the Chinese Ambassadors in a traditional Tea Ceremony.

Empire is the premiere event production company for corporate conferences and bespoke, immersive content and experiences.

When alumni from Princeton's Class of 1989 celebrated their 25th Reunion in May 2014, they called on Empire to help them secure one of the hottest concert artists today – Flo Rida - to entertain their classmates.

Empire secured the Grammy nominated hip hop and dance music artist to perform a 90-minute set of greatest hits to over 2,500 pumped up alumni. The performance was independently organized and supported by members of the Class of 1989.

From the moment Flo Rida hit the stage, the crowd’s energy was infectious. He performed all of his chart- topping hits, including “Low,” “Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Good Feeling,” “Wild Ones,” and “Whistle,” as the crowd sang and danced to his well-known upbeat songs.

Throughout the performance, Flo Rida invited guests onstage to dance and sing with him. At one point, Flo Rida crowd surfed into the audience, and carried a fan on his shoulders as they sang. Flo Rida’s enthusiasm kept the event at a climax throughout his entire performance.

Empire secured and contracted Flo Rida and his band, coordinated all production, logistics and onsite management and worked closely with the Class of 1989 alumni organizers to ensure its success.

Empire is a premier industry provider of headline talent for large events and parties.

The setting: the perpetually chic and romantic City of Lights, Paris. The purpose: an incentive program for a top performing global sales team. The perfect headline entertainment: multiple Grammy Award-nominated artist and international sensation, Robin Thicke.

On Friday, May 16, a perfect Parisian spring night, attendees and their spouses eagerly filed into the Pavillon Cambon, anticipating who would be the surprise guest artist to cap off the week’s fantastic European itinerary.

Once onstage, Robin Thicke and his band did not disappoint. His full dance set included all of his R&B, pop-rock hits like “Give It 2 U”, “Dreamworld”, “Shakin’ It 4 Daddy”, and “Feel Good”. He also mixed in covers like Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and closed out his set with his insanely popular hit “Blurred Lines.” The band's powerful stage presence with full horn section and backing vocalists had the audience dancing and shouting for encores, while Robin leapt on top of the piano and danced around the stage, giving an unforgettable performance. Following the show, Thicke graciously greeted and talked with VIPs, took photos, and personally announced his latest album set to release in July 2014.

For this incentive program, Empire worked closely with SWIFT Smart Solutions. SWIFT is a leading producer of large-scale meetings, events and training development for its corporate clients and Empire has enjoyed a solid collaboration with SWIFT for over a decade. Empire identified the best possible talent candidates, negotiated the performance contract, and facilitated the production and logistics plan to support the concert. SWIFT handled all technical production, the spectacular Parisian venue selection, and room design.

Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment for international corporate meetings & events and is deeply experienced in overcoming the challenges of presenting headline entertainment outside of the United States.

The CLASSY Awards is the largest social impact awards ceremony in the United States. Taking place at the San Diego Civic Theatre, this inspirational evening highlights the greatest champions of social progress, a process that starts with thousands of entries and culminates in 8 winners being announced live on stage. This year, Elizabeth Gore (Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the United Nations Foundation) and Kenna (Grammy-Nominated Musician, Tech Creative and Founder of Summit on the Summit) hosted the 5th Annual CLASSYs in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.

As the CLASSYs continue to grow, we were privileged to partner with them to help celebrate the fifth anniversary. The evening began with an outdoor reception complete with multiple red carpets providing each and every guest with a special VIP experience. Guests were welcomed into the theater to find a beautifully designed set by David Korins Design, drawing inspiration from the elegance of the awards logo laurel, which helped frame the multi-screened stage. The real magic happened when the house lights dimmed and the set came to life with LED lights framing each screen and the podium.

Throughout the evening, various leaders from the social sector presented awards to the winners in each of the 8 categories- Active Duty & Veteran Services, Animal & Wildlife Welfare, Disaster Relief & Public Safety, Education Advancement, Environmental Protection, Health Services, Human Rights & Social Justice Services, and Poverty & Hunger Relief. Some of the speakers included Adam Garone, Co-Found & CEO of Movember, Premal Shah, President of Kiva, Kathleen Schwille from National Geographic, Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO of the Humane Society of the US, and Col. David Sutherland of Easter Seals Dixon Center, who brought all 2000 guests to their feet with his moving remarks.

Overall, the CLASSY Awards continue to pave the way recognizing and honoring the importance of those individuals striving to make our world a better place and we are grateful for the opportunity help emphasize this significant occasion.

To learn more about the awards, please visit www.classyawards.org.

The Genesis Prize is a brand new initiative, seeking to recognize individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields, and whose actions, in addition to their achievements, embody the character of the Jewish people through commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish community and/or to the State of Israel. To help commemorate the inaugural award ceremony, Empire delivered former Tonight Show host Jay Leno to serve as emcee for this momentous occasion.

The Genesis Prize Foundation wanted a household name that could help lighten the evening while simultaneously adding to the already prestigious line-up. Jay Leno was the perfect fit. The event took place at the historic Jerusalem Theater in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the $1 Million Genesis Prize to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg, in turn, announced that the prize money would be invested to create the Genesis Generation Challenge – a competition striving to find and fund the next big idea to measurably better the world.

Along with the award presentation the program included a variety of performances celebrating famous Jewish musicians, artists, and composers. One of the many highlights of the evening was an ever-impressive special performance by Grammy award-winning pianist Evgeny Kissin.

Throughout the evening, Leno touched on a wide variety of topics from local Israeli politics to American pop culture in order to account for the diverse audience of international dignitaries, Nobel laureates, and business leaders from around the globe. Overall, his participation greatly helped amplify the international buzz surrounding the award, and we were honored and privileged to play a part.

On May 9, 2014, Empire delivered award-winning actor Alec Baldwin to take the helm of one of the most creative and prestigious award shows of the advertising world, The One Show. This annual event presented by the One Club celebrates the most acclaimed work in advertising, design, interactive, and branded entertainment. The One Show is the annual culmination of Creative Week, the New York City festival commending the union of excellence in advertising and the arts.

For this year’s event, the One Club desired a highly-recognizable host who could not only command the attention of the room, but who would also deliver a fun experience to this discerning gathering of industry professionals. Alec Baldwin was the natural solution.

Nearly 1,000 guests packed Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for the event, excited for Baldwin to kick off a fantastic evening. Prior to the show’s start, the television and movie star graciously posed on the red carpet for several photos with industry VIPs.

Collaborating with the writers from comedy video website Funny or Die, Baldwin was able to deliver an amazing event, leading the three-hour show with a deftness and charisma.

Mary Warlick, CEO of The One Club said of Baldwin that he is "a gifted actor and a New Yorker through and through, Alec Baldwin is the perfect choice to host The One Show, a New York institution. We want to make a big statement for this year's new format, and Mr. Baldwin does just that."

Empire selected and recommended Alec Baldwin, negotiated his contract terms and coordinated his logistics and content preparation. On the day of the event, Empire ensured all needs of the client and talent were well met to facilitate the best possible performance.

Empire is one of the world’s leading providers of high-stature talent for awards shows and events.

On May 14, 2014 Conduit Mobile came to NYC to re-launch as Como- the world’s leading do-it-yourself mobile app-creation platform. With customers ranging form mom and pop shops to global powerhouses like Amazon, Como powers over 600,000 mobiles apps with over 3,500 new businesses joining every day.

The Como Summit brought together 200 of the smartest minds in tech alongside the savviest minds in business to the tech-centric IAC Building. The morning was filled with informational panels focused on how to help small businesses make a big impact, featuring speakers from Como, Amazon, Booker, Yext, Etsy and the City of New York, to name a few. Taking place during National Small Business Week, Como partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration to livestream the program to viewers worldwide.

From registration to partner expo to stage program, the entire event was designed with a “small business, big moment” look and feel. We drew inspiration from the classic Main Street America aesthetic, building custom storefronts with awnings and hedges for the expo area to help create the small business, suburban feel. Pinch Food Design catered, bringing in their ever-creative food stations with a special deck interaction, rotisserie and spinning salad bar that helped bridge the space from expo to conference area. The immersive 120’ long video wall welcomed guests to the stage program, upgrading from the small town feel to a more techy, modern and edgy environment.

The conference provided a great opportunity to educate and network with potential partners, demonstrating Como to be an amazing resource for SMBs to reach and engage their clients in more meaningful ways. We were honored to be able to help celebrate the launch and in the words of the client, become “one of the team.”

May 19, 2014, marked the 10th consecutive year that Empire has produced The Webby Awards— the internet's most important annual event. This year, web achievements by celebrities including Taylor Schilling, De La Soul, and the Jamaican Bobsled Team were celebrated alongside accomplishments of Lawrence Lessig and VICE Media.

Empire produced the 18th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC, where attendees first mingled and enjoyed Cipriani’s famed Bellinis and passed hors d’oeuvres during a perfect Spring cocktail reception.

Patton Oswalt was uproarious as host for the third straight year, opening by asking the guests to stop looking at the internet on their phones so that he could talk to them about the internet.

But as always, it was the Webbys renowned five-word acceptance speeches that stole the show. Some winner’s speeches were funny, such as Ylvis (who were behind the “What Does the Fox Say?” song and video), who simply said, “We came for free food,” while others proved that five words are enough to say something more profound, such as VGNC’s Executive Producer who exclaimed, "Peace and glory to Ukraine!"

One of the more interesting moments of the night came when Bansky was named the Webby Person of the Year by the legendary godmother of punk, Patti Smith. Unwilling to appear publicly, Banksy had Patton Oswalt open a golden envelope with his 5-word acceptance speech. However, the card inside appeared to have been censored, leading Patton to say, “Oh….somebody painted over it”. Whether that was the elusive artist’s five-word speech was anybody’s guess.

Perhaps for the first time ever, the best speech of the night was not from a winner, and was not limited to five words. After the audience was treated to a stunning video celebrating the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, Charlie Rose took the stage and introduced the man who invented the Web itself, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. He made a moving, passionate, and poignant call to action for Web leaders everywhere to continue creating the fabric of the Web, person-by-person, idea-by-idea. The audience leapt to their feet when Lee closed by saying he only needed three words to explain whether the Web would continue to stay free for all people everywhere: “Up….To…Us!”

The Webby is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, The 18th Annual Webby Awards received 12,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states and generated nearly one billion media impressions worldwide. Empire is honored to have partnered with Recognition Media on the event since 2005.

Empire had the honor of producing the 7th annual Internet Week New York festival once again, which featured an array of events around New York City from May 19 to 22, 2013. Event headquarters was positioned at the Metropolitan Pavilion and the Altman Building for the second consecutive year, after a brief hiatus from those spaces in 2012.

With more than 10,000 visitors over the week and hundreds of companies represented, including CBRE, Yahoo!, Quantcast, and NTENT, the space was organized to create separate, yet still cohesive, spaces in which to provide concurrent content. Two stages were sponsored by Evolve Media and USA Today / Gannett, a classroom was sponsored by The Trade Desk, and a lounge was furnished by official design partner, Design Within Reach.

Looking to keep things fresh, sponsors brought in a variety of interesting activities this year, including KBS’s “Inside the Internet” experience, consisting of a single-person unit where individuals spun around in a holographic box with confetti and music, Evolve’s nail art station offering free manicures and custom art, and SheKnows offering samples of gourmet popcorn and juices.

Highlights of the week included:

· The welcome address presented by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who discussed the role of technology within the city.

· A keynote presentation by VICE News, moderated by VICE News Editor-in-chief Jason Mojica with input from participants Richard Wolffe, CIP and Executive Editor at MSNBC.com, Duy Ling Tu, Professor and Director of Digital Media at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and Justine Simons, Senior Producer at the New York Times.

· Webby Sessions which included a conversation between Eva Chen, Editor-in-Chief of Lucky Magazine and David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of the Webby Awards – covering Eva’s experience with brands like Elle, Vogue, Vogue China, and Teen Vogue. The content focused on the evolution of fashion, beauty, and retail in the digital age.

· Chrissy Teigen—celebrity Tweeter, blogger, super model, and Sports Illustrated Cover Model—speaking with Cosmopolitan.com’s editor and sharing her thoughts on the impact of social media on the community of millennial women.

· A live performance by the Blogologues, a live sketch comedy show, in which the internet is performed verbatim by an ensemble of actors, which was met with hysterical laughter by the audience.

Following a similar pattern as past years, the event took over two separate spaces to accommodate longer presentations and conferences. Taking place in the Altman Building, MediaPost held two day-long conferences, OMMA Native and OMMA Social. AdAge's Marketing and Technology Summit rounded out the third and final day.

Empire oversaw the 7th Annual Internet Week New York festival headquarters from conception to completion, coordinating registration for the thousands of guests, stage management and producing all of the presentations in the theater and on both HQ stages, and managing all event sponsors from the design process for their space and all of their needs from load-in to load-out.

Empire is a leading producer of trade events, expos and event marketing / presence marketing installations with extensive experience in the technology industries.

On April 23rd, 2014, The Africa Center invited an intimate group of VVIP supporters to experience the “Lagos Lounge” — a very special evening of African culture, music and food, presented to cultivate major donors for their capital campaign to complete the Africa Center on Fifth Avenue in Harlem.

The small group of guests arrived at the most unique of settings and one of New York’s best-kept secrets: a private, 100-year-old Vaudeville Theater and hidden architectural gem on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Unbeknownst to passersby, the Theater is only accessible through a small residential building’s common laundry room. Guests entered the building completely unaware that the unremarkable street entrance would lead them into an eye-opening concert hall.

After lying forgotten as a mannequin storage attic for decades, the cavernous space was lovingly restored by an Academy Award-nominated composer into a world-class recording studio. Today the soaring ceilings and wooden stage are adorned with vintage musical instruments, a cast iron & glass goldfish tank and architectural lighting that create a warm yet haunting environment. Due to the room’s impressive ambiance, candles and old music were all that were needed to set the mood of the evening.

Africa Center Board Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton opened the evening with welcome remarks addressing the important role that The Africa Center will play in the coming years as Africa continues to grow in wealth, influence and cultural significance. Clinton then invited guests to become part of the founding membership program.

Hadeel Ibrahim, the Africa Center Board co-chair, also spoke about the promise of the Africa Center before introducing Tanzania-born British architect David Adjaye who in turn introduced the evening’s first musical artist - East African singer/ songwriter SOMI. SOMI awed the audience with her powerful voice and evocative songs, reminiscent of the music of Sade and Nina Simone.

With just a quick intermission to change the stage over and to refill drinks, Fab 5 Freddy, the long-time host of “YO! MTV Raps” introduced the next and final performer for the evening – Morocco’s Hassan Hakmoun. Hakmoun and his 5-piece group had the audience, which included notable figures like Tom Freston, Jean Pigozzi, Susan Sarandon and Carrie Lowell, on their feet.

Empire helped secure the impossible-to-rent space, brought in Creative Edge to cater and provided both production and design for this event. We were thrilled to curate this evening of international talent and African flavors to facilitate awareness of the Africa Center.

On April 10, 2014, Empire presented R&B/pop sensation Jason Derulo for a telecommunications giant in South Beach, Florida. Nearly 1,000 guests packed legendary Miami nightclub Mansion for the private performance. Jason was a surprise to the attendees until the CEO started dropping clues about the mystery artist……. over 30 Million Singles Sold Worldwide…..over 1 Billion Views and counting on YouTube…….7 top-10 US Radio Singles in the Top 40 Format….. 17 Million Social Media Fans and Followers. The crowd was already in a frenzy when Jason hit the stage, launching immediately into his smash hit "In My Head". Backed by an electric hype-man and DJ, as well as four dancers, Derulo broke out other hits such as "Riding Solo", "Marry Me", "Watcha Say", and the "Other Side".

But the highlight of the night came when Jason's hype man announced that the next song in the set was currently the #1 song in the nation on the Billboard Top 40. Derulo then broke into "Talk Dirty To Me" which the crowd sang along to word-for-word. Derulo was also playful and interactive with the audience, even inviting some attendees onstage for an impromptu dance contest before playing "Wiggle", the next single to be dropped from his new album, and featuring Snoop Dogg.

Aside from booking and coordinating the performance, Empire also arranged for Derulo to sign 50 CDs and participate in a meet and greet with the client's VIPs prior to the show.

Signature Theatre called upon Empire to help produce their annual gala and create a next-level experience through elevated design, a compelling program and flawless execution, all while showcasing their beautiful new Frank Gehry-designed theatre. With a ceremony paying tribute to theatre artist Ruben Santiago-Hudson and 108th New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, alongside presenters including Edward Norton and John Oliver, the stage presentation was not only impactful and meaningful, but hilariously entertaining as well.

After guests checked in at the theatre's main entrance on West 42nd Street and VIPs walked the red carpet, they ascended the staircase to discover the lobby, traditionally used as a place to mingle prior to a show, transformed into a formal affair.

Balancing the need to design an elegant evening without challenging the existing design of the venue, we used a palate of steel grays, textured linens, and crisp white flowers, all of which complemented the impressive wood paneling abundant in the space. Specialty and thematic event lighting also helped transform the space for this special night.

During the two simultaneous pre-dinner receptions, guests chatted and prepared for the dinner and stage presentation while being served an array of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, while live music provided by Graham Keir of Hire Juilliard Performers enhanced the experience. As dinner commenced, guests were welcomed by Executive Director Erika Malin and Gala Co-Chairs Edward Norton and Leslie Bains. Founding Artistic Director James Houghton honored theatre artist Ruben Santiago-Hudson not only for his work in theatre, but also for his personal contributions to Signature Theatre. Comedian and actor John Oliver of HBO's “Last Week Tonight” roasted Bloomberg, bringing down the house with laughter, and also thanked him for his contributions to the success of the Signature Theatre.

Empire is proud to have served Signature Theatre and to support a variety of leading arts organizations as producer of their annual gala events.

Each year TIME publishes the TIME 100: a list of the 100 most influential people in the world. To celebrate this highly anticipated release, TIME hosts an exclusive Gala event in New York City attended by current and past TIME 100 honorees. With its extraordinary mix of world leaders, innovators and celebrities, the TIME 100 Gala is recognized as one of the world’s most high profile annual events and for the 6th consecutive year Empire was proud to serve as the event’s producer. The 2014 TIME 100 Gala took place at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Participants and performers at this year’s TIME 100 included Carrie Underwood, Pharrell Williams, Seth Meyers, Governor Scott Walker, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Alfonso Cuarón, Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Megyn Kelly, as well as Time Warner Chairman and CEO, Jeff Bewkes, Time Inc. CEO, Joe Ripp, and Managing Editor of TIME, Nancy Gibbs.

The TIME 100 was also attended by a global who’s who of icons from industry, culture, sports, fashion and politics. Some of those in attendance this year included Amy Adams, Katie Couric, Rand Paul, Rupert Murdoch, Barbara Walters, Susan Sarandon, Padma Lakshmi, Christy Turlington Burns & Ed Burns, Jenji Kohan, Frank Ocean, Ronan Farrow, Alice Waters, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Arianna Huffington.

The TIME 100 featured red carpets on three floors, an elegant cocktail reception, a seated dinner and program that combined keynote remarks, musical performances, toasts by the evening’s honorees, and an after-party. This year’s gala event was sponsored by Chivas Regal 25 and Citi.

As one of the world’s most high-stature events, the TIME 100 draws extensive global media coverage which this year included the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Today Show, Huffington Post, FOX, and many others. BizBash Media named the TIME 100 the #1 Media Event of the Year.

With the world watching through such extensive coverage, the production of the TIME 100 requires precision execution. Empire was proud to work closely with the TIME team to deliver a flawless evening.

Empire’s responsibilities as producer included event design & décor, talent booking & coordination, venue and catering logistics (provided by Great Performances), technical production, broadcast and Internet stream facilities, stage management, staffing, front of house logistics, security and sponsorship activations.

Crackle, a SONY Pictures Television digital entertainment network, partnered with Empire to produce their 2014 Digital NewFront— an annual presentation to advertisers and media covering the digital entertainment sector.

With an exciting lineup of both new, original programs and returning series, presenters such as Bryan Cranston ("The Tightrope"), Chad Michael Murray ("Chosen”), Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Cleaners”) and sportscaster Dan Patrick (“Sports Jeopardy”) were on-hand alongside Crackle executives Eric Berger and James Smith.

The NewFront was held inside Chelsea’s Cedar Lake Center, whose elegant brick walls, high ceiling and flown lighting grid, which are reminiscent of a soundstage, helped to drive home the message that Crackle is an integrated part of the SONY production operations and is actively engaged in producing the content it distributes. The venue featured a main theater as well as an adjoining reception space where guests took photos with Crackle on-air talent.

Within the concise, 60-minute program, Crackle showcased their extensive original programming in the sports, comedy, thrillers, and music categories, featuring the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, John Legend, Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner. Crackle presented itself as a dynamic and far-reaching network, actively building upon its past success and firmly focused on future growth.

In addition to securing the venue, designing the spaces, managing event logistics, catering and stage managing the complex program, Empire provided all staging and technical production support. The presentation seamlessly fused a large, main LED screen with content shown on a series of six flown plasma screens flanking the set. The stage design served as a perfect vehicle for Crackle to showcase its content for the advertisers and media in attendance.

MediaBizBlogger’s, an online blog that cover the Upfronts and NewFronts each year, gave Crackle’s NewFront a 4.5 out of 5 “Jacks” adding that the NewFront had “great attitude, flow and fun.” Cynopsis’ NewFront Poll declared Crackle’s NewFront as the winner with 65% of readers polled saying that Crackle’s NewFront was the best of this year’s presentations.

Empire continues to set the industry standard for producing outstanding presentations for clients seeking to communicate their mission, motivations and value proposition to key customers. Empire is proud to have served SONY Pictures Television and Crackle for their Digital NewFront.

On April 19, 2014 the independent horror comedy, Zombeavers, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. After the Zombeavers trailer was released online and went viral with millions of views the prior month, the Zombeavers premiere was a widely-anticipated event.

A sold out crowd showed up for the world premiere of the gory Summer thriller at Chelsea’s Bow Tie Cinemas. The film was directed by veteran standup comedian and writer, Jordan Rubin, and written by Al Kaplan, Jordan Rubin, and Jon Kaplan.

Immediately following the screening, guests were invited to join the filmmakers and cast at Trailer Park Lounge, located directly across the street from the theater for the film’s Official Premiere After Party.

Inside the eclectically decorated venue, guests were greeted by world-renowned DJ Mark Ronson, spinning his own mixed versions of hip hop classics for an intimate crowd of 150 guests. In addition to the cast & crew of Zombeavers, attendees include Judah Friedlander, Sean Lennon, Dave Attell, Bennett Miller, Fab Five Freddy, Matthew Lillard, Charlotte Ronson, and Josephine De La Baume.

Guests enjoyed an open bar and array of hand selected hors d’oeuvres, as an animatronic beaver that was actually used in the film provided attendees with a memorable photo opportunity. As guests departed, they were presented with gift bags full of ‘Zombeavers’ branded merchandise.

To see the trailer of this highly anticipated independent film, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7onFrBK_hKE

When The New Museum, one of the foremost institutions for New York City’s au courant modern art scene, sought talent for their private annual spring gala, they turned to Empire for a musical solution suitable for the city’s finest tastes. In search of a singer that would not only impress, but would lift the heels of guests of this coveted invitation, we engaged a chic international sensation: Swedish singer and songwriter Lykke Li.

With two albums successfully under her belt, as well as tracks on films The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Blue is the Warmest Color, and Rust and Bone, Lykke Li is the darling who is wooing the world with her unique fusion of indie, surrealist pop, and electronic music.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 1, Cipriani Wall Street buzzed with artists, dealers, curators, and editors. New York’s elite tastemakers were dressed in burgundy, cardinal, vermilion, and oxblood, befitting of the evening’s theme, “Red or Racy”. Luxury Italian sports car label Ferrari served as the evening’s sponsor, with two new models boldly parked on the sidewalk.

Following a live auction with Simon de Pury at the helm, the evening’s co-host, actress Greta Gerwig, announced that Lykke Li would take the stage by storm.

Her set included her hits “I Follow Rivers”, “I’m Good, I’m Gone”, and “Get Some”, as well as songs from her much anticipated new album, I Never Learn, dropping in May. After her hit show, the singer mingled with the crowd, including the evening’s co-host Stefano Tonchi of W magazine, Cindy Sherman, Derek Blasberg, and Jeffrey Deitch, as well as the museum’s director Lisa Phillips.

For this fantastic evening, we proudly served as entertainment producer, including securing and contracting talent and managing all talent logistics and stage management.

Whether it’s securing headline musical, comedy or variety talent, contracting or handling production or logistical needs, Empire is a leader in delivering the biggest names in entertainment for not for profit event performances.

The location might have been TriBeCa, but the vibe was all Africa when the trustees of The Africa Center, in collaboration with Ben Bronfman, Taymour Grahne and Fab 5 Freddy, hosted the first in a series of monthly events in the lead-up to Africa Central, the Center's much-anticipated September pop-up. The eclectic crowd - including well-known figures from the worlds of art, film, fashion, finance and philanthropy - mingled easily against the backdrop of Moroccan-born photographer Hassan Hajjaj's sold-out show.

Hajjaj, whose work features in permanent collections on both sides of the Atlantic, including LACMA and The V&A, is set to design the cafe for Africa Central. Architect David Adjaye, art dealer and curator Jeffrey Deitch, fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, and African Film Festival founder Mahen Bonetti have committed to Africa Central's 10-day program and will be collaborating to produce various events.

The event drew over 400 guests to the Taymour Grahne Gallery, and DJ Rich Medina spun a set of Afro-Pop while guests sipped rum drums generously donated by Starr African Rum.

When it formally opens in 2015, The Africa Center will be the world’s leading hub for contemporary and traditional African art, culture, policy and business. Through world-class programming and a global network of partner institutions, The Africa Center will shape U.S. - Africa engagement, transform how Africa is understood in the United States, and provide a new cultural landmark in New York City.

The Africa Center is committed to to exploring a broad range of issues affecting the African continent, from education and the environment to economics and governance, while maintaining a core commitment to art and culture.

Africa Central, a cultural pop-up event, will open in The Africa Center's unfinished space at One Museum Mile in September 2014 as a temporary pop-up experience. Visitors to Africa Central will have the opportunity to participate in a various events, from performance and visual arts, to fashion and food, educational outreach and more.

To learn more about Africa Central and the Africa Center visit www.theafricacenter.org

Subaru made an appearance at the 84th Annual Geneva International Auto Show in Geneva Switzerland to unveil three new vehicles including a futuristic concept car, the “Subaru VIZIV 2 Concept” and the latest “WRX STi”. The Japanese auto manufacturer wanted to include something a little unexpected to help showcase their new concept at the Subaru Press Conference to better feature Subaru’s unique character and craftsmanship.

With the help of our Tokyo office, Subaru was able to present their new auto concepts in an innovative way by integrating famed Japanese tap dancer, Hideboh in the unveiling. Hideboh is best known for his famed dance sequence in Zatoichi, a movie directed by Takeshi Kitano.

Working under the direction of our Tokyo team, Hideboh worked with the tap dancing group LiBLAZE to create a custom performance designed for maximum impact. The performance integrated various energetic dance elements characterizing the new Subaru concept car, “VIZIV 2.”

The unconventional press conference was a big hit for Subaru, garnering media attention from all over the world.

To learn more about the new vehicles showcased and see Hideboh in action at the Subaru Press Conference, please visit: http://youtu.be/Gp50YLAzO5Y.

Empire is a leading supplier of creative talent solutions for international product launches, trade shows and exhibits.

In 2013, Empire worked with AMC to create what would become one of the most innovative and talked-about events of the year for AMC’s first-ever Upfront.

In April 2014, AMC raised the bar again, challenging us to deliver an event that would wow their guests in a completely new way and deliver on AMC’s tag line of ‘Something More’. Working together with AMC over the course of many months, we reimagined the upfront as an epic, seated dinner that would allow the guests to experience the power of AMC’s programming in a group setting. The results were, in the words of advertising media, “eye-popping” and “an imaginative bar-raiser and sure-fire candidate for best event of 2014".

The evening began with guests boarding a series of luxury coaches to transport guests from their midtown offices to the downtown venue. Upon arriving at Pier 36, guests checked in quickly and passed through a sleek reception area and into a cocktail lounge while listening to remarks by AMC’s engaging President, Charlie Collier. As Collier wrapped up his remarks, a giant wall of curtains unexpectedly parted to reveal a stunningly beautiful 100' dining room with banquet tables and over 100 waiters in formal attire lining the aisles.

Guests were awestruck by the screens lining the perimeter of the room and were in for an even bigger surprise as they were seated next to the stars and creators of AMC’s shows. Among the celebrity attendees were Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Christina Hendricks and January Jones of Mad Men; Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, and Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead; Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks of the highly-anticipated Better Call Saul.

To bring current and upcoming programs to life, custom-created wide screen trailers of AMC’s shows were shown on the surrounding screens while shock-and-awe theatrical experiences complemented each sequence. While guests enjoyed their amuse bouche, highlights of Mad Men ran on the screen to conclude with a reveal of the entire cast standing in spotlights at their tables. Next up, a series of live and projected legal incidents advertised the law practice and new series of the ever-scheming Saul Goodman of Better Call Saul. During the main course, a panoramic animation sequence turned the clock back on Manhattan from the present day to 1776. As the trailer for AMC’s newest series entitled Turn concluded, guests witnessed a full-scale Revolutionary War battle fought in the aisles by over 50 soldiers in costume amidst smoke effects and cannon and musket fire. A revolutionary war fife and drum corps conclude the battles sequence and provided a nice segue to a lone fiddle player whose music transported guests back to the old West of Hell on Wheels as expansive imagery of trains rolling across the Great Plains spread over the screens. In the final sequence, AMC executives’ closing remarks were cut short by a Walking Dead Zombie attack as over 40 authentic walkers invaded the dinner space and chased guests back into the reception area that had been transformed into an ‘80s-themed after party portraying Halt and Catch Fire - a new series about the birth of the personal computer.

MediaBizBlogger Simon Applebaum wrote that AMC’s Upfront was “An imaginative bar-raiser and sure-fire candidate for best event of 2014.” Another media executive quoted in Broadcasting & Cable was quoted as saying “Other companies will be hard pressed to beat this. They’ve raised the bar.”

For over 16 years, world-renowned event designer Colin Cowie and Empire have enjoyed a very special partnership creating experiences that define the very best moments in people’s lives. This partnership combines Colin Cowie’s unparalleled ability to design bespoke environments and celebrations, and Empire’s ability to animate those visions through top-tier talent acquisition, precision technical management and live event production of the highest caliber. The results of this partnership have been experienced first hand by a long list of royalty, heads of state, billionaires, and many of the leading celebrities of our age, at events across the globe from Dubai to Mexico, Monaco to the Bahamas. Our most recent collaboration brought our teams to the spectacular Bacara Resort in picturesque Santa Barbara. The occasion? A very special birthday party, hosted by the incomparable Oprah Winfrey, for one of her dearest friends. Working closely together, Colin and Oprah imagined a spectacular environment: a vision of red velvet, cut crystal, black sequins, a dozen giant mirror balls, 100’ of video walls, hidden lounges, a branded dance floor, and LED curtains, all together taking the form of a ballroom within the ballroom. The fabulous evening included an elegant cocktail reception featuring a live-electric violinist playing along with a pre-recorded electro track. When guests entered the ballroom, they gasped at the beauty of the room, and the elegant band on stage. Throughout the dinner, there were seamless transitions between the course service, live toasts, and musical accompaniment by the New York City-based Ikonix Band, led by Troy Curtis. Following dinner, Ms. Winfrey welcomed world-renowned Grammy Award-winning performer, Patti LaBelle to the stage to perform hits including: “You are my Friend,” “New Attitude,” Lady Marmalade” and “Over the Rainbow.” Immediately following her set, a huge birthday cake was rolled onto the dance floor, and Ms. LaBelle led the room full of well-wishers to sing “Happy Birthday.”When it was time to get the dance party started, giant curtains opened, revealing previously-hidden glittering lounge areas, as Ikonix and DJ Neza performed several musical mash ups punctuated by a series of special effects. The guests danced until the early hours of the morning, fueled by Espresso-laced shots and late-night snacks. The following morning, guests reappeared in the ballroom, which had been transformed overnight into a gorgeous theater for a very special Gospel performance curated by the great Bebe Winans. The Gospel performance featured a children’s choir from The Adderley School for the Performing Arts, some of the Los Angeles area’s best gospel soloists, and a rousing set by Bebe Winans, who got the entire audience on their feet and even managed to get guest Rob Lowe up to dance and sing along. Empire was honored to once again be chosen by Colin Cowie to join his team to create another extraordinary experience for one of the highest stature clients in the world.

When the Super Bowl came to the New York area in February 2014, many major corporations and brands marked the occasion with top-tier parties in Manhattan filled with celebrities, athletes and VIPs. As one of the world’s leading sports media companies, the Sports Illustrated party would necessarily need to stand out from all others and Empire was tapped to help ensure this.

Sports Illustrated chose to present a large-scale event on the night before the big game at one of New York’s newest venues, Skylight Modern. Located in the heart of the chic Chelsea Gallery district, this contemporary space accommodates over 600 guests with room to spare for large-scale staging, sponsor activations and kitchen facilities. Joining Sports Illustrated as co-sponsors of the Super Bowl event were several blue chip companies from the automotive, technology and liquor industries. The space was elegantly constructed into a main concert area with raised VIP areas, several bars, elegant sponsor activations and marketing installations for the participating partners.

DJ Kiss kicked off the party as VIPs arrived via Jaguar automobiles and took their turns on the red carpet. Attending VIPs included John Legend, Fantasia and several of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models. As the crowd filled the room and began dancing, multiple Grammy Award winning musician, artist and producer Wyclef Jean arrived to take the stage with his full band and DJ. Wyclef proceeded to rock the house with a high-energy set as he alternated between guitar, keyboard and bongos. His electrifying set soon had everyone in the house on their feet, including the invitation to come onstage extended to 20 ladies to dance with him mid show. When the live set ended, Wyclef remained onstage to DJ for another hour, playing mash-ups of 1980s hits evocative of New Jersey where he spent part of his youth and where the Super Bowl would soon be played. The party was a sensational success and Sports Illustrated, the sponsors, advertisers and attendees all had a great time.

Empire secured and contracted Wyclef Jean and his band for this project and coordinated all related production and logistics, working closely with Sports Illustrated and its partners. Empire is a leading provider of headline talent for high-profile sports hospitality events.

On January 23, 2014, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce the 3rd annual TRANS4M Benefit Concert event on behalf of seven-time Grammy winner will.i.am and his charitable organization, the i.am.angel Foundation. i.am Angel supports trans4mation and revival in distressed communities like will.i.am’s hometown: the east Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

Held for the second year in a row at the AVALON Hollywood on the eve of the Grammy Awards, over 1,400 guests came out to support the i.am.angel Foundation including Kimberly Cole, Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Taboo, MC Hammer, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Will.i.am is best known as a multi-platinum music artist, producer and front man for The Black Eyed Peas, though he is an innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist as well. As the evening’s host, his message of trans4ming lives through education, opportunity and inspiration was driven home by an emotive program of speakers and videos.

Following the speaking program, will.i.am and an incredible band of backing players delivered a non-stop dance concert featuring guest performances by Busta Rhymes, Chaka Khan, Sergio Mendes, Bell Biv DeVoe, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, Scarface, Slick Rick, Cody Wise, Leah McFall, and We Are The Future. Guests were welcome to explore the multi-level venue including the VIP artists lounge and an open-air club, Bardot.

This year, Empire Entertainment also produced the speaking portion at the VIP dinner held at the Redbury Hotel immediately before the concert. Speakers included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, will.i.am, and David Silver, the CEO of College Track, all who spoke to the importance of educating America’s youth. All told, the event raised over $2.5 million to support the i.am.angel Foundation’s programs.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the i.am.angel Foundation TRANS4M Benefit Concert, managing all aspects of the event including venue contracting, registration, logistics, catering, décor, stage, production, staffing, parking, security and onsite management, collaborating with the i.am.angel Foundation, partners, and donors.To find out how you can get involved with i.am.angel Foundation and help trans4m communities around you, visit their website at iamangelfoundation.org

We recently partnered again with The Fragrance Foundation to produce their inaugural Foundation Talks, a series of lectures showcasing thought-provoking speakers from a variety of backgrounds.

Opening with remarks by Fragrance Foundation President Elizabeth Musmanno and Board Chair Jill Belasco, the program included several noteworthy speakers. Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, followed President Clinton with a passionate speech about her mission to eradicate hunger, disease and poverty among the world’s children. Stefan Sagmeister, Creative Director with Sagmeister & Walsh, gave a humorous and insightful talk on design and happiness. “As a designer I asked myself, is it actually possible to become happier in my field? And the easy answer is, of course. I should do more of the stuff I love to do and less of what I don’t like to do.”

Internationally recognized innovation and creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson, ended the afternoon’s talks. His lively presentation covered the role of innovation and education in tackling economic and cultural challenges such as inequality, instability and environmental issues. He said, “The Key to the war against inequality is not aid programs but education programs.” This was the third project for which we were tapped by the Fragrance Foundation, again serving as overall event producer.

Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership forums for all industries and sectors, and is a key resource for keynotes speakers and celebrities of all types. For more information on The Fragrance Foundation, please visit their website at www.fragrance.org.

Leading music streaming service, Spotify, hosted a special event at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show that showcased the influential and interpretational natures of both food and music. While music and food are recognized as creative disciplines and are omnipresent in our lives, rarely has their intersection been explored. For this ground-breaking event, Spotify chose to focus on how music harmoniously blends, and often enhances, the dining experience.

To bring the concept to life for key advertisers gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, we paired Momofuku’s superstar Chef David Chang with fast-rising musical artist Deltron 3030. This teaming was the perfect manifestation of the music & food fusion concept and Deltron 3030's defiant music perfectly echoed Momofuku's iconoclastic philosophy of revolutionizing fine dining.

Blurring the lines between a cocktail party and a seated dinner, guests were seated in 1Oak Nightclub’s club banquets where they were served nine courses of passed and plated family-style hors d'oeuvres. From Steamed Pork Buns to 48-hour Braised Short Rib & Kimchi, all of the renowned chef's greatest hits were on display, along with custom cocktails created for the evening: Mango Sriracha Old Fashioned, anyone?

Deltron 3030 member, and famed DJ Kid Koala, spun Chang's "prep" playlist until the stage program began. Spotify's VP of Sales, Brian Benedik, took to the stage to introduce the evening's host, David Chang, who intimately shared his enthusiasm for food and music with the gathered guests.

Chang then invited the band's frontman, Dan the Automator, to join him onstage, where he gave a nod to the pair’s long friendship and echoed the natural connections between food and music. The rest of the band quickly joined on stage to perform incredible renditions of "3030," "The Return," "Virus," and "Do You Remember." Momofuku Milk Bar's famous cookies & cake truffles made the rounds as a final treat to the guests before they exited. 1OAK at The Mirage served as the perfect venue for the event and strategically placed, illuminated Spotify branding was the perfect way to brand the evening and promote Spotify to the attendees.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative event marketing concepts at global expos like CES.

On the evening of Saturday, January 4, 2014, Empire produced a stylish wedding, merging contemporary New York edge with Southern flair for a London-bound couple at Skylight Modern. The young, creative couple and their families definitely wanted their wedding to be non-traditional and the event delivered on this premise in every way.

Upon entering the space, guests immediately came upon an enchanting altar crafted of birch wood and flowering quince branches in the center of an array of white chairs. Once receiving a glass of champagne, guests were seated in the round, a layout that placed the couple at the heart of ceremony and allowed for their friends and family to warmly envelop them in a unifying circle. After the entrance of the wedding party attired in chic all-black, the bride walked down the aisle to Led Zeppelin’s timeless classic, “Thank You.”

After a brief exchanging of vows, the just-married couple led guests downstairs to the reception. The cavernous, modern and minimalist Skylight Modern space had been exquisitely designed into a lounge lit with the glow of thousands of candles and hanging lights and surrounded with wall projections.

Cocktails were served at the couple’s hand selected bourbon bar, complete with all the fixings, while guests nibbled on decadent edible interactions straight from NYC’s unique caterer, Pinch Food Designs. Along with delectable bites, the couple served five custom designed black and white cakes exquisitely fashioned by the one and only Sylvia Weinstock. Along with 230 of the couple’s closest friends and family, the newlyweds danced the night away under a canopy of lights to the Alabama-based band St. Paul and The Broken Bones. This soul group entertained with great energy, playing original songs as well as the classics by Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Following the band's stellar performance, DJ Bunker Blake spun, playing an organic blend of nostalgic classics and today’s trendiest hits.

As guests enjoyed cake and the party buzz, The Bumby’s, two anonymous performance artists, provided witty analyses of the partygoers on their typewriters. This kind of performance and other eclectic features kept the guests entertained and engaged throughout the joyous occasion.

Empire is a leading producer of next-generation personal families and celebrations and we love working with unique and talented clients to help them bring life to their creative visions.

Every year, MAXIM Magazine throws the biggest, most coveted Super Bowl Party around and this year did not disappoint. With the big game coming to the New York City area for the first time, they partnered with Talent Resources Sports to double down with a two-night party. Taking over one of the chicest event spaces in Midtown, Espace, DJ Dirty South spun EDM all night long Friday and Kendrick Lamar brought down the house with his performance Saturday night.

We worked closely with TR Sports to concept, design and produce an iconic New York centric event befitting MAXIM’s brand, bringing back the sexiness and grit of 1980’s NYC streets. We transformed the columns into graffiti-ridden fire escapes for Patron and MAXIM girls to dance upon, surrounded the VIPs with the infamous silhouette of the city’s skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge, and scattered various street elements throughout the space- traffic lights, street lights, classic “Post No Bills” walls, and chain link fences.

In contrast to the urban event space, we worked with party sponsor Heavenly Resorts in Lake Tahoe to create a ski-resort oasis in the foyer. Complete with snow covered Evergreens, “trail map” ice luge, shot skis and a snowboard bench, we also built a ski-lift chair-inspired photo booth for guests to share. Most of the other sponsors were incorporated into the NYC theme with an Empire State Building replicated from AQUAHydrate bottles, City Maps to pin your favorite place to drink Patron, and a chandelier of starlit Patron bottles. Other sponsorships included Wonderful Pistachio’s dedicated lounge, with delicious pistachios, Patron Bars, Touch giftbags and Redbull’s DJ rig and product.

The “Cipuatra Artpreneur”, a futuristic vertical city and haven for shopping, dining, theater, and art, opened in Jakarta’s business district on December 16th, 2013. This incredible new center earns distinction through its beautiful exhibition space, which encompasses the entire top floor and is designed to engage creative conversation and thinking. When contacted by the Indonesian agency, TRIMITRA, to produce the opening exhibition, Empire asked renowned art illusionist, Kurt Wenner, to create something that had never been seen before.

The event turned out to be the largest exhibition of Kurt Wenner’s extraordinary 3D artwork ever held. The centerpiece of the show was Shangri-La, an image unlike any other in the world. Wenner expanded his illusionistic techniques to include columns and a seemingly domed ceiling for a complete 180-degree illusion. This new masterpiece was received with astonishment and awe by the public, as well as more than 100 local and international press and media outlets that covered the Wenner exhibition. On opening day, the artist himself led a special workshop, giving insider lessons on 3D drawing methods and techniques, a rare privilege for those in attendance. In addition, Empire arranged a photo contest in which visitors enthusiastically entered the masterpieces to have their photo taken.

Wenner’s 11 magnificent creations were on display at the Artphoria exhibition for more than two months, drawing enthusiastic visitors and press to the new vertical city. Empire is extremely proud to have produced this unique event and to have taken the city of Jakarta and artwork of Kurt Wenner to a whole new level.

To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Empire Entertainment once again partnered with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) for their Global Impact Award on December 3, 2013.

The event was held at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square and honored former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for her extraordinary legacy of leadership and courage in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The emcee for the evening was Nigel Barker, world-renowned photographer and host of Oxygen Network’s “The Face”. Nigel introduced three actresses, Julianna Margulies, Gloria Reuben and Mary Steeburgen, who read passages from Elizabeth Glaser’s book, “In The Absence of Angels: A Hollywood Family’s Courageous Story”. Speakers for the evening included Charles Lyons, President and CEO of Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Susan DeLaurentis, Co-founder, and Jake Glaser, son of Elizabeth Glaser. Secretary Clinton was presented the Global Impact Award by Diane Sawyer and Willow Bay.

The event closed with a musical performance by multi-platinum, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein. Michael performed a set from the Great American Songbook with his 17-piece big band. Empire served as the overall production company, managing all aspects of the event.

To learn more about EGPAF and how you can make a difference please visit their website at www.pedaids.org

Over the past 7 years, charity: water has been on a mission to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. Thus far that has included 9,458 water projects in 20 countries. Every December, charity: water brings together its biggest donors, supporters, volunteers and staff to celebrate its accomplishments at charity: ball, an event recognized as one of the most innovative not-for-profit events in the world. This year they raised a record $4M towards new water projects in Malawi.

For the second year in a row, we had the great honor of producing charity: ball. When the original venue suddenly became unavailable three weeks before the event, we worked quickly to find a suitable replacement, The Duggal Greenhouse. Together with charity: water, we re-designed the creative for the new space. As a result of the new venue’s unique location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the party started as guests boarded private water taxis to bring across the river straight to the venue. The added bonus was time savings as we checked them in upon boarding with a quick swipe of their RFID wristbands.

As guests entered the Greenhouse they found themselves inside a giant gallery. Through interactive scenic installations and larger-than-life pictures from the field, charity: water told just a few of the many stories of the individuals affected by charity: water. The organization’s signature Waterwalk, where they ask guests to walk a fraction of the distance that people in developing countries walk to bring water home to their families, became the focal point of the event. Utilizing the RFID responsive technology, we tracked each participant that walked the Waterwalk, with Caterpillar Foundation donating $1,000 per person totaling $1M raised. We also refined the live auction pledge experience designed last year to encourage as many guests to donate as possible, again utilizing the RFID bracelets to pledge and track donations ranging from $100 to $90K.

Throughout the night, up-and-coming New York City DJ duo The Knocks kept guests dancing, including HRH Princess Beatrice, Tony Hawk and Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley. Once again, catering company Pinch brought in their creatively designed pop-up stations to satiate guests throughout the evening. With more and more non-profits following in charity: water’s footsteps redefining how they raise funds, create ROI, and tell a compelling story, we’re grateful that they continue to choose to partner with Empire to deliver these results.

To learn more about their work or to get involved please visit http://www.charitywater.org

Arms Around the Child is a new not-for-profit organization that believes in a world where children living in extreme adversity can have their lives transformed into a brighter future. They are committed to providing safe, loving homes for underserved, orphaned and abandoned children.

Arms Around the Child was created by activist and child rights advocate, Leigh Blake who had previously founded the Red Hot Organization and Keep a Child Alive. The Other Ball would be Arms Around the Child’s signature, annual fundraising event with the objective of reinventing the modern philanthropic experience in order to benefit children suffering in the developing world.

Empire had the great honor of producing this inaugural event at New York’s Highline Ballroom and helping Arms Around a Child to tell their compelling story. With the “more black leather than black tie” theme, The Other Ball was not your parents' dinner party. Working with creative director Periel Aschenbrand, we transformed the venue into a large living room with individually-packaged, intimate lounge seating areas with working fireplaces. The objective: make guests feel like they are seeing the world’s greatest concert in their own living room.

Graciously sponsored by TOPSHOP TOPMAN, the Other Ball honored quiet revolutionaries who tirelessly and patiently work to change the world. This year's inaugural event paid tribute to Peter Edge, CEO of RCA Records, Bob Roth, Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation and Mark Seliger, famed photographer and Rolling Stone icon. Incredible couture black leather bears that were individually customized by some of the biggest fashion designers in the world were auctioned to raise money. Participating designers included Simon Doonan, Thom Browne, Christian Louboutin, Alexander Wang, Topshop, Topman, Opening Ceremony, and Chromat. Other auctions included a work by artist Nissim Ben Aderet and other incredible once in a lifetime experiences.

The stars aligned as Grammy-winning producer, DJ and musician, Mark Ronson took the stage as gracious host to introduce an incredible lineup of performers. Grammy award-winning producer Jeff Bhasker put together an amazing band and served onstage as Musical Director as guests were treated to performances by some of the world's most sought-after artists for an eclectic evening of music destined to bring hope to children in need.

Mikky Echo quieted the intimate venue with his soulful “Stay.” Lykke Li performed “I Follow Rivers” and debuted a new song. FUN’s Nate Reuss rocked the stage with the hit single “We Are Young” and a cover of the Prince classic “Let’s Go Crazy.” A$AP Rocky pumped his hit song “Wild For The Night” while Miguel serenaded the crowd with his classics “Sure Thing” and “Adorn.” Then the Black Keys rocked the house with a 30 minute set, including hits such as “Gold On The Ceiling” and “Tighten Up.” After an amazing set of performances, DJ Samantha Ronson kept the 300+ leather dressed guests dancing into the early morning.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for this event and was responsible for aspects including site selection and acquisition, design, décor, catering, technical production, and stage management.

This event brought together creative hearts and minds in one of this year's most exciting not for profit events. The evening raised substantial funds to protect at-risk children and to achieve social change. Empire is honored to partner with Arms Around the Child to transform the lives of children. To learn more about Arms Around the Child or to get involved, please visithttp://www.armsaroundthechild.org

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) recently held its 99th Annual Conference and Exhibition at Chicago's McCormick Place. To take advantage of this timing and to promote Korean medical imaging technology to this influential audience, The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI USA) again engaged Empire to produce their Medical Forum at the RSNA conference.

Empire selected the Chicago History Museum to serve as the perfect venue for both the conference sessions as well as an elegant place for an evening reception. On the day of the event, over 250 professionals from the field of radiology and medical devices, including a wide range of doctors, government officials and executives, flocked to attend the cocktails and seminars on the future of Korean medical imaging technology. After an opening networking cocktail reception featuring guided tours of the Museum’s collection, guests moved to the Chicago Room for an enlightening forum.

At the conclusion of the Forum, guests were seated for a dinner featuring a mix of Korean traditional dishes such as pajun, chop chae, and daeji galbi, and also a taste of Chicago with mini deep dish pizzas and Italian beef.

Empire is a leading producer of events and forums to promote trade and exports for a variety of national governments and government agencies.

Jared Leto arrived at the Gotham Awards podium and held his cell phone up to the microphone. Matthew McConaughey wanted to say a few words of thanks for the 2013 Best Actor Award but could not be there in person…so he spoke through Leto's cell phone. It was weird and cool like the Gotham Awards themselves.

Weird and cool and stocked with screen stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, John Goodman, Isaiah Washington, Amy Poehler, Chiwetel Eijiofor, Forest Whitaker, Richard Linklater, Steve Buscemi, Shailene Woodley, Rashida Jones were among the famous faces milling around Cipriani Wall Street, with New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg rounding out the bill.

This was Empire Entertainment's sixth year producing the Gotham Awards, the first show of the film awards "season", and therefore hotly anticipated. "There's a lot of pressure," says executive producer James Donahower, "because you've got 900 people jam-packed into the room, and 100 of them are A-list celebrities. And it's live. So when you say 'start the show', you'd better be ready." Empire was.

When a corporate client sought a world-class headline musical artist to entertain an intimate group of their top clients and management on the final night of their summit, they turned to Empire to secure talent for a night that they’d never forget. After a length process of evaluating many options, the client chose and Empire delivered an extremely special, private concert with one of the best-selling rock bands in music history - Journey.

With their broad range of well-known hits, polished high-energy stage show, and powerful lineup (including lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, who has been with the band since 2007) Journey would deliver everything the client wanted for a successful evening.Prior to the performance, Journey participated in an intimate meet & greet with the guests, getting them excited for the performance to follow. The concert was full of non-stop hits including “Separate Ways,” “Anyway You Want it,” “Open Arms,” “Only the Young,” and “Faithfully.” The finale song, “Don’t Stop Believin’", brought the entire audience to the front of the stage, and left them clapping and cheering for an encore. When the band returned to the stage, they concluded the amazing night with an electrifying performance of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.”

Following the concert, DJ Mick Boogie kept the party alive, spinning greatest hits of yesterday and today, as guests danced the night away on a custom built black and gold dance floor. For this amazing night, Empire was proud to serve as overall entertainment producer, which included securing and contracting all performing talent and entertainment, providing all technical production, and managing all talent logistics, stage management, and onsite production management. Empire Entertainment is a leader in delivering the biggest names in entertainment for private performances.

Microsoft unveiled Visual Studio 2013, its ground-breaking and now cloud-based software development tool with an innovative, technological showcase that embodied the Visual Studio mantra: Connect, Create, Transform.

Serving as a platform for all Visual Studio 2013 news and announcements, the Keynote event hosted 250 in-person attendees at Highline Stages and 60,000 online viewers from around the world. Led by Microsoft Corporate Vice Presidents S. Somasegar and Scott Guthrie, this event was the worldwide corporate unveiling of Visual Studio and kicked off hundreds of launch events around the world. New York City's Meatpacking District, the epicenter of collaborative and creative design, was the perfect locale for Microsoft to launch the tools that developers use for just that purpose.

From registration to keynote to cocktails, every element was custom designed to enhance individual guest experience through digital optimization. LED walls illuminated in a digital heat map depicting the size and location of the online audience and pre-programmed event apps on individual tablets served as guests' personal concierges throughout the day, providing event attendees with the most connected, creative and transformative experience of the year.

After months of designing and planning every detail in collaboration with the Microsoft team, we were thrilled to see all of the components come together—in their words—“flawlessly.”

Since 2004, Empire Entertainment has been proud to serve as producer to Keep a Child Alive for the annual Black Ball Gala that has grown to become one of New York’s largest, most noteworthy and coolest fundraising events.On November 7, 2013, Empire Entertainment served as producer for the tenth anniversary Black Ball Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Givenchy and Jynwel Foundation, the Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Carole King, Kathleen Battle, British soul singer Laura Mvula, and R&B jazz fusion master Roy Ayers.

Hosted by KCA co-founder, global ambassador and Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, the Black Ball has raised over $22.5 million since it’s humble beginnings in 2004. A decade later, a proud Keys spoke of the 300,000 children and family members that have benefitted from Keep a Child Alive’s care in Africa and India. A star-studded guest list of over 600 came to support Keys’ charity, including Clive Davis, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Swizz Beatz, Steve Van Zandt, Padma Lakshmi, and baseball stars Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia.

The Black Ball raised $4 million dollars through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse, a Parisian vacation to see the Givenchy show, a trip to Jamaica, a Belstaff fashion experience and a private serenade by Alicia Keys accompanied with a special dinner with wines by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits.

Alicia Keys and her band put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several musical guests. The first of the evening was a beautiful collaboration with soul singer Laura Mvula, singing She. Followed by her breathtaking duet with Kathleen Battle singing Not Even The King and the classic, Ave Maria. Her next duet with R&B artist Claude Kelly, was an awe-inspiring song he wrote exclusively for Keep a Child Alive’s upcoming campaign. Carole King took the stage, Keys and King put on a phenomenal show when they sang a blended version of Superwoman vs. Natural Woman, creating an intense performance with their dueling pianos. Roy Ayers also performed alongside Alicia Keys, bringing his special brand of jazz and funk to the stage. Her last duet of the evening was with Pharrell Williams, as they sang Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The concert concluded with a stunning confetti blast that filled the cavernous interior of the century-old Hammerstein Ballroom with a glittering cascade of gold. Moments later, Swizz Beatz appeared on stage to DJ the after party, having all guests dance into the early hours of the morning.

Empire has been proud to partner with and serve Keep a Child Alive for the past decade, creating the Black Ball together and growing it into one of New York’s most anticipated annual fundraising events. To learn more about Keep a Child Alive, please go to www.keepachildalive.org

Lincoln Center, a beacon of New York City’s musical and performing arts culture, has recently added fashion to its famed programming repertoire with Fashion Week, industry events, and an annual conversation series honoring the industry’s biggest icons. Kicking off the inaugural conversation, The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund presented legendary Chanel and Fendi Creative Director, Karl Lagerfeld, on the Adrienne Arsht Stage of Alice Tully Hall.

The format for the presentation was an interview of Lagerfeld led by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain. Chastain led the audience through a revealing, deeply personal conversation about the life, career, and philosophy of this most enigmatic artist in the field of Fashion. The glamorous evening began with a "white-on-white" champagne reception in the Morgan Stanley lobby of Alice Tully Hall, just feet away from the red carpet glittering with nonstop flashes of photographers’ cameras. Once guests moved into the theater for the program, the same space was transformed into a "black-on-black" dining room for a black tie dinner. This stark, minimalist approach to the decor, punctuated by the contrast, created a high-impact and truly "Karl” experience, while minimizing costs and maximizing net funds raised.

In addition to continuing fashion programming in the Lincoln Center slate of events, this evening also marked the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund’s first gala fundraiser. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to 10 performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center including The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and The Juilliard School, Jessica Chastain’s alma mater. To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org

We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts.

Founded 25 years ago, New York's Robin Hood is one of the most ambitious, progressive, and effective not-for-profit organizations working to eradicate poverty in New York City. When Robin Hood and key members of its board decided to create a new event to expand its already impressive reach within the investor and financial community, they engaged Empire to serve as producer for the project: the inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference.

As with everything Robin Hood does, the Investors Conference would be innovative, bold and utterly unique. The two-day event took place at the Sheraton New York, home to the Clinton Global Initiative. The conference played host to over 750 influential investors representing virtually every major firm on Wall Street, as well as key hedge fund and private equity firms. The Conference featured an unprecedented lineup of financial leaders, presented in a series of carefully crafted keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions. Among the many noteworthy speakers and participants were U. S. Secretaries of the Treasury; Tim Geithner, Henry Paulson, and Larry Summers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ray Dalio, Howard Marks, David Einhorn, Daniel Loeb, Richard Chilton, Alan Schwartz, Mary Callahan Erdoes, Juan Enriquez, Lee Ainslee, David Tepper, Rob Citrone, John Griffin, Philippe Laffont, Laurence Fink, Barry Sternlicht, Bill Ackman, Julian Robertson, Mary Meeker, Jamie Dimon, and Jeff Bewkes. The final panel of the conference featured a conversation among two legendary investors, Stanley Druckenmiller and Robin Hood founder, Paul Tudor Jones.The conference sessions were emceed by Robin Hood's David Saltzman and Deborah Winshel.

To create a distinctive visual look unlike any other investor conference, a 100’ wide projection mapping installation that combined high resolution LED screen elements with HD front screen projection was installed in the ballroom and animated with images throughout the conference. At the end of each day, live data visualizations furnished by media partner, Bloomberg, were projected to the screens as wrap-up segments. The Investor Conference was underwritten by JPMorgan Chase so that every dollar of the tickets sold went to fund Robin Hood poverty programs. Other supporting sponsors included PepsiCo, and media partners Bloomberg and CNBC, both of whom broadcast live from the conference in temporary studios set up onsite.

This inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference vastly exceeded its goal, raising over $5.5 million to fight poverty in New York City. Empire Entertainment was extremely proud to be chosen to serve as producer for this project, working hand-in-hand with Robin Hood's executive, creative and event teams, along with event partners First Protocol, Diversified Production Services, Performance Environment Design, Brian Oakes, Sheraton New York, and Elite Investigations. As producer, Empire was responsible for overseeing design and execution of the overall conference creative, including agenda and program content, visual design, scenic design, screen content, scripting, music, staging, branding, partners and event logistics. Additionally, Empire was responsible for all speaker coordination, communications and logistics for 50 program participants. Empire is a leading producer of innovative not-for-profit events, summits, and unique thought-leadership programs. To learn more about Robin Hood please visit www.RobinHood.org.

When the niece of one of Empire’s clients wanted to celebrate her Sweet 16 Birthday in New York City during Halloween weekend, Empire was asked to create an extraordinary costume party unlike any other Sweet 16.

To achieve the client’s vision of a Halloween Sweet 16, Empire quickly secured the Plaza Hotel’s spectacular Grand Ballroom and began working to transform the ornate space into a spooky, yet elegant lounge for 150 teenage guests.

The richly decorated ballroom was filled with large dripping candelabras of varying sizes that stood amidst groupings of tufted Victorian lounge furniture, all surrounding a giant central bar, complete with a Mocktail station with non-alcoholic juice concoctions.

Throughout the night, DJ Soul and a group of dancers in ever-changing Halloween costumes kept the crowd dancing. At one point, Thrill the World, a flash-mob zombie dance group, appeared and performed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with uncanny precision. To add to the magic of the night, illusionist Elliot Zimet engaged guests in unforgettable sleight-of-hand experiences. Additional activities included a make-up booth where artists were available to gross-ify, gore-ify and amplify guests' costumes, and a social media photo booth where they could instantaneously post party photos or leave with a hard copy.

The evening’s high point came when Pharrell Williams made a special birthday appearance. The famous singer-songwriter and producer serenaded the dancing crowd with his hits including “Beautiful” and “Get Lucky". His smooth voice and undeniable charisma had guests flooding the stage and dancing alongside him. He then led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” followed by an intimate meet and greet with the birthday girl and her closest friends and family.

Empire was proud to be a part of the evening and to help make the birthday girl’s Sweet 16 the most memorable night of her life.

On November 4, 2013, EBONY Magazine presented the 2nd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African-Americans. The invitation-only affair took place in New York City and Empire was honored to serve as event producer.

The gala took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO Desirée Rogers of Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Harry Belafonte, La La Anthony, Reverend Al Sharpton Jr., Victor Cruz, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Cynthia Rowley, Lee Daniels, and Tyson Chandler.

The dinner program was emceed by Power 100 Honoree, Nick Cannon, who introduced a wide range of Motown-themed performances from talent including: jazz pianist ELEW, DJ Kiss, 10-year old piano virtuoso Joshua Mhoon, and 12-year old vocal prodigy MaeYa Carter Ryan. The evening also featured a lively number from the cast of the Broadway’s “Motown: The Musical.” To finish off the evening, the legendary Jacksons, featuring Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito, performed their greatest hits including a medley of Jackson 5 songs.

This year’s gala honored the legendary founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy Jr., with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2013 Power 100 list also honored President Obama, actress Kerry Washington, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, actor Michael B. Jordan, film director Lee Daniels, chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Roblé Ali and activists Harry Belafonte and Marian Wright Edelman.

After the dinner program, guests filed into the Atrium where they were treated to an after party with a sponsored lounge by Nationwide Insurance, and music by DJ Nick Cannon. Empire responsibilities ranged from securing performing talent, overall design & décor, coordinating with the venue and catering (provided by Great Performances), branding and sponsor fulfillment, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing, and security.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile events and is proud to have been chosen to support this remarkable program for EBONY Magazine and The Johnson Publishing Company.

To celebrate Halloween, AMC once again called upon Empire to produce their first ever Ad Sales event at the eerily lit Gotham Hall in Manhattan on October 30, 2013. As the most popular cable network, AMC always delivers on their motto “Something More.”

Donning their best Halloween costumes, guests first walked through a glowing blood red room and were then directed into the grand ballroom that was full of fog, large golden candelabras, and hand carved AMC branded pumpkins. Several Walter Whites, surrounded, of course, by his meth-making minions, sipped on hot apple cider as a clique of AMC cheerleaders and Three Little Pigs wandered by. Guests indulged in hot and cold apple cider, steak frites, tuna tartare, baby back ribs, white chocolate dipped ghost strawberries and more.

Throughout the evening, living statues painted in shades of teal, blue and silver danced the night away while guests had their fortunes told and minds blown by a slick slight-of-hand magician. Guests quickly took to the dance floor to enjoy spooky music curated by Donna D’Cruz. by Prior to announcing the best costume winners, guests were treated to a surprise flash mob performance of Michael Jackson’s Halloween classic “Thriller” by a slew of zombies. After all of the ghoulish fun and dancing came to an end, guests did some trick-or-treating at AMC’s candy bar full of lots of sweets and treats.

The Lowline has been rapidly gaining popularity for their effort to convert a former early 20th century underground trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. It will be a new kind of public space, using solar technology for natural illumination, and cutting-edge design to capture and highlight a very special industrial space. In order to help raise crucial funding for this incredibly innovative project, the Lowline team entrusted Empire to produce their second annual Anti-Gala Benefit Dinner and Speakeasy After Party at the historic lower east side venue, the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

Empire worked closely with Lowline to create a speakeasy theme for the event, highlighting the era in which the trolley terminal was in use. When guests arrived, they were led upstairs to the balcony where they were transported back to the early 1900s with gorgeous antique décor and design including an elaborate, miniature vintage trolley re-creation. A secret entrance was provided for VIP quests where they were greeted by a costumed trolley conductor and taken on a journey back in time with the performance of a vintage barbershop quartet.

A cocktail reception for 300 guests included a three-piece banjo band, costumed performers and contortionists. Guests were then taken downstairs for the seated dinner provided by Neuman’s Kitchen and renowned chef Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune Restaurant. A spectacular menu inspired by the early 1900s included turtle soup, consommé, fresh cherrystone clams, broiled mackerel, poached stuffed chicken breasts, French peas, Duchess potatoes, thinned white asparagus, and crème de menthe parfaits for dessert.

After dinner, Lowline co-founders Dan Barasch and James Ramsey spoke and introduced a live auction that raised over $300,000 for the exciting new project. A finale performance of entertainers emerged from the crowd and led the audience into an after party speakeasy. LCD Soundsystem Phil Mossman and Pat Mahoney DJ’ed, where guests such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Lena Dunham, Mark Ruffalo, Spike Jonze and Ed Norton grooved into the night.

Empire is a leading creative producer for innovative new projects and ideas worldwide. To learn more about the effort to build the world’s first underground park, the Lowline, visit www.thelowline.org.

Each year, one of the world’s top food and beverage companies, PepsiCo, flies its highest sales achievers and their spouses from around the world to New York to celebrate them and recognize their accomplishments.

The trip includes sightseeing, business programs and an evening at Ellis Island. The highlight of the annual trip is the awards dinner called the Circle of Champions, held at the spectacular Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History. For the past several years, this company has consistently turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a program of interstitial performances and post-awards ceremony entertainment.

This year, Empire was charged with creating a program of entertainment that translated amongst the multinational attendees and that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration. Empire presented three different international dance groups: Mystic India, performing a dramatic Bollywood dance routine, the Mariachi Bustamante, with the traditional sounds of Mexico accompanied with Jalisco dancers, and Barynya, who showed the crowd how exciting traditional Russian dance can be.

For the after party, Empire booked The Eturnity Band, New York City’s best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, who kept the audience dancing to all the best oldies and the latest pop hits until the end of the night.

Empire Entertainment is the leading producer of talent and performers for corporate events.

The Coalition for the Homeless is the oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children in the United States. More than 3,500 homeless and at-risk New Yorkers receive assistance each day through the Coalition’s initiatives, which provide housing, job training, emergency food, crisis intervention and youth programs.

Empire Entertainment once again served as producer of the Coalition for the Homeless 19th annual ARTWALK NY, New York's premier contemporary art auction event. More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art collectors, and celebrities gathered in 82 Mercer’s expansive Soho loft for a night of festivities, including a live and silent auction. Artist Roxy Paine was honored for his contribution to contemporary art, and Kim & Michael McCarty were honored for their continuous philanthropic support of the Coalition over the years.

Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off over 115 works of contemporary art, donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Wade Guyton, Christo, Roxy Paine, Kim McCarty, Chuck Close, Israel Lund, Jenny Holzer, Pat Steir, Ed Ruscha, Alex Katz, Wade Guyton, McDermott & McGough, Adam McEwen and Ryan McGinness. The evening’s program also featured an impromptu and celebratory Irish Jig, danced by co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Coco Rocha after raising $100,000 for the Coalition's Camp Homeward Bound, a summer sleep-away camp for homeless youth.

The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and cocktails graciously provided by Absolut Vodka, Peroni and City Winery. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, The Odeon, Crown Hospitality Group and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations.

The rest of 82 Mercer's multi-room space served as a gallery for the silent auction and featured vignettes of 18th century French and Italian style furniture, kindly donated through Dolce & Gabbana’s relationship with Newel. Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased works from established and emerging artists while grooving to tunes spun by DJ Chelsea Leyland.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Dolce & Gabbana, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.

ARTWALK NY raised over $1 million to benefit the Coalition’s programs. Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters, to make this year’s ARTWALK NY event the most successful one yet.

To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved and donate, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org

Brazil is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and its culture, brands and exports will become increasingly influential as the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games focus the global spotlight on the country. To seize on this moment to promote the Brasil brand and its products, Brazil's trade and investment promotion agency, APEX, along with its global marketing firm, Profero, worked with Empire to create a Brasil brand experience in New York City. The resulting project took shape as a week-long, open-to-the-public pop-up experience showcasing Brazilian brands, innovations, products and culture.

To deliver this message in an authentic environment, acclaimed Brazilian architects and design duo, Guto Requena and Mauricio Arruda, were engaged to help design the three story retail space in the heart of SoHo into a vibrant, interactive Brazilian experience. A multi-story work of Brazilian graffiti art, produced directly on the venue's staircase walls by Banzai Studio artists of Brasil, tied together the floors.

Focusing on retail, technology, and cuisine, Brazilian companies and brands including Embraer, Havaianas, Louloux, and Bauducco were represented throughout the interior spaces. On the ground floor guests could “fly” over various regions of Brasil by controlling a custom-designed Kinect app, that manipulated scenic views projected on 30’ of LED screens. On the lower level retail shop, guests could try on (and purchase) jewelry made of natural products found in the Brazilian rainforest, beauty drinks and sample shoes, denim and other fashions. On the second floor guests could relax in the Botequim (Brasilian Café) where traditional Brazilian fare could be sampled.

In addition to the open-to-the-public daily experience, a wide range of additional Brasil-centric programming were presented including private, invitation-only events, musical performances, wine & cachaça tastings, and informative TED-style talks by Brazilian experts in an array of fields, including Chef Alex Atala. Nights at the Be Brasil experience were filled with live music programmed by Empire Brazil Region Director Beco Dranoff and featuring artists Kay Lyra, Alexia Bomtemp, Eliano Bráz and DJ Greg Caz. For this project, Empire served as producer and was responsible for venue selection, café and event food and beverage management, design and decor execution, staffing and management, technical direction and execution, and partner management.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative pop-up and branded experiences for government clients and consumer brands. To learn more about the project, visit: http://bebrasilnyc.com

When The Gere Foundation and the Tibet Center invited His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama to present his teachings in New York City, they engaged Empire to serve as both producer and production company for the project. 2013 marked the third time that Empire has had the honor to produce these teachings following successful appearances in 2007 and 2010 at Radio City Music Hall.

Working in partnership with The Tibet Center, The Gere Foundation's Executive Director Mollie Rodriguez and the Beacon Theatre, Empire worked on every aspect of the program including stage design, logistics and technical production. As in past years, where footage of the teachings and public talk were packaged into television projects for National Geographic Television and Adam Yauch's Oscilloscope Productions, each session was recorded via a multi-camera HD set-up. This year however, Empire helped expand the reach by live-streaming all of the sessions, as well as simultaneously translating them into English, Mandarin Chinese and Russian.

Over the course of three days, His Holiness’ delivered five two-hour teaching sessions on the topics of the Heart Sutra, The Sutra of Truly Remembering the Sublime Three Jewels, and The Wisdom Chapter from A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. To finish the weekend, His Holiness held a public talk on “The Virtues of Non Violence”, which included a question & answer session and introductory remarks by Richard Gere.

In addition to its role as producer, Empire was able to secure sponsors to donate services in order to keep event costs to a minimum. ABC Home & Carpet generously donated carpeting and furniture. Empire is honored to have had another opportunity to present His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. Empire is a leading producer of major public and civic event and programs.

Since launching over 2 decades ago, Travel Channel has become the world’s leading travel media brand. Their emphasis on providing experiential programming featuring high-end adventure, foreign lands and exotic palates has won over a highly-coveted viewer demographic. So when it came time to plan a Fall Ad Sales event, they wanted the party to represent the authentic experiences reflected in their programming.

Empire signed on to produce this year’s party dubbed “1 Night, 4 Countries, No Jet Lag.” Held at ESPACE on West 42nd Street, the blank canvas space was transformed into four large vignettes – Spain, Italy, Croatia and Morocco.Spain’s substantial backdrop included a fully-fabricated representation of Barcelona’s Plaza Real, complete with archways, orange trees, rustic wooden bar tables and a live flamenco band with dancers. Alongside a buffet of delectable Spanish tapas, guests enjoyed a Jamon Iberico carving station while tasting a selection of Spanish Sherries.

In Italy, a contemporary Milanese street café offered seating on black leather banquettes under outstretched awnings. An oleologist (a sommelier of olive oil) from Eataly taught guests how to properly taste and appreciate premium olive oils, while guests posed for Instagram photos on the Vespa scooters parked beside the café. Croatia -- the gem of the Mediterranean now known for its chic seaside resorts, featured terracotta-topped beach cabanas and sleek white lounge ottomans. Dubrovnik’s medieval walled city could be viewed through carved stone ruins.

Draped fabrics in blue and purple jewel tones created a sultry setting for Morocco’s souk filled with antique colored glass lanterns, pottery, glasses and rugs. Guests relaxed in the hookah lounge and received henna tattoos and haggling lessons while Moroccan musicians played traditional instruments accompanied by belly dancers.Watery blue LED lighting transformed the central bar area into the Mediterranean, perfectly tying in all four countries.

Travel Channel on-air talent was integrated into each of the vignettes in a variety of ways including a printed itinerary with expert tips that helped guide guests through the authentic experiences. For this highly detailed event, for which every element needed to be authentic, Empire was responsible for sourcing the venue, design, technical direction, site management, entertainment & activities, and overall event management.The travel Channel client was thrilled with the execution of the event and felt that it captured exactly the quality and authenticity embodied by their programming.

Empire is a leading producer of upfront and advertising sales events for the media and advertiser supported industries.

For the first time in college league basketball history, The BIG EAST Conference hosted Media Day for the men's and women's college basketball teams on the same day. To bring this carefully-watched event to a wider audience, Empire was contracted to produce a livestream webcast of both conferences. The conference kicked off at The Chelsea Piers Lighthouse and included star college players and nearly 300 members of the media.

The event was webcast live on www.BIGEAST.com and can be viewed via the link below.

https://new.livestream.com/bigeast/mediaday

Empire served as the webcast producer including technical production and creative direction. Empire is a leading producer of live webcast and broadcast events.

Fitch ratings is one of the world's largest ratings agencies, responsible for providing data to financial firms around the world to help them assess risk and opportunity. On the occasion of the company’s 100th anniversary, Fitch Ratings and its branding agency, Addison, launched a new online and live event series entitled the Why? Forum to underscore Fitch’s commitment to qualitative and quantitative research, and to promote greater transparency by showing how Fitch asks the ‘why’ questions that provide deeper insight into the events that move markets.

For the inaugural Why? Forum event, Fitch and Addison tapped Empire to serve as event producer to bring the vision to life. The event took place at the New York Public Library in the historic Edna Barnes Salomon room with an audience of 150 senior financial executives and analysts from the world of institutional investing. The Why? Forum featured a panel discussion with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and former National Security Adviser Robert Gates. The panel was moderated by Esquire Editor Mark Warren, and Fitch rating’s Asia-Pacific head, Brett Hemsley.

Following the panel discussion, which largely focused on risk and threats around the world, historian and best-selling author Niall Ferguson delivered a keynote address entitled “Why is there cause for optimism?” which provided a powerful counter-point to earlier perspectives. At the conclusion of the stage program, the extraordinary gallery of historic artworks in the Edna Barnes Solomon room was illuminated with a colorful series of Why? Forum projections, which modernized the room tnexpectedly coorng as the cocktail reception began.

For this ambitious and forward-thinking program, Empire served as overall producer, helping to secure the keynote speaker and contracting the panelists, handling all technical production, scenic and staging, catering, and guest logistics.To learn more about this innovative series, check out the Why? Forum website at www.whyforum.com.

Empire is a leading producer of thought-leadership forums that provide insight to business decision-makers worldwide.

A catwalk is inherently glamorous, but the charity: water WaterWalk is a reality check. In 2013, W Hotels partnered with charity: water, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet, to help raise funds and awareness in new markets. As part of their sponsorship of the previous year’s charity: ball, the W Hotels pledged to host cocktail parties touring charity: water’s signature Waterwalk to six different cities- Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and Los Angeles.

Together, we helped create an evocative and enriching experience that brought the reality of how far people in developing nations have to travel for clean drinking water. For each participant who walked the Waterwalk, an assembled catwalk that symbolizes the distance it takes for 800 million people to find water, W hotels Worldwide donated $45 to bring one person clean water in Orissa, India. The local hotels invited tastemakers, hotel guests and press to this special cocktail party for their chance to walk the walk and give back, while enjoying drinks courtesy of Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

charity: water Founder Scott Harrison, came to the kick-off event at the W Boston. W Hotels Worldwide’s Global Music Director, internationally acclaimed DJ and music producer Michaelangelo L'Acqua also made it to W Boston to help launch the Waterwalk campaign and set the beat to this Happening. At the W French Quarter the Stooges Brass Band kept guests dancing all night, including the Pussyfooters, local Mardi Gras celebrities. Ultimately, every city created it’s own flair while helping spread charity: water’s mission.

We’re honored to continue to help produce charity: water’s events, while helping W Hotels Worldwide implement their corporate sponsorship.

For more information about the organization, please check out their website: www.charitywater.org.

Coined the “Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the Maker Faire is a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, this all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, hobbyists, engineers, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors celebrate what they have made to share with the world.

When Zazzle, a leading e-commerce website specializing in custom made products and one of Maker Faire’s valued sponsors debuted in their first New York Maker Faire, they turned to Empire to help curate the Zazzle experience during the weekend-long, highly publically attended event at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York.

Empire worked closely with Zazzle to create an inviting family oriented interactive experience set under a 40’ tent in the center of the festival. Over the course of the weekend where over 10,000 enthusiastic innovators attended, children and their families gathered in the Zazzle space to create their own arts & crafts. From coloring in Empire’s custom designed Zazzle robot postcards to dressing up in mini robot costumes while posing for a photo booth, to creating personalized buttons, kids of all ages unleashed their inner “maker.” Empire also created a unique display showcasing Zazzle’s unique and customizable products.

Empire was proud to work with Zazzle on the Maker Faire, showcasing innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft to bring about a nurturing ground for this growing community of creative and curious people.

To learn more about the Maker Faire and to find the nearest Maker Faire near you, you can go to http://makerfaire.com.

Empire was proud to manage the tour of The Gazette in Helsinki for their 2013 World Tour finalé. The Gazette is a popular Japanese visual Kei rock band (a Japanese genre similar to glam rock) formed in 2002. The five band members are known for their extravagant visual kei makeup and hairstyles, with each member having his own defining style and personality. They have huge fan bases in Japan and all over the world, and tickets for their show in Helsinki sold out within an hour.

On event day, fans of the Gazette started to line up at 7:00 a.m. carrying carefully-crafted gifts for the band members. Once the doors to the Circus were opened, they quickly filled the 1,500 seat venue. Empire Asia’s Tokyo office was responsible for managing the Gazette’s tour in Helsinki including overseas promotion to the band’s fan base. The concert was a huge success, ending with fans crying audibly and hugging each other, overwhelmed by joy.

Empire is a leading producer of global concert events, both public and private.

Empire Entertainment’s Tokyo-based Asia Division recently introduced Japanese Kawaii (“cute”) Culture to Paris with a tour of Kawaii fashion ambassadors during the peak of Paris Fashion Week.

The Tokyo Crazy Kawaii Committee chose Paris, France because of its influence in world fashion and beauty and the fact that France hosts the highest number of annual visitors in the world.

Kawaii is a word that means “cute,” but it also contains other nuanced meanings such as having a generous attitude towards others or being accepting of various styles. With this three-day convention, simulating a mini Tokyo through fashion, food, music, and anime, Tokyo Crazy Kawaii Paris was successful in promoting awareness of such aspects of Japanese culture and creativity to large and influential audiences in Paris.

Empire Entertainment was responsible for bringing Kawaii to Paris by coordinating and directing a 109 Booth, which simulated 109, the iconic teen-fashion shopping mall in Tokyo.

The event was a huge success and attracted large crowds each day. A follow-up event has already been scheduled for 2014.

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a luncheon at the Studio Museum In Harlem for the spouses of visiting heads of state in town for the United Nation’s General Assembly. Along with Obama and Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Secretary of State John Kerry, 50 first ladies from around the world toured the museum, dined on a special meal created by chef Marcus Samuelsson, owner of Red Rooster in Harlem, and enjoyed performances by television and Broadway star Audra McDonald, The Dance Theatre of Harlem and the LaGuardia School musicians. The Studio Museum of Harlem was selected for its historical and cultural importance; “There’s a reason why I wanted to bring you all to Harlem today,” Obama told her guests. She said the neighborhood “is infused with a kind of energy and passion that is quintessentially American,” which acts as “a thread that connects all of us here today, no matter where we’re from or what language we speak.”Performances by children from the Dance Theatre of Harlem and The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts inspired audience to remember the importance of youth and the first lady encouraged the women in the room to use this “opportunity” to share ideas on improving the lives of women and children in their respective countries.The First Lady went on to encourage dialogue stating “Don’t be shy, make sure that you talk to the ladies at your table about the great work that you are doing in your countries, because you are all doing some wonderfully powerful work. Ask others about what they are doing in their countries.”

Empire provided all décor, design, production, stage and talent management and logistics for this important diplomatic initiative. Empire is proud to serve the White House and U. S. Department of State and to have been chosen to support this historical event.

After serving the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office (Kantei) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting project in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2013, Empire Japan was again chosen to be a content producer for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, otherwise known as Summer Davos held in Dalian, China.

For this amazing event, Empire was responsible for the core elements such as an event emcee, content producing and stage direction. Everything from titles, themes, copywriting, speaker liaison, stage direction and production were managed by the Empire team. The president of Empire Entertainment Japan, Theodore Miller, had the honor of being selected by the Prime Minister’s Office to serve as the event emcee throughout the night, presenting and interviewing the roster of distinguished speakers. One of the evening’s highlights included a speech and facilitated interview by Miller of Mr. Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Mr. Yuki Ota, Olympic Fencing medalist and Tokyo 2020 Bid Ambassador. Both Minister Shimomura and Mr. Ota had just returned from Buenos Aires, where they played key roles in helping Japan and Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympic bid, and newspapers on the day following the event announced that Japan’s Prime Minister had decided to appoint Mr. Shimomura as Minister in charge of the 2020 Olympics.

Other speakers at Summer Davos’ Japan Night included: Mr. Ichita Yamamoto (Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy / Minister of State for Space Policy / Minister in charge of Information Technology Policy), Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura (Senior Vice-Minister of Japan’s Cabinet Office), Mr. Klaus Schwab (Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum), Mr. Yorihiko Kojima (Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Corporation), Mr. William Saito (CEO and Founder InTecur), Mr. Yoshiaki Fujimori (President and CEO of LIXIL Corporation), Mrs. Lin Kobayashi (Founder and Chair of the Board of International School of Asia, Karuizawa), Mrs. Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Author of the best-selling book “Japanese Farm Food”).

Empire is proud to serve governmental organizations throughout the world with creative and production services for their leadership forums and conferences and is a leading producer of Head of State events.

With the designation of Tokyo as the location for the 2020 Summer Olympics, Empire’s Tokyo-based division is uniquely positioned to serve global brands and clients with their future events, hospitality and Olympic activations.

On September 27th, 2013, Start Today CO., LTD., which manages Japan’s largest and most frequently-visited fashion shopping site “ZOZOTOWN”, launched a new online fashion site targeting young women called “LA BOO.”

To achieve maximum exposure, the client sought to secure on the most recognizable faces in the fashion world today, international supermodel Cara Delevigne. Empire’s Asia division negotiated for and contracted the world famous supermodel and also coordinated the arrangements for the photo and video shoot in London.

Using a top notch shooting crew, the television commercial, along with an outdoor campaign and a tie-in with Japan’s iconic mascot “Fu Nasshi,” the LA BOO campaign yielded excellent response across the board and has exceeded all of the clients goals.

Check out the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz81YyowP_Y

Empire is a leading source of talent for advertising and marketing campaigns across all platforms.

On August 2, 2013 Empire worked with longtime client, Accent on Cincinnati, to present two fantastic headline concert artists for a major Ohio-based insurance company. The 2,000 insurance representatives (and their spouses) gathered at the Duke Energy Convention Center were first treated to an opening set by The Midtown Men, four of the original cast members of the Broadway smash-hit "Jersey Boys", backed by a 7-piece stellar band. Recommended by Empire for their high-energy, charismatic performances, The Midtown Men did not disappoint, giving the crowd some of the great Frankie Valli songs featured in the Broadway production including "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." Their set also included a number of surprises including the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love", the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back", and the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreaming". The set left the crowd on the dance floor begging for more. And more was what the audience received as Michael McDonald and his band took the stage to perform the songs that has earned him five Grammy Awards, including "Keeps You Running", "You Belong To Me", "I Keep Forgetting", and "Yah Mo Be There". McDonald's set also included a number of the Motown classics that he has covered over the years such as "Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Saving the best for last, McDonald ending the set "What A Fool Believes", followed by encores of his Doobie Brothers hit, "Taking It To The Streets", and a phenomenal rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City."Empire is a leading provider of headline musical entertainment for corporate events for over 20 years and has delivered artists including Aerosmith, Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Usher, Prince, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and hundreds more for our clients' events, galas, and parties around the globe.

In 2012, Empire collaborated with Benchmarc360, Inc. to contract Sammy Hagar as a surprise performer for a direct marketing and distribution company's annual conference. When that same company wanted to keep things fresh for the 2013 event, Benchmarc360 asked Empire to bring in one of the biggest comedy stars in the world. After considering performers including Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano, Benchmarc360 Empire secure TV and movie star, Kevin James.The star of CBS' "The King of Queens" as well as major motion pictures including "Here Comes The Boom", "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", "Grown Ups", and many more was a huge hit with the 1,500 attendees. Knowing he was a surprise to the group, James started the show by apologizing "to anyone who was expecting Bon Jovi". From there, he performed a 45-minute set of non-stop laughs on topics ranging from the undeniable awesomeness of onion dip and his disdain for hot-tubs to his family life (he told the group that in spite of being told by friends that he would love all of his children the same, he found that he "really doesn't care as much for the second one"). James was happy to mention the client's name a few times during his set, and even worked their conference theme "Game On!" into one of his routines.

Following the set, Empire helped coordinate a meet and greet where Kevin James greeted a number of VIP's and took photos with each of them. Empire also arranged for Kevin to shoot a brief, impromptu video saying some kind words to one of the conference’s production team event who had fallen ill, and was unable to attend in person.

Empire is a leading source of comedic performers for corporate events and has secured many of the biggest names for our clients over the years including Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano, Dana Carvey, Frank Caliendo and Ellen Degeneres among others.

A week before the event, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York contacted Empire requesting headline talent for their 13th annual charity event, Casino Jazz Night. Empire was asked to identify singers who live locally in New York City with established name recognition. Within hours Empire secured Melanie Fiona, a two-time Grammy Award winning R&B artist who recently released a hit album called, THE MF LIFE. Melanie cooperated with the time constraint, in which she had only 30 minutes of rehearsal on the day event with the house band, Hank Lane Orchestra. After the scheduled program, honoring select members of the real estate industry for their philanthropic contributions, Melanie got on stage and performed 3 songs that blew away all the attendees. She sang two covers which were Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" and Sia's "Titanium" along with her original song, "Watch Me Work."

Empire is a leading resource for headline entertainment for not for profit events.

BizBash Magazine, the leading and most respected publication in the event industry, recently named President and CEO of Empire Entertainment, J.B. Miller, as one of "The Top 50 Innovative Event Professional of 2013. Heralded for Empire's use of cutting edge technology and immersive event design, Miller was cited as "An event innovator and groundbreaker—joining an elite group that proves the value of face-to-face events, empowers their peers to consider the unconventional, and reveals a redefined image of what the industry is today."

BizBash executive editor Anna Sekula wrote "We’re excited about this creative group of innovators, the folks that keep the industry looking–and moving–forward. J. B. Miller took risks and experimented with new ideas without losing sight of goals, which is the reason we decided to highlight him and the other 2013 Innovators and and their work.”The article, “50 Most Innovative Event Professionals” is featured in the BizBash summer issue, the Innovation Issue.The full list of innovative people and brands can also be found at: http://bizbash.com/innovators-2013

J. B. Miller's profile can be viewed at: http://www.bizbash.com/jb-miller/new-york/story/26276#sthash.2osTm9lr.dpbs

In the past few months, Empire's New York, Asia and Latin America divisions have successfully produced dozens of major events, spanning the globe. Empire will proudly celebrating its 20th year anniversary this coming September.

150 years ago, the United States stood at a crossroads. Deep in the heart of the Civil War, the Union and Confederate Armies met upon the rolling fields of Gettysburg, PA in the early days of July 1863 for what has become known as the turning point of the war. The Battle of Gettysburg not only changed the tide of the war in the Union’s favor, but it sent the country on the trajectory that led towards Civil Rights and our current state of freedom.

It was this relevance that the National Park Service (NPS) and The Gettysburg Foundation had wanted to convey to the dignitaries and general public attending the commemorative event on Sunday, June 30 entitled “Gettysburg 150: A New Birth of Freedom.” Empire worked closely with the NPS to produce a fitting tribute to the fallen soldiers and citizens of our nations past who were most directly affected by the battle.

The program began with the Presentation of Colors by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, accompanied by Country Music superstar Trace Adkins singing the national anthem a capella. As guests took their seats, the Superintendent of the park welcomed everyone along with remarks from the foundation’s President and the Director of the National Park Service.“This is one of America’s sacred places in terms of the ferocity of what occurred here, in terms of the sheer drama,” said John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “Gettysburg is one of the touchstones of the American experience.”Former ABC journalist Charles Gibson served as the evening’s master of ceremonies, introducing the keynote address by presidential historian and Pulitzer prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. Following her remarks, the United States Army Band kicked off the music for the theatrical “Voices Program” led by LTC Jim Keene and composed by SGM Douglas Richard (both from USMA West Point).

Nearly 8,000 guests enjoyed this original theatrical production created across multiple stages, which was directed by Empire CEO J.B. Miller. Empire designed, scripted and created this stunning program with the help of Donna Lawrence Productions that not only entertained the guests but drew media coverage from 50 outlets representing both national and local media. In it’s coverage of the event, The Patriot-News wrote, "[The program's] star being the dramatic readings of the writings of those entrenched in the great and terrible battle that was Gettysburg. The story was told through different forms of media like re-enacted videos and drawings straight from 1863, but the most gripping, no doubt, was the readings of those people whose lives were either taken, or changed forever…” Empire brought on Donna Lawrence Productions to help with the scripting and media creation. The evening culminated with a candlelit vigil, underscored by the thunderous sounds of The Old Guard’s 21 Gun Salute.

Over 100 credentialed media representatives from outlets reaching a worldwide audience covered the event and A&E partnered with NPS and Gettysburg Foundation to webcast the event live on History.com- which can be viewed via C-SPAN's coverage HERE.

Empire served as overall producer and was responsible for all elements of the event including content and creative direction, staging, set design, sound, lighting, video, technical production, casting, script development, music composition and coordinating between the various entities involved.

Empire is honored to be have been given the opportunity to work on this historic and momentous occasion commemorating an important moment in our Nation’s history.