When a private client and her husband wanted to celebrate a fiftieth birthday with an unforgettable weekend in Las Vegas with friends and family, they turned to Empire as the overall producer for the project. With a VVIP guest list of over 125 attendees traveling from as far away as Europe & Asia, every aspect of the weekend would need to be planned with the utmost personalization and exquisite attention to detail. The expectations for the weekend would be nothing short of perfection. In the weeks leading up to the events, Empire worked closely with the client to design and send a unique invitation based on the Las Vegas skyline, supported by a visually-consistent registration / guest info website and travel staff offering a personal concierge touch. On Friday the weekend festivities began with airport greeters, personal greeting at the Encore check-in, whimsical welcome packages, an extraordinary gift bag including everything from engraved bottles of Johnny Walker Blue to iPods pre-loaded with the birthday girl’s soundtrack for the weekend. That afternoon, the hosts held an informal hospitality in their tower suite at the Encore. On the first night, guests assembled for an arrival dinner at SW Steakhouse where the entire outdoor patio overlooking the Wynn’s animatronic Lake of Dreams was seated in long, candlelit banquet tables. Following the elegant dinner, some of the guests retired to the hospitality suite for gambling lessons with Blackbelt in Blackjack author, Arnold Snyder. Other guests headed to XS Nightclub at the Encore where VIP tables and bottles of champagne on ice had been reserved to dance the night away.Saturday morning started early and guests participated in a myriad of custom designed activities for every taste. Activities included personalized yoga instruction with an instructor flown in from New York, golf at the Wynn Las Vegas Golf Club, private helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, Humvee desert expeditions and guided hiking in the Las Vegas hills. Other guests relaxed at the fully-stocked pool cabanas reserved at the Encore Beach Club, went shopping on the Las Vegas strip or enjoyed spa & salon treatments.Saturday evening’s event began with over 100 guests being treated to a performance of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque de Soleil at the Mirage Hotel. Guests were then transported back to the Alex Ballroom at the Wynn for the Saturday night big bash - the centerpiece event of the weekend. Working closely with the client, a major art collector and philanthropist, Empire transformed the elegant Alex Ballroom into her ‘magical, bohemian chic’ vision. All of the formal furniture in the indoor ballroom were replaced with contemporary furnishings grouped around a custom-designed black lacquer dance floor and main stage dressed in fabrics. The outdoor terraces were surrounded by over 200’ of high topiary covered with twinkle lights that glowed in the desert evening and lit the comfortable terrace lounge seating as well as the single malt tasting station and cigar areas. Exquisite crystal votive candle-holders and floral designs featuring a combination of feathers and flowers complemented all of the individual rooms’ aesthetics. The menu for the evening featured all of the couple’s favorite foods including everything from raw seafood bar and sushi stations to southern fried chicken and Asian specialties from Hot & Juicy. Many of the side rooms and wine closets of the ballroom were transformed into activity areas including henna and temporary tattoo stations, a photo booth, a karaoke lounge and even a dessert buffet that later became a pole-dancing nightclub.On the stage Empire presented a program custom-designed to the birthday girl’s tastes. In addition to toasts, remarks and a hilarious speech by a fictitious art consultant supported by a slideshow presentation, the evening featured non-stop music and entertainment. DJ’s Andrew Andrew spun a playlist of the couple’s favorite music via iPads, allowing them to control the music from the stage, the dance floor, or even the bar. The event featured live performances by the Australian Bee Gees Revue and the Funky Monks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. Guests remained on the dance floor surrounded by Go Go dancers well past 4:00AM and adorned themselves with costumes and props provided specifically for the evening’s festivities. The next morning began with a whimsical ‘Hangover Brunch’ in the Encore’s Sinatra Restaurant at which centerpiece bowls of sunglasses, Alka Seltzer, aspirin, Emergen-C and other hangover cures were served. On their arrival at the brunch, guests were amazed to receive a printed & bound photo book and USB credit card featuring all of the photos of the previous night’s events that had ended only hours earlier. The day continued more activities, guest departures for most and a straggler’s dinner at Rao’s Restaurant. Empire’s responsibilities for the program included concept and agenda development, hotel room contracting and coordination, invitation, website and collateral design, RSVP tracking, guest communications, guest ground transportation, welcome packages, meal functions, classes, excursions and activities, shows, pool cabana and nightclub reservations, menus and catering, entertainment as well as all event design and production. With the exception of the client, their extraordinary staff and the outstanding Encore & Wynn hotel team, Empire provided all personnel to manage and execute the project onsite. The net result of the weekend: an immensely happy client and a rewarding experience for all attendees and participants. The client feedback was best captured in the following email from the client’s executive assistant: “The e-mails that [the client] is getting back on the event are over-the-top, ridiculously positive. Many of them read like unbelievable infomercial testimonials, others like they had a spiritual transformation, all of them 200% positive. Objective achieved beyond expectations. You are some kind of an amazing team.”Empire is a leading producer of personal and milestone events and is delighted to deliver beyond expectations for this and other private clients.

Each year, one of the world's top food and beverage companies flies its top performers and their spouses from around the world to its New York headquarters to celebrate their sales achievements and recognize their accomplishments.The trip includes sightseeing, business programs and an evening in NYC. The highlight of the annual trip is always the awards dinner, held inside a state-of-the-art tent built temporarily on the grounds of the corporate headquarters. For the past several years, this company has consistently turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a program of brief performances to occur between sections of awards as well as post-awards ceremony entertainment.This year and in years past Empire was charged with creating a program of entertainment that translated over the multinational attendees that were present and that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration.Empire presented four international acts that represented regions around the globe.The Bollywood dance troupe Ishaara dazzled the crowd with a high energy Indian dance performance. The NYC Lindy Hoppers were up next and put on a swinging performance that impressed the crowd with their acrobatic moves and custom choreography, created just for this event. Next on the stage Empire presented a beautiful and intimate flamenco performance by Flamenco Vivo. Finally to close the awards and set up for the party, the African Children’s Choir came roaring to the stage from the back of house to get the crowd ready to dance. As they came to the finale of their performance the Eturnity Band, New York City's best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, took the stage and kept the audience dancing until the end of the night.Empire Entertainment is the leading booker and producer of talent and performers for corporate events and has delivered variety and theatrical talent reflecting nearly every region and nation on earth.

For Conservation International’s 14th Annual New York City Gala, Empire Entertainment, in partnership with @Radical.media, once again reinvented the traditional gala event model. By presenting the issues & content as the central focus of the evening, Conservation International’s attending supporters were not only well entertained, but well informed by the experience.The evening’s dynamic stage program was led by ABC News Correspondent George Stephanopoulos and included a live stage discussion with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. As Mr. Stephanopoulos interviewed Mr. Blair, guests learned first hand about the myriad issues threatening our world’s ecosystems and how governments both help and hinder eco-efforts. The informative and fluid discussion focused on Mr. Blair’s personal experiences in facing the challenges and opportunities in trying to make progress on conservation and sustainability.

Following dinner, Empire broke new ground by literally bringing the audience live to Liberia, Brazil and Japan. Making use of Mr Stephanopoulos’ skills as a live television host and with the help of Skype IP video conferencing technology, the event featured a live magazine show format that brought three of Conservation International’s field scientists from Liberia, Brazil and Japan live onscreen into the event. All three shed light on the importance of marrying global & local community efforts in the fight for conservation & sustainability and guests were able to witness first hand the work of Conservation International in disparate regions across the globe.Other speakers for the evening included Conservation International CEO, & Co-Founder Peter Seligmann and the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Richard Haass.The setting for the dinner, The Hall of Ocean Life, was transformed with a stage set that included breathtaking falls of cascading indigo fabric that created a waterfall effect.

Tables were set with exquisite, sustainable floral arrangements for a combined effect that was understated, refined and dramatic. Held in the magnificent American Museum of Natural History, the event also featured an elegant cocktail reception in the Cullman Hall of Universe and a dessert reception in the Hall of Biodiversity.

Leveraging creative and production strengths, Empire, in collaboration with the Conservation International team and @Radical.media were able to deliver a flawless evening that informed, entertained and inspired the gala attendees.

Games for Change is the leading global advocate for the development of games that contain tangible social messaging. The Games For Change Festival is the crown jewel in the organization's event calendar. Each year gamers and game designers from around the world descend on New York to talk about -- and play -- the games that are changing the world. This year marked the eighth G4C festival and the event's directors were determined to take the event to new highs. Enter: Empire Entertainment. Empire orchestrated the 3-day festival's main stage, aggressively honing the event's A/V elements and running the show like a nationally broadcast television special, helping G4C take the first steps in transforming the historically low-key, "D-I-Y" festival into a world class event. Highlights of the 2011 Games For Change Festival included an awards ceremony honoring the best socially-conscious games of the year, an arcade where attendees could play those very games, and keynote presentations by video game and entertainment guru, Jesse Schell, and former U.S. Vice President, Al Gore. Empire is a leading producer of festival and not for profit programs.

When one of the world’s leading software companies unveiled their newest operating system in Taipei, Taiwan, they turned to Empire Entertainment’s Japan-based Asia headquarters for local assistance with the project. Working swiftly with the US-based client, Empire Japan developed venue options and costs and joined the client for a site visit within days of the first contact to lock in final venue, The W Hotel Taipei, logistical and production details for the project. On June 2, 2011, hundreds of partners and members of the international technology and software media from around the world attended the event. Empire Entertainment Japan provided local production support in Taiwan including site selection and contracting, lighting, invitations, reception, shuttle bus operation for the guests, securities, onsite cameraman, and video edit for press release.

Empire Entertainment’s Tokyo-based Asia headquarters is a unique resources for corporate event planners seeking to produce world class events throughout Asia.

On Monday, June 13, 2011, Empire Entertainment co-produced The 15th Annual Webby Awards at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and has been referred to as "the Internet’s Highest Honor" by the New York Times. Empire secured Lisa Kudrow to host the event, and in her opening remarks, she explained that the event is designed to “celebrate the transformative, uplifting, and life-changing role that digital media plays in all of our lives”. Kudrow also reminded the 1,000+ attendees that the event was livestreamed for the first time ever, on a number of Facebook media pages, including those of The Huffington Post, SportsNation, (RED), National Geographic, Funny or Die, BuzzFeed, Martha Stewart and more.The Webby Awards is perhaps best known for allowing winners just 5 words for their acceptance speeches, which has led to many touching, hilarious, and creative moments over the years. A few of the highlights in 2011 included:• Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe presenting The Webby People’s Voice Award for Fashion to Vogue.com. Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour accepted the award, and her 5-word speech “Sometimes geeks can be chic” brought a great roar from the crowd.• Peter Vesterbacka, CMO of Rovio, the company that created “Angry Birds” accepting the Webby Award for Best Mobile Game. Dressed in a pig costume, Vesterbacka used his 5-words to say “Stay angry - - get those pigs!”, and was then pelted by dozens of stuffed animal birds that had been handed out to audience members earlier in the evening.• 82 year-old Martin Cooper - - inventor of the cell phone - - accepting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award to a standing ovation from the crowd. Holding an oversized mobile phone from many years ago, Cooper’s 5- word speech “Can you hear me now?” was a huge hit with the audience.• ABC News Anchor Christiane Amanpour presenting the 2011 Webby Special Achievement Award to the country of Egypt. The award was accepted by Amr Salama and Mohamed Diab to a standing ovation. Their poignant 5-Word speeches were “Injustice….Oppression…SocialMedia…equals Revolution!” and “Support freedom - - come visit Egypt”.The evening had many high-points, including a live performance of “The Bed Intruder” song by Antoine Dobson, as “auto-tuned” by The Gregory Brothers. And later in the evening, Norah Jones hit a more serious note, performing a beautiful and haunting version of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave” in celebration of Chris Milk's beautiful video piece "The Johnny Cash Project" which won the Webby Award for best NetArt. These two musical performances highlighted the ability of the Webby Awards to seamlessly move between poignant moments and the kind of quirkiness that only is possible thanks to the Web. Co-produced by Sunset Lane Entertainment, and with a fantastic set design by Performance Environment Design Group, the 15th Annual Webby Awards was a huge success. Major League Baseball Advance Media expertly handled the livestream, even allowing viewers to watch a second livestream of the backstage green room while the event itself was unfolding live onstage. Highlights of the event can be viewed at The Webby Award's YouTube Channel.Empire Entertainment has been a producer of The Webby Awards since 2005. We take pride in clients such as Recognition Media who choose to work with us year after year on their most important projects.

The 4th annual Internet Week New York festival featured hundreds of events around New York City between June 6-13, 2011. For the second consecutive year, the founders of the event entrusted Empire Entertainment to produce the many events that took place at the festival headquarters at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building.The ground floor of the Pavilion became a “digital playground”, packed with new technologies and interactive exhibits and presentations brought in by more than 40 sponsors of the event.The HQ kicked off on Monday, June 6th with a private preview for dozens of members of the press who turned up to hear opening remarks from David-Michel Davies (Chairman of Internet Week New York), Katherine Oliver (commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment), as well as a keynote presentation by Senator Chuck Schumer. The Senator outlined his vision of New York moving to the forefront of the nation's technology leaders, taking over Silicon Valley before long. He advised the crowd that a working group that included Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo has already been created to work towards that goal.The HQ was then opened to the public who flocked to the space to enjoy the many techno-lounges and installations. Just a few highlights included:• A “Digital Archaeology” exhibit consisting of 28 extinct - - but historically significant - - websites. The sites were cleverly displayed on vintage hardware and software corresponding to the period of each site’s launch, which made them all the more fun for attendees to interact with.• An interactive experience entitled "Can You Draw The Internet?", which challenged "students, creative directors, and established artists" to "[c]apture the spirit of the Internet's billions of pages in a single image."• An immersive Yahoo! experience designed to take attendees “deep into the Yahooverse with interactive, themed zones” which brought to life the brand’s leading content properties, including Yahoo! Finance, Entertainment, News and Sports. Khloe Kardashian made an appearance at the Yahoo exhibit for a guest spot on “The Thread,” where she talked about how important social media is to her and the Kardashian sisters’ many businesses.The first day culminated with a buzzworthy opening night party, attended by over 1,000 guests, and which included live DJ sets by The Hood Internet and the Rapture DJ’s, followed by a tremendous live performance by Brooklyn-based experimental synthpop band Cold Cave. Attendees over the course of the week were also able to take in an incredible abundance of content provided in live presentations on two stages in the HQ, as well as a smaller “classroom” custom-built for the event. Topics of discussion ranged from the light and quirky (“Love on the Go -- How Mobile is Changing Modern Dating”) to the more serious and content driven (“How Mobile Advertising is Impacting Brands and Consumers”). One highlight of the stage presentations at the HQ was a panel discussion called “The 24/7 Online Newscycle & Reaping the Rewards of Real Time Reporting,” featuring Jim Frederick, managing editor of TIME.com, Tony Haile, GM of Chartbeat, the analytics service, Paul Berry, CTO of Huffington Post, and moderated by Laurie Segall from CNNMoney.And for sponsors who wanted a space for even longer stage presentations, Empire also secured the Altman Building, a beautiful space adjoining the Metropolitan Pavilion which was perfect for a full theater-style set up for larger presentations. OMMA held a day long conference, titled "The Tablet Revolution." Featuring keynote presentations and panel discussions, they highlighted the innovations in the emerging technology for Tablets. The next day, the Yahoo! “Provoke Summit” featured a keynote presentation by best-selling author of six books on the intersection of science, technology and personal experience, Steven Johnson.And in just a few hours after the Yahoo! Presentation, Empire changed over the theater into a cocktail party & fashion show, sponsored by Kaboodle. The show featured 24 fashion bloggers, styled by Bloomingdales, strutting their looks down the runway, built down the center of the room. Following the fashion show, Empire once again transformed the Altman Building, this time into a 500 seat theater, where it hosted the 2-day IAB Sponsored Conference, with keynotes and panel discussions throughout. The IAB Conference also utilized the Altman Building's downstairs Gallery space as a breakout room, and it's Green Room as an Interview location. Empire oversaw the 4th 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 the event sponsors from the design process for their footprints in the space and all of their needs from load-in to load-out.Empire is proud to produce Internet Week New York, and has provided production support to many other festivals including The New York Film Festival, The World Science Festival, The Tribeca Family Festival, and more.

It was a night to remember for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) who hosted their benefit gala, “A Celebration of Heroes, Heart & Hope” at the world- renowned Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Over 800 guests comprised of innovators, achievers, endurance athletes and leaders came together to support CAF to help provide opportunities to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. CAF has enabled individuals to complete an Ironman with one leg, ride 620 miles down the coast in a handcycle, play baseball with other kids and compete in multiple sports in the Olympics. CAF’s goal is to help people with physical disabilities accomplish the challenge that is set before them and live life to the fullest by providing mentoring, clinics and support programs, as well as removing the barrier of expensive equipment and training and competition costs.Empire was honored when CAF had asked us to provide a headline entertainer to help celebrate the achievements and bravery of these amazing athletes. Empire fulfilled the client’s request by securing superstar performer Macy Gray and handling all contracting, management and logistics for her performance.After an inspirational program of speakers and presenters who were endurance athletes themselves, CAF hosted a compelling and exciting live auction that raised over $1 million dollars in a matter of minutes. Macy Gray then performed her greatest hits, such as “I Try, “Kissed It,” and Beauty in the World,” as the Challenged Athletes gathered on stage as a finale to a night full of inspiration and unforgettable stories. Empire supports the Challenged Athletes Foundation in their mission to have a great and significant impact on each physically challenged athlete served.To learn more about CAF, please visit www.challengedathletes.org.

When Telemundo - one of the world’s leading producers of Spanish language television programming - needed a world-class, full-service, creative production team to help them deliver their 2011 Upfront experience to their advertisers,they looked to Empire Entertainment to help them design, execute and realize their futuristic vision for this all important, one-chance only event. This year’s Upfront presentation and party, delivered to an audience of over 1000 of Telemundo’s key advertisers & sponsors, would have to present Telemundo as a future-forward brand and integrated media platform, but would also have to communicate a deep understanding of the opportunities created by the profound demographic changes in an increasingly Hispanic America which Telemundo calls “the Shift.” The venue chosen was New York’s American Museum of Natural History with the presentation to be held in the LeFrak IMAX Theater and the party to be held in the futuristic and Astronomy-themed Cullman Hall of the Universe. Working with the client’s desire to take the audience on a futuristic journey and making best use of the Museum’s powerful architecture and design, Empire was able to create a scripted guest experience from invitation to departure. Electronic save the dates and invitations were designed as boarding passes that installed a countdown clock widget on both recipients desktops and mobile devices as a constant reminder to build anticipation in the weeks leading up to the event. On the evening of the Upfront, the futuristic arrival area was designed as a check-in area for a spaceflight inspired by motion pictures like The Fifth Element. Check-in attendants dressed in custom silver, black & blue body suits and holding Telemundo-branded iPads welcomed guests to present their synchronized countdown invitations on their PDAs, smart phones and tablets to check in for their transcendental odyssey to Telemundo’s vision of the future. Even before the start of show, guests were ushered into the grand LeFrak IMAX Theater – their launch pad for the evening - where UV / blue lighting runway lights and futuristic sounds transformed the space into a mission control readying for a blast-off. As the moment for the Upfront began, the animated mission control panel on the huge 60’ wide X 38’ high IMAX screen faded away and was replaced by a countdown in Spanish …Cinco, quatro, tres, dos, uno! A powerful opening video sequence featuring moving graphics, animations and programming highlights kicked off the show and took the audience for a lightspeed ride into the Upfront presentation. The opening highlighted current programming and built energy for the introduction of the first presenter, outgoing President and Hispanic television legend Don Browne. Don and other speakers from programming, news, specials, sports, music television programming platform Mun2, sales and executive management including Lauren Zalaznick, all helped tell the hugely promising story of Telemundo’s value proposition as the Shift comes to be all around us. The various presenters displayed current & future programming and emphasized Telemundo’s role in both reflecting and creating U.S. Hispanic cultural experience while showcasing an awesome influence of several up and coming Hispanic actors, athletes and musical artists. The Upfront presentation ended with a surprise performance by Fast & Furious 5 actor and musical performer Don Omar, who had the audience on their feet dancing to his hit Danza Kuduro.Immediately following the presentation, guests were led out down a hallway of modular tunnels lit with brightly colored LED runway lights and were handed futuristic cocktails by their flight attendants as they made their way into the after party in the Cullman Hall of the Universe. As guests mingled and danced beneath the suspended planetarium, the futuristic theme of paradigm shift was again realized. The after party was a great hit with the guests. As a cultural and experiential immersion, attendees were given leave to eat, drink & lounge on white space-age furniture and play with interactive, touch-screen web tables while listening to a huge range of Latin music from Regional Mexican to Latin Electro spun by DJ Donna D’Cruz. As a highlight to the afterparty, Telemundo star Jencarlos Canela took the stage and performed a 30 minute dance set of hits with his band that kept the audience dancing right up to the end. From countdown clock invitations to infinity mirror cocktail tables at the after party, Empire delivered a cosmic odyssey of epic proportions for Telemundo’s guests. By the end of the evening, Telemundo had successfully communicated their vision to hundreds of senior marketing and advertising executives – effectively mobilizing their targeted audience to partner with them in capturing a burgeoning Hispanic market in a shifting American demographic. From start to finish, our client’s objective and futuristic vision were achieved in every aspect of the event. Great partnerships with the American Museum of Natural History, Restaurant Associates, Sales Graphics and many others led to precise implementation of the event. Empire is a full-service, creative production company that produces world class events for world class clients.

When the largest news agency in the People's Republic of China wanted to hold opening events for their new North American Headquarters in Times Square, they asked Empire Entertainment to produce a sophisticated launch party.In existence for 80 years, Xinhua News Agency operates roughly 40 domestic bureaus in China and 140 overseas offices across the globe. Xinhua owns more than 20 newspapers and a dozen magazines, and it prints in eight languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic and Japanese. In 2010, they launched their own news network "CNC World TV". For the New York launch, the festivities began after the Opening Bell Ceremony at the NASDAQ MarketSite. Empire produced a luncheon event at Xinhua's brand new offices overlooking Times Square. The event was attended by Xinhua executives from across North America and the world, including a delegation from the global headquarters in Beijing. Among the nearly 100 guests were high-level business and political leaders including Ambassador Peng Keyu of the Chinese Consulate-General in New York, Tom Gallo of the U.S. State Department Office of Foreign Missions, and President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Steve Orlins. Following a brief cocktail hour, giving the guests a chance to explore Xinhua's state-of-the-art offices, attendees were greeted by North American Bureau Chief Zeng Hu. Remarks were also given by Ambassador Li Baodong of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations and finally from Zhou Xisheng, Xinhua Vice President and Executive Deputy Editor-In-Chief. The speakers then participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and champagne toast to Xinhua's future in New York and the world. In the evening approximately 200 friends, colleagues, and honored guests arrived at the Marriott Marquis Sky Lobby just across the street from Xinhua's North American Headquarters for a cocktail event. In addition to remarks from Zhou Xisheng celebrating the day's joyous occasion, a special performance was given by Huang Ruo and his Fire ensemble. Known internationally for his compositions which blend Eastern and Western musical conventions, Dr. Huang gave a rousing performance at the piano while accompanied by clarinet, violin, viola, and pipa (Chinese lute). Empire worked closely with Xinhua and their PR firm the Brunswick Group to design these events and ensure a smooth flow between remarks, dining, and other important moments in the program. Serving as overall event producer, Empire managed/coordinated all aspects of production including venues, lighting, staging, audio, video content, catering, catering staff, video documentation, design and décor, graphic presentation, security, and overall project management. In this unique venue, Empire coordinated between the in-house production team, external audio/video vendors, electronic news media, and building management to integrate the various technologies and production elements required to execute the first-ever production held in this private office space. Empire Entertainment is a leading event producer for international companies in New York City and around the world.

On May 1st, 2011, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce the 2nd Annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert on behalf of The Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute’s fast growing charitable organization. Held at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom, over 700 guests including Russell Simmons, Ellen Pompeo, Evan Rachel Wood, Kerry Washington and Donna Karan attended to support FFAWN and their mission to empower and encourage women by shaping and supporting programs that foster education, career development, strong self-esteem, and personal growth.

Hosted by the incomparable Queen Latifah and Elle Magazine Editor-in-Chief Robbie Myers, the event honored the 2011 FFAWN scholarship recipients and celebrated the dedication of these special young women to achieve greatness. Joining them onstage was a star studded all female line-up of extraordinary performers, leading ladies and role models, including Corinne Bailey Rae, Jill Scott, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Anita Baker and the Queen of Hip Hop Soul herself, Mary J. Blige.

Powerful video and emotive graphic images of FFAWN’s work played on a large projection screen flown over the stage while the all female cast drove FFAWN’s mission home - to inspire women from all walks of life to gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their individual potential.Guests were seated in a stunning ballroom lit by candlelight with sexy lounge décor graciously donated by Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, one of the evening’s presenting sponsors. With complete VIP treatment and bottle service donated by Moet Hennessy, attendees lounged comfortably while listening extraordinary live female vocal performances.

Some highlights of the evening included Corinne Bailey Rae’s "Put Your Records On," and "Like a Star," Jill Scott’s soulful, “Golden,” Jennifer Hudson’s "I Got This" and her powerful rendition of “I'm Every Woman." Christina Aguilera, accompanied by a pianist, singing a moving performance of “Beautiful,” Anita Baker singing an incredible surprise duet with Mary J. Blige, of "Caught Up In The Rapture,” the song that launched Mary J. Blige’s career.At the end of the evening Nine Time Grammy Award winning artist, Mary J. Blige took the stage and tore the house down with “No More Drama” and her finalé, “Just Fine.” As the audience stood for a standing ovation everyone felt the incredible power of her voice and understood that FFAWN had achieved what they had set out to do.

The memorable night was sponsored by Elle, Gucci, Moet Hennessy, Covergirl, The Urban Zen Foundation and Scholarship America as well as supported by many in-kind donations and support from others.All told, the event raised over half a million dollars for FFAWN, while paying tribute to young girls with big dreams of becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for MJB Honors and managed all aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, video creation, talent management and coordination, production, security and onsite management, collaborating with FFAWN and all of the other sponors, partners and donors.

To find out how you can get involved with FFAWN and help make the difference in the lives of women, visit their website at www.ffawn.org. You can also go their star-studded online auction featuring exclusive music and entertainment experiences at www.charitybuzz.com/Ffawn.

Empire Entertainment is a proud supporter of The Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), and its mission to help all women gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their full individual potential.

On May 16, 2011, Empire Entertainment, in partnership with @Radical.Media, produced Conservation International’s Los Angeles Gala at the Montage Beverly Hills. The third of four, national fundraising events that Empire is producing for Conservation International, this event brought together some of Los Angeles’ leading philanthropists with some of the world’s most notable champions of the environment.The event began with an elegant cocktail reception and proceeded into a seated dinner in the Marquesa Ballroom. Once guests were seated, Conservation International Chairman’s Council Member, Gillian Wynn welcomed the audience and set the stage for the impressive evening to come.Then Conservation International Chairman, and CEO Peter Seligmann delivered a powerful keynote address highlighting critical environmental and conservation issues around the world and focusing on CI’s vital work in these areas.After dinner, Conservation International President Russ Mittermeir and motion picture superstar Harrison Ford presented an award to DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg who spoke to the audience. Katzenberg’s appearance was well timed with the release of Kung Fu Panda II which gave both him and Conservation International an opportunity to spotlight their efforts in saving natural habitats in rapidly developing China.At the conclusion of the evening, Jack Black delivered a pre-recorded greeting and then Gillian Wynn took the stage to ask the attendees to remain engaged with what hey had heard on this night and to give generously with a special Save an Acre appeal.Following the dinner, guests adjourned to an after-party dessert reception.Empire served as overall event producer for this gala and was responsible for all technical production, stage design, and stage management. @Radical.Media provided all screen content and graphics.Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, and for the well-being of humanity. To learn more about Conservation International, visit http://www.conservation.org/Empire is a leading producer of innovative gala events and is proud to serve Conservation International.

In May 2011, Empire Entertainment returned to Alice Tully Hall to produce the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Chaplin Award Tribute Gala. This year's star-studded Gala, the 38th annual, honored Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier. 
The Film Society's Annual Gala Tribute began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the US from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas and Tom Hanks. 

This year's gala evening began with VIP cocktails in the Hauser Patron's Lounge in Alice Tully Hall and was followed by a seated dinner in the glass-walled atrium. For the dinner, Empire worked closely with Gala Co-Chair Liz Swig and the Film Society of Lincoln center’s events team to design a striking black & white abstract pattern that was printed on the surface of each dinner table and mirrored on the facades of bars and other event furnishings. Following dinner the 1000+ guests entered the Starr Theater for the all-star tribute program. The program began with a video retrospective of the Chaplin Awards through the years followed by remarks from the event committee chair Ann Tenenbaum. At the conclusion of her remarks, Tenenbaum welcomed Bill Cosby to the stage where in his legendary comedic style he praised his friend Sidney Poitier while skewering him. The evening progressed with a series of heartfelt tributes interspersed by film clips of Sidney Poitier's work. The presenters included James Earl Jones, Chris Tucker, Mary Louise-Parker, Danny Glover, Ruby Dee, Morgan Freeman, Norman Jewison, Harry Belafonte, Quentin Tarantino, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and a video greeting from Oprah Winfrey. The clips included highlights from "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner", "Blackboard Jungle", "Uptown Saturday Night", "The Defiant Ones", "A Raisin In The Sun", "Patch of Blue", and "In The Heat of the Night” among others.One of the many highlights of the evening were comedic remarks delivered by Dan Aykroyd and Sir Ben Kingsley in which they presented a slideshow comparing Poitier to other film icons such as John Wayne and Paul Newman. A surprise moment came following a film clip of "To Sir With Love" when Poitier's co-star and singer Lulu gave a powerful, yet intimate performance of the song before an ecstatic audience. As the final presenter of the evening, Quincy Jones at last presented Sidney Poitier with the Chaplin Award. Poitier then gave his heartfelt remarks and thanks with his trademark delivery while all of the evening's presenters stood by his side.The program was followed by a lively after-party in the transformed Atrium space that stretched late into the evening. For this high stature event Empire served as overall event producer and was responsible for aspects ranging from overall creative and production design, to coordinating with presenters and talent, working with Lincoln center to provide production design and supervision, working with the Film Society to develop the run of show and stage managing the event. Empire also designed and implemented all aspects of the red carpet and presenter arrivals, press and step & repeat, VIP cocktail party, dinner design & décor, catering, and after-party design. Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is frequently engaged to present programs with international stature talent & celebrities.To learn more about the Film Society of Lincoln Center and to become a donor, visit www.filmlinc.com

Empire Entertainment was honored to produce the New York Foundation for the Arts 40th Anniversary Gala, which took place at the Prince George Ballroom on April 26, 2011. Although the event took place nearly a month after the first day of spring, the change in season did not seem official until the day of the 40th Anniversary Gala––an appropriate coincidence given the mission of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) support artists at budding stages in their creative lives.The gallery of the Prince George Ballroom was filled with works by several of NYFA’s most celebrated artists, including two 13 foot paintings by David Sandlin, as well as an enormous ceramic sculpture by Steven Montgomery entitled Green Door. During the cocktail reception Combo Nuvo, an improvisational jazz ensemble featuring several of New York’s most acclaimed jazz artists, played while guests enjoyed the artwork, passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.Guests were then ushered into the ornate ballroom for to find appetizers awaiting them. Abigail Kirsch catered an exquisite dinner, during which Kathleen Chalfant, actor and member of the NYFA leadership counsel, introduced each honored artist. The honorees included Todd Haynes, writer, director and executive producer whose most recent film I’m Not There won the Robert Altman award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Critically acclaimed choreographer and Editor-in-Chief of Dance Magazine, Wendy Perron, controversial artist Andres Serrano and NYFA trustee Kathleen O’Grady were also on the list of honorees. Following the award presentation was a performance by Suzzy Roche.

Working closely with New York Foundation for the Arts events team, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and as responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, technical production and logistics to décor and music.To learn more about New York Foundation for the Arts or to donate, please visit, NYFA.org.

Each year, TIME publishes the TIME100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In conjunction with this highly-anticipated editorial event, TIME hosts an exclusive Gala event in New York City attended by many current and past TIME 100 honorees, celebrities, entertainers and world leaders. Heavily covered by global media, the TIME 100 Gala is one of the highest-profile newsmaker events in the world. 
 This year's TIME 100 Gala took place on April 26, 2011 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event consisted of multiple red carpets, an intimate cocktail reception, a seated dinner and program that combined toasts, speeches, performances, and a cocktail party following the dinner.Performers at the 2011 TIME 100 Gala included Sting and Bruno Mars as well as remarks by Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler, Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and a specially-taped message from Ricky Gervais. The event was also attended by a who’s who including Mark Wahlberg, Aziz Ansari, Seth Meyers, Martha Stewart, Pastor Rob Bell, Blake Lively, and Patti Smith.For this high-stature event, all of the evening's production components require seamless execution. With the help of TIME’s event and marketing services team, Empire’s responsibilities ranged from securing the performing talent to managing venue, catering (provided by Great Performances), design of all spaces, branding, step & repeat, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, FTP media feed, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing and security.Visit time.com to view a brief summary of this year's TIME 100: http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,921096954001_2067873,00.htmlEmpire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile media events and is proud to again have been chosen to produce this remarkable program for TIME.

On Thursday, April 28th at the Metropolitan Club in New York City, celebrity friends and family joined Goldie Hawn for the Hawn Foundation Gala. The Hawn Foundation promotes it’s MindUP programs that focus on equipping children with the social and emotional skills they need to navigate the challenges of the contemporary world in order to lead smarter, healthier, and happier lives. The event featured a cocktail reception, stage program and performances in the spectacular Metropolitan Club spaces on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in New York City. During the stage program, speakers including Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson spoke on behalf of the Foundation to the packed room that included several celebrities such as Courtney Love. Kate Hudson graciously introduced her mother, Goldie, who emotionally discussed how the Foundation was her most important achievement. In addition to the speaking program, the entertainment at the event included a soloist from the Newark Boys Choir, The CityKids Dancers, jazz icon Christine Ebersole and an acoustic set from Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas. Following the stage program International DJ sensation Donna D'Cruz spun a mix of dance favorites that had Goldie Hawn, her husband Kurt Russell and the other guests dancing until late into the evening. For this worthy gala, Empire Entertainment was engaged by Elizabeth Rose Consulting who worked closely with Ms. Hawn to create the exclusive cocktail event in the century-old East side venue. Empire is a leading producer of not-for-profit events.

In April 2011, Empire produced a Fortune 500 company’s General Managers meeting for the 14th consecutive year. The meeting was a multi-day conference at the Walt Disney Orlando & Swan Hotel, featuring a kickoff general session, two awards galas, and a vendor dinner featuring interactive entertainment.For many years the client’s kickoff session was very basic, with executives speaking and presenting powerpoint from a podium. But this year Empire consulted on the scripting and provided stage management to present the information to the attendees in a “60 Minutes” style presentation, inclusive of video roll-ins, onstage interviews, video segments, and even a spoof of Andy Rooney for some comic relief as a break from the business content.When the client wanted an entertaining, interactive, reasonably-priced teambuilding activity as entertainment following one of their evening dinners, Empire presented a fantastic “Family-Feud” inspired game show in which the client vendors and buyers were the contestants, and the questions were custom written by the executives to make the material company- specific and fun.In the spirit of keeping the conference energetic and dynamic, Empire also created a soundtrack of great movie theme songs to use as the walk-up music for award winners at one of the after-dinner galas. Winners walked to the stage to the upbeat and instantly recognizable sounds of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Rocky, James Bond, and more.Empire provided and managed all staging, audio, video, lighting, teleprompter services, stage management, and technical direction, for the conference, and is proud to work with elite clients who have chosen to partner with us for more than a decade on their most important events. While renown for our experience producing events with A-list entertainment elements, Empire is also a premier producer of content-driven corporate meetings and conferences.

On Saturday, April 9th, 2011, Empire Entertainment produced The Flawless Foundation’s second annual Perfection Party at the Otto Khan and James Burden Mansions in New York City. Upon arrival at the Perfection Party, Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy greeted the guests of the panel discussion entitled “The Best Kind of Different” with a gracious speech, noting his own long-term commitment to Mental Health Advocacy. A lively panel discussion, featuring the world’s leading mental health experts and advocates ensued. The panel was moderated by Lisa Bloom, a civil and children’s rights attorney, television host and author of the upcoming book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World. The panelists included J. Stuart Ablon, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, and Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, one of the nation’s leading child and adolescent psychiatrists, author and founding President of the Child Mind Institute, Shonda Schilling; author of the New York Times Best Seller, The Best Kind of Different: Our Family's Journey with Asperger's Syndrome, and wife of retired Major League Baseball pitcher, Curt Schilling, as well as Garen Staglin, founder of the International Mental Health Research Organization, and co-founders of both The Next Frontier of the Brain campaign and Bring Change 2 Mind with Glenn Close and others. After the enlightining panel discussion, guests proceeded to the cavernous portico, festooned with cherry blossoms for an elegant reception featuring champagne from Knudsen Family Vineyards and Argyle white wine. Guests were then escorted to a dinner prepared by renowned Chef David Burke paired with the wines from Staglin Family Vineyard. Once guests were seated, the anchor from WPIX News at Six, Jim Watkins gave a toast to Patrick Kennedy, congratulating him on his recent engagement to Amy Petitgout.At the conclusion of the evening, guests were given Chef David Burke’s signature dessert, cheese cake lollipops and left with a lovely “Flawless Foundation” canvas gift bag including Thank-you cards by Gratitude designs and a copy of Shonda Schilling’s book, The Best Kind Of Different.Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the event and was responsible for all event logistics, press, and technical production. Empire worked alongside Pamela Morgan’s Flavors to create a consistent look and feel for the evening.Emnpire is a leading producer of not for profit and gala events.

The setting: The Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The purpose: An incentive program for one of the world’s leading communication technology companies. The perfect headline entertainment: International, Platinum-selling superstars Earth, Wind & Fire.The band's participation in the event was kept a secret until the moment they were announced onstage to the excited audience of 500+ guests & spouses. Once onstage the band did not disappoint. Their 90 minute set included all of their funk, R&B and soul hits including "Shining Star." "Sing a Song," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "September," "Serpentine Fire," "Reasons," "Boogie Wonderland" "Mighty, Mghty," "After The Love Has Gone," "That's The Way of the World" and "Let's Groove." The band's powerful stage presence with full horn section had the audience dancing and shouting for encores. Prior to the performance, the band's principal members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson graciously greeted and talked with VIPs, taking photos with all of them. For this incentive program, Empire worked closely with the client’s meeting production company, Swift Media Group, to identify talent candidates, negotiate the performance contract, and facilitated the development of a working production plan with Swift Media Group and local vendors. Empire also worked to manage complicated logistics including the freight of equipment into and out of the Bahamas, and work permits & visas. Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment for corporate meetings & events and is deeply experienced in overcoming the challenges of presenting headline entertainment outside of the United States.

When one of the world's largest restaurant companies sought a humorous host / emcee for their incentive awards ceremony, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them secure celebrity talent. Empire was able to identify, negotiate for and secure former Saturday Night Live cast member and star of films including Wayne's World and Road to Wellville, Dana Carvey.

Prior to the engagement, Empire worked closely with the client and Dana to prepare the creative integration. Onsite Dana performed a 10 minute opening routine and then appeared in several 3-5 minute segments throughout the awards program, performing both repertoire comedic material as well as originally scripted material specific to the event. Dana worked the crowd and brought the company CEO onstage to lead the company cheer which was one of the evening's many highlights. Carvey added the perfect element of humor and celebrity to the award ceremony and the client was thrilled with his participation.

Empire is a leading source of comedic and celebrity talent for all manner of meetings & events.

On March 30th, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce Bravo’s 2011 Upfront with simultaneous live events in three cities. Heavily covered by the media, Ed Martin of Media Biz Bloggers described the event in one review as “The Upfront Event of 2011” and "one of the most ambitious and impactful events of its kind that I have attended in more than twenty years of covering the television business." He also wrote that "Even without the simultaneous Chicago and Los Angeles parties, Bravo’s New York event alone would have been one of the season’s best."Bravo’s Upfront consisted of three parties on the same night in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. In an unprecedented innovation, these events featured live remote broadcasts from each party aired during the season finale of the Emmy award winning Bravo series Top Chef: All Stars. Ed Martin wrote: "I believe this … was the first-ever live, full-length telecast of a television program from an Upfront event."New York’s event took place in the cavernous lofts of 82 Mercer in SoHo. Guests arrived for elegant cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres in the first room: a sleek lounge that seamlessly integrated Bravo’s five passion points: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Design & Pop. The room had bespoke draped doorways constructed of white textured Tyvek, which were back-lit with LEDs to give the cocktail room a soft glow. When it came time for dinner, the drapes were drawn to reveal a spacious dining room seating 300 guests. 36-ft long dining tables, custom-built with a wood grain finish and sleek orange diagonal stripes, were adorned with glowing white rock crystal in glass boxes and vibrant orange pincushion protea. The clear acrylic La Marie dining chairs and custom LED chandeliers hovering overhead furthered the chic look.The dinner itself was a Top Chef tasting experience. Once clients were seated among Bravo executives and press, Andy Cohen, EVP Original Programming & Development & host of Watch What Happens Live, took the stage to introduce new programming and Bravo’s celebrities, better known as Bravolebrities. Among the Bravolebrities at New York’s upfront were the Real Housewives of New York City and New Jersey, Rocco DiSpirito, Tabatha Coffey and China Chow. Yet, it is safe to say that the two finalists of Top Chef: All Stars, Richard Blais and Mike Isabella, stole the show. (One of the two finalists would be revealed as the winner of Top Chef before the evening commenced.) In coordination with the Top Chef finale, Blais and Isabella helped prepare the same dinner for the guests that was being judged on the final show.While guests in New York were judging the Top Chef finalists’ food for themselves, the party in Los Angeles was just beginning at the Roosevelt Hotel. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Gail Simmons was giving gracious welcoming remarks at The Girl and The Goat restaurant, owned by Top Chef season 4’s winner, Stephanie Izard.The Top Chef: All Stars finale was broadcast on screens in all 3 cities for guests to view alongside the Bravolebrities including the All Stars season’s Chef’testants. To further implement Bravo’s 2011 Marketing motto: Breakthrough with Bravo, there was one final reveal: for the first time in Upfront history, New York’s guests were invited to be part of the studio audience of the full-length telecast of Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live. One guest at each party could text-in to win, allowing them to ask a question on-air.In another write up, Stuart Elliott of The New York Times described how the Upfront gave advertisers the unusual experience of being viewed by the demographic that they cater toward: “It is the first time that Bravo has opened up this manner the upfront process.”We are thrilled Bravo again engaged Empire Entertainment to produce their Upfront for the second year. Empire Entertainment managed all three Upfront events, and was responsible for development of décor, securing sites, schedules, deliverables, transportation and managing all logistics, creating an experience that TV by the Numbers claims, “redefined industry standards”.Please find the reviews referred to in this article below:www.mediabizbloggers.com/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/next-on-bravo-ad-executives-and-all-star-chefs/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/22/upfront-by-bravo-media-redefines-industry-standard-on-march-30-with-star-studded-events-in-

When a global corporation sought an internationally-recognized keynote speaker who could personify exemplary leadership across a diverse organization, they once again turned to Empire Entertainment to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen keynote speaker would need to be globally-known and able to deliver important messages to the company's CEO and top executives that would reinforce and underscore the content presented by business speakers earlier in the program. Empire ultimately delivered General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 65th Secretary of State, and one of the most admired and respected leaders in America today. He is also one of the world's best speakers. General Powell's informative and inspiring keynote presentation exceeded the client's expectations and met their objectives perfectly. General Powell's remarks about the challenges of coordinating across the diverse cultures of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and his insights on dealing with and leading through complexity engaged the executive level audience and the served to strongly support the overall meeting content. Whether the audience requires a motivator, inspirational speaker, a topic-specific expert or just someone to engage and entertain, Empire is the ideal one-stop-shop for every type of keynote speaker.

On March 3, 2011, Empire Entertainment, in partnership with @Radical.Media, produced Conservation International’s Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. The second of five national fundraising events that Empire is producing for Conservation International, this event brought together some of the Bay Area’s leading philanthropists with some of the world’s most notable champions of the environment.

The event began with an elegant cocktail reception and proceeded into a seated dinner for over 400 guests. The Four Seasons ballroom was elegantly, yet simply decorated with organic linens and votive candles, reducing to a minimum the use of greenery and florals.Once guests were seated, Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a longtime philanthropist, welcomed the audience and set the stage for the impressive evening to come.Jobs then introduced motion picture superstar Harrison Ford who spoke about his own long-term commitment to the environment and his work with Conservation International for over 15 years.Ford then introduced Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who wowed the guests with his command of the environmental and energy issues he had faced as Governor of California and his strong recommendations for how to confront them.

Next Harrison Ford and Governor Schwarzenegger were seated onstage where they engaged in a lively discussion and debate about the issues. Following dinner, Conservation International Chairman and CEO, Peter Seligmann, delivered a powerful keynote address highlighting critical environmental and conservation issues around the world and focusing on CI’s vital work in these areas.At the conclusion of the evening, Gap Inc.’s Robert J. Fischer took the stage to ask the attendees to remain engaged with what hey had heard on this night and to give generously.

Following the dinner, guests adjourned to an after-party for drinks and desserts.Empire served as overall event producer for this gala and was responsible for all technical production, stage design, and stage management. @Radical.Media provided all screen content and graphics.Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, and for the well-being of humanity.

To learn more about Conservation International, visit http://www.conservation.org/

Empire is a leading producer of innovative gala events and is proud to serve Conservation International.

When a private client wanted to throw an unforgettable 60th birthday party for his father, he turned to Empire Entertainment to secure his father’s four favorite singers to perform. With an audience of over 350 VIPs from around the world, the event would have to be flawless. While working quickly to contract his father’s favorite artists, Empire worked on technical solutions to accommodate their needs. With some deft negotiating, Empire was able to lock in Julio Iglesias, Natalie Cole, and Tom Jones, all performing with their own full bands, on one small stage in the ornate Grand Ballroom.Additionally, on the other side of the ballroom, a second stage was built where Alexander Kogan would perform with a 29 piece big band on a set that mirrored the orchestra scenes in Meet Joe Black. By alternating performances between opposite stages, Empire managed the time required to reset for the other performances and for the Plaza to serve a sumptuous seven-course dinner. Kicking off the night, Julio Iglesias performed a 45-minute set of his greatest hits, spanning the last four decades. Backed by his full band, Julio took over the room, singing romantic ballads, including a special happy birthday to the guest of honor. Next up on the same stage was Natalie Cole. Performing with a quintet, Natalie’s heartwarming 45-minute set filled the room with an overwhelming feeling of joy. In the middle of her set, Natalie called Alexander Kogan onstage to sing a duet of Charlie Chaplin’s song “Smile.” In addition to many other hits, Natalie included an amazing rendition of “Unforgettable”, a duet with her father, Nat King Cole. Finishing out the night on that same stage was Tom Jones, performing with his 10-piece band. The audience rose to their feet the minute Tom Jones began performing his many rocking hits including “Delilah,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “She’s a Lady,” “Sex Bomb,” and his encore, “Kiss.” Between these exciting performances, Alexander Kogan and his orchestra performed heart-warming renditions of jazz standards, including “Close To You”, “I’ll be Seeing You” and “Accidental Waltz”.During the course of this project, Empire worked to identify talent candidates, negotiate the many elements of the performance contracts, and facilitate the development of a working production plan. Empire also worked to manage complicated logistics including the stage management of an eight-hour show on two completely separate-stages, as well as all travel & logistics for all performers. Empire also oversaw a five-camera HD shoot and multi-track record of portions of the concerts for the client’s archives.Whether it’s securing headline talent with international appeal, handling complicated production and logistical needs, or simply helping a client plan an unforgettable birthday celebration for his father, Empire Entertainment is the ideal producing partner or the most special private occasions in the world! Photos courtesy of Zev Greenfield.

Beer. Bikinis. Body painting.It's not too often that the Empire is asked to create an event which encompasses those characteristics. But that's exactly what happened when Labatt Blue Light and NY-based marketing agency, STRATEGIC, approached Empire to bring Labatt's brand to life in the form of a one night house party. Set in the beautiful mountains of Stowe, Vermont, the party was the keystone event of a 3-day prize weekend for 50 Labatt consumers and their guests. The event was designed as the manifestation of the brand's current ad campaign which centers around the Blue Light Refreshment Duo otherwise known as two sexy "ambassadors of literal and social refreshment" who travel the country on their snowmobile, saving our social lives one beer emergency at a time. The party's setting would embody the Duo's top secret Headquarters, located deep in the snow covered mountains.After a full day of skiing, snow boarding, and dog sledding, guests were shuttled to an unknown destination. Surrounded in darkness, all that could be seen upon their arrival was an emanating blue light through the trees. As each shuttle pulled into the driveway, guests were wowed by a huge, shining Labatt Blue Light logo across the house, just as it appears in the current ad campaign.Once inside, guests were treated to a multitude of activities, a host of food and snacks, and, of course, Labatt Blue Light beers, which were stocked on every shelf and bookcase throughout the house. Under the blue lights of the 3-story "Refreshment Headquarters," guests were constantly entertained by girls soaking in steamy hot tubs, models and fellow guests getting airbrushed tattoos, drink service from a Labatt Blue Light ice bar, green screen photo sessions, s'mores roasted at the backyard fire pit, and even a video confessional room to share their stories and love for Labatt Blue Light.To top off the evening, the living room hosted a supercharged musical performance by up and coming rock band Halestorm.If all this wasn't enough to complete a memorable weekend, the Labatt Blue Light Refreshment Duo themselves descended on the house to welcome guests, pose for fan photographs, and burn up the dance floor until the AM. With the blue-lighted house, fully beer-stocked shelves, and 25 Labatt Blue Light-costumed models, the house party perfectly integrated the brand's messaging and created a once in a lifetime experience for the attendees.Empire is a leading producer of immersive branded events and experiential marketing.

For the highly anticipated launch of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue 2011, Sports Illustrated Executive Director of Event Marketing Christine Rosa and Events Director Kristen Leoce again selected Empire Entertainment to provide celebrity entertainment for their marquee event in Las Vegas. At Club SI Swimsuit, the final night of launch week at the Hard Rock Hotel's Vanity Nightclub, Empire secured the television host of the “Sing Off” and multi-platinum recording artist Nick Lachey to emcee the stage program before an eager crowd of over 1000 guests and sponsors. Following the stage program and Swimsuit model reveal, Empire also delivered R&B artist NE-YO who performed a 45-minute set that had the entire club on their feet. Empire was responsible for securing NE-YO and Lachey and handled all details relating to their appearance and performances with the Sports Illustrated Events team. Empire also worked closely with Team Epic who staged all of the launch week events.

Empire is a leading provider of high-profile talent for media events.

On January 11th, 2011, Empire was thrilled to serve as production company for One Show Interactive’s “Best of the Digital Decade” program at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.The One Club, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting creative excellence in the advertising industry, had gathered an esteemed group of Interactive Judges to identify the top ten digital works of the last ten years of One Show Interactive pencil winners. Out of 75 nominations, ten advertising projects were awarded a Best of the Digital Decade distinction for their innovative use of digital media.

Guests entered the warmly lit lobby and were greeted with an impressive display of the evening’s sponsors projected onto the existing video wall at reception. Passing through a red carpet press area, the world’s top advertising clients from companies like Nike and HBO, along with executives and creative directors from leading advertising agencies enjoyed cocktails and innovative passed hors d’oeuvres provided by Abigail Kirsch Caterers. A looping reel of the nominated work was projected onto the museum’s wall overlooking the cocktails. After the cocktail reception, guests climbed the stairs into the lofty Atrium for dinner and the awards ceremony. Set beneath the sixty foot ceilings was an all white stage set that watched the minimal space set underneath a large projection that served as the backdrop. Long, rectangular banquet tables were set for individual ticket guests while circular tables were reserved for the chairman circle seating.

After a three-course meal, the emcee, stand-up comedian and host of Australian Idol, Josh Zepps took the stage and introduced the evening’s ten award winners. As production company for this inaugural award show, Empire handled all event design, planning, technical production, stage management and event logistics, budgeting and coordination.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of contemporary award shows and is honored to have served as a producer and sponsor for the Best of the Digital Decade.

On January 28th, 2011, Gilt City, the religiously followed online store that provides luxury goods for discounted prices, packed their warehouse onto trucks and neatly unfolded and hung their high-end merchandise in The Altman Building. That evening, the press were greeted with cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres to preview the sale. The sale itself took place on Saturday, January 29th. With the promise of 75% off the high-end brands, 2,000 tickets were sold-out within hours. The lucky Gilt City members who managed to snatch a ticket began lining up behind velvet ropes in anticipation, hours before the sale opened. Once guests were checked in with I-PADs, they could peruse the racks or go to the bar for SVEDKA Vodka’s specialty drink. They could have a RBC coffee brewed just for them or freshly baked cookies provided by E.E. Cookies. Also featured within the event was a Gilt City pampering station where guests were attended to by facialists, hairstylists and make-up artists providing their complementary services. Empire Entertainment was engaged to be the overall production company of the event, handling event design, planning, technical production, staffing, logistics, budgeting and coordination.

Empire is a unique resource for the design and execution of branded pop-up shops and temporary retail locations / brand experiences in New York and in cities around the world.

For a unique corporate event, Empire took to the field of Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium to stage an extraordinary concert with the Dave Matthews Band for a corporate client's 900 guests. With tight timelines & budget restrictions to work around, Empire worked with Dallas Cowboy's Stadium and the band to build a huge stage into the Cowboys’ end zone. This stage would later host a 100-minute concert by the Dave Matthews Band. Empire contracted the band as well as provided all technical and logistical support for this major headliner. Prior to the concert, Dave Matthews participated in a Meet & Greet with approximately 80 of client’s VIPs. When it was time for the concert to begin, guests were standing as close as possible to the stage as DMB performed hits from the past 14 years, including Satellite, Crash, Ants Marching, and a lengthy encore of Two Step, which made the crowd go crazy!

Whether it’s securing headline talent, handling all production or logistical needs, Empire Entertainment is a capable of executing major headline concerts throughout the United States and around the world!

December 7, 2010 – New York, NYWhen a client needed a headliner to perform for a small group of top executives and their spouses during the final night of their meeting in NYC, they turned to Empire to secure talent, fulfill production and provide décor for their prestigious annual dinner event. With the party slated to take place in the historic Celeste Bartos Forum at the New York Public Library, Empire had to abide by strict sound & production guidelines.

Empire secured and produced Grammy Award Winner John Mellencamp, who performed 70 minutes of his greatest hits including “Small Town,” “R.O.C. K. in the U.S.A.” and “Jack and Diane”, with his 6-piece band. Following the performance, Mellencamp participated in a meet & greet, taking photographs with all 130 guests. The intimate show in this spectacular venue was a hit with the high level attendees. December 10, 2010 – New York, NYWhen looking to surprise his wife for her birthday, Empire was chosen by an excited husband to help secure and produce the entertainment for a very special celebration. With over 200 family and friends joining them at New York’s Edison Ballroom, Empire was on-hand to manage all technical elements, stage management and flow of the event.

Throughout the evening, friends and family members took to the stage to surprise the guest-of-honor with individual presentations supported by projected graphics, designed by Empire. But the final surprise of the night was a headline concert by Grammy Award winners Maroon 5. By special request of the client, the band began their 65 minute set with “Harder to Breathe,” and followed it with hits such as “Misery,” “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved,” and “Sunday Morning.” Throughout the concert, lead singer, Adam Levine wished our client a happy birthday and even invited her and her children up on stage. Following the performance, the band invited the client and her family into their dressing room to mingle and pose for photos.December 16, 2010 – Dallas, TexasAs the finalé of the December headline concerts, Empire took to the field of a major Stadium where a client hosted an event for approximately 800-900 guests. Empire worked with the Stadium to build a 50’ X 40’ truck stage into the end zone. This stage would host a rare private concert by Grammy Award winners The Dave Matthews Band. Empire contracted the band as well as provided all technical and logistical support for this major headliner. Prior to the concert, Dave Matthews participated in a Meet & Greet with approximately 80 of client’s VIPs. When it was time for the concert to begin, guests gathered in front of the stage as DMB performed a 100-minute concert that included hits from the past 14 years such as “Satellite,” “Crash,” “Ants Marching,” and a lengthy encore of “Two Step,” which made the crowd go crazy!

Whether it’s securing headline talent, handling production or logistical needs, Empire Entertainment is a capable of executing back-to-back headline concerts with the biggest names in the world throughout the United States and around the world!

When a global technology company was looking to launch their new online shopping portal in style, they presented Empire Entertainment with the challenge of capturing the essence of this unique brand that fuses high fashion with high technology. This groundbreaking new portal personalizes the online shopping experience through the use of innovative visual technologies and virtual boutiques curated by celebrities, stylists, designers, fashion bloggers and other shoppers who visit the site to inspire and be inspired.In less than four weeks, Empire worked closely with the client to conceptualize and deliver an impressive real life interpretation of the website’s six themed fashion environments at Skylight Soho in Lower Manhattan.

Skylight’s large raw space was sectioned into individual, stylized vignettes in the themes of “Boho”, “Romantic”, “Classic”, “Edgy”, “Casual” and “Street.” Each vignette incorporated décor elements, lighting, and custom furnishings and featured sleek demo stations to showcase the website to attendees.The vignettes also featured distinctive live entertainment, activities, décor elements and a menu of thematically-linked hors d’oeuvres and specialty cocktails. The street vignette included laser graffiti show, break-dancing performances, a large graffiti wall and banquette seating made out of tires and galvanized steel. In the “Classic” vignette guests enjoyed a life-size chess game, and sat of oversized tufted banquettes under a large crystal chandelier. Guests had their fortunes told in the lavishly decorated “Boho” vignette adorned with lanterns, Moroccan poufs and beaded curtains while guests in the “Romantic” area enjoyed an aerial performance surrounded silk and lace accents, birdcages and candles.In the hallways a fashion show of live model “mannequins” on pedestals wearing various couture and looks created by top fashion designers and stylists was presented with models changing throughout the evening.

The evening’s entertainment featured three of the fashion world’s top DJs. DJ and Nylon fashion reporter Becka Diamond started the evening, followed by San Francisco mashup artist DJ Earworm. To close the event New York nightlife collective The Misshapes featuring Leigh Lezark spun a mix of music as guests filled the dance floor. The launch event created a great deal of buzz in the fashion and online communities with the attendance of many celebrities, bloggers and the fashion elite. Among the 550 guests in attendance were Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Iman, Isaac Mizrahi, Claire Danes, Elisabeth Moss, Carey Mulligan, Christian Siriano and Vogue editor Meredith Melling Burke as well as designers Zac Posen, Tory Burch and Catherine Malandrino. Among the fashion press turnout were fashion bloggers Bryan Grey-Yambao (BryanBoy), Susie Lau (Style Bubble), and Jane Aldridge (Sea of Shoes). Empire Entertainment served as overall producer for the event and was responsible for event design, décor, technical production, catering, talent, logistics and stage management.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative product launches and has worked extensively in the fashion and luxury segments.

"What a night!" shouted John Turturro, flanked by Julianne Moore and Harvey Keitel, as the three members of acting's royal family opened the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards. And what a night it was - the stars came out to celebrate in force: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Hilary Swank, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Paul Rudd, Ethan Hawke, Winona Rider, Rosie Perez, Steve Buscemi -- all there for the intimate dinner wrapped in an elegant awards ceremony that is The Gotham Independent Film Awards. For the third year running, Independent Feature Project (IFP) turned to Empire Entertainment to produce its marquee event, which has kicked off the film industry's Awards season for 20 years, now. The event honors the filmmaking community but with specific objectives: expanding the audience for independent films and supporting the work that IFP does behind the scenes, throughout the year, to bring great films to theaters everywhere.

The Gotham's signature award is the (now classic) "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You". The winner in this category benefits from a large cash prize, a new marketing campaign and a limited theater release. Every Gotham Awards program also includes "lifetime achievement" award-type Tributes. 2010's Tributees were Hilary Swank, directors James Schamus and Darren Aronofsky, and the legendary Robert Duvall. Because it was the 20th anniversary, Empire made a few key modifications to the event, including bringing the elegant, star-studded step & repeat actually inside Cipriani Wall Street -- right alongside the 80 guest tables -- and building a beautiful, custom-made stage set that changed color and mood throughout the evening. This year's 800-person dinner was hosted by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson who spent the evening alternately introducing, and making fun of, industry giant after industry giant. Event sponsors included Russian Standard Vodka, Stella Artois and Dunhill.

Empire acted as overall event producer, handling all event design and planning, technical production, set design, video roll-ins & scripting, stage management and talent wrangling, event logistics, budgeting and coordination.Empire is a leading producer of major award shows.

This year American Friends of Rabin Medical Center wanted to turn the traditional gala on its head. Looking to innovate beyond a traditional dinner function, AFRMC asked Empire make the entire event fun while still conveying the important message of supporting the hospital in Israel. Empire came up with the idea of a one-night extravaganza featuring the best of contemporary Israeli culture juxtaposed against their New York counterparts. This feast of the senses would bring authentic Israeli experiences to a New York donor audience and would deepen the attendee’s emotional connection to Israel while presenting a more dynamic and tangible association to the Rabin Medical Center.Working with AFRMC as well as the Israeli Consul General, Empire re-brand the gala as “The Best of Israel meets the Best of New York” focusing on fashion, jewelry, art, entertainment, and, of course, cuisine. For the fashion show, Empire was able to secure participation from Israeli fashion designers Irena Burshtein and Maison Bellaish (staking recent claim in the New York scene with their new flagship store in the Meatpacking district). Thanks to the cooperation of numerous different individuals and organizations, we engaged Israeli jewelry designers Hana Stern, Sigal Shohat, and Orly Wexler, and New York based designer Judith Ripka. All of this was just in the cocktail reception!Even the evening’s menu was specially designed. Together Empire and AFRMC enlisted two of the best chefs New York and Israel have to offer - Todd English and Mika Sharon. The two worked together to design different aspects of the cocktail reception food stations and the seated dinner menu with an Israeli zest.To host the dinner program, Empire again secured talk show host Charlie Rose. Rose ably emceed the program and led a captivating interview live onstage with Larry Silverstein, developer of the World Trade Center towers, alongside Stephen Siegel, Chairman of CB Richard Ellis and President of AFRMC Board of Directors. Also, in maintaining the theme Charlie showcased a brief video montage of famous Israeli’s he has interviewed over the years.For the entertainment portion of the evening, world-renowned Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz represented the Best of Israeli entertainment, with a breathtaking solo performance. In keeping with theme, The Best of New York was a who’s who of Broadway. Legendary Broadway star Chita Rivera and critically acclaimed singer/actor Tom Wopat performed brief tributes to Award of Excellence recipients and renowned Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.Empire served as event producer for this 600 person gala managing all aspects of production including entertainment, host / emcee talent, fashion show, displays and auctions, venue coordination, lighting, staging, audio, image magnification, catering (provided by Newman & Levanthal and the Grand Hyatt), security, design and décor. Empire also consulted on the invitation design, journal design, and creative programming aspects including scripting and show order.Empire is one of the world’s leading producers of not-for-profit events and fundraisers.

Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.On November 11, 2010, Empire Entertainment, in partnership with @Radical.Media, produced Conservation International’s annual Gala in Seattle, Washington. The first of five major fundraising events Empire will produce for Conservation International, this event took place at Fremont Studios, and gave all the attendees a unique and immersive experience, unlike any other gala Seattle has seen. This gala would focus on Conservation International's important work with the world's oceans and the visual design of the event would underscore the evening's purpose and messaging.

After arrival and cocktails, guests entered into a stunning, cavernous soundstage transformed into an undersea world with huge underwater images projected onto video screens surrounding 270 degrees of the room and powerful undersea sounds. Floating jellyfish, cascading schools of fish, whales and dolphins were featured in immersive imagery that immersed guests into the ocean theme.On the minimal white stage backed by giant ocean scenes, Pearl Jam’s Stone Goddard started the program and spoke passionately about the importance of saving the ocean and the animal life within. The Seattle supporters of CI were also able to hear world-renowned experts in the field of oceanography including CI’s Chief Ocean Scientist Greg Stone and featured speaker David de Rothschild, the eco-adventurer who built a boat called the Plastiki from recycled plastic bottles and sailed it on a global adventure. An exciting panel discussion followed including Mr. de Rothschild and Mr. Stone in addition CI’s own Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO Peter Seligmann. Dr. Sylvia Earle, one of the world’s foremost ocean explorers and one of only seven National Geographic Explorers–in-Residence, was also featured in the program.

After the dinner, guests adjourned to an afterparty for a live auction, drinks and desserts with a specially-compiled soundtrack of ocean sounds. This Conservation International gala was attended by over 400 guests and stood out as the first of a new campaign for CI to get its conservation, sustainable and global mission statements across while sparking active and open discussions about the Earth and its population’s problems and solutions.For this exciting event, Empire served as overall event producer and was responsible for technical production, event design, and stage management. Empire is a leading producer of innovative gala events and is a pioneer in the use of surround video environments for special events.To learn more about Conservation International, visit http://www.conservation.org/

Tsukicon, the largest convention in Northern Europe featuring Japanese music and fashion, was convened in Helsinki Finland. The event took place at both the Gloria Hall and Kulttuuriarena Gloria, on November 13th and November 14h. Including live performances by Japanese rock bands on both days, the convention also feature fashion shows, panel discussions, contests and talk shows. Over 1,000 aficionados from across Europe gathered in Helsinki for the Two-day event.Empire coordinated the appearance of the charismatic "Gal" duo Yumachi & Aina at this year's Tsukicon event. Headilining the event, Yumachi & Aina performed live for the very first time on foreign soil, and were overwhelmingly well received by both foreign press and Japan press that had traveled over to witness the debut.In addition to managing the casting and coordination that allowed Yumachi & Aina to participate in this year's Tsukicon Convention, Empire Entertainment Japan also directed and stage managed the live show.

On November 4, 2010, Empire Entertainment was thrilled to serve as producer of the Coalition for the Homeless’ 16th annual ARTWALK NY––New York's premier contemporary art auction event. More than 900 art collectors, art appreciators and celebrities came together in Skylight Studio for a night of festivities, including a live and silent auction.The core of ARTWALK was a silent and live auction featuring over 130 works of contemporary art donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists. From Andy Warhol, Francesco Clemente, to Jeff Koons, Wade Guyton, Shepherd Fairey and Yoko Ono. All of the biggest names were represented and for sale for a good cause.The evening began with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails graciously provided by Nicholas Feuillatte, Stella Artois and Sud de France. Food was provided by several of New York’s best restaurants, including Bethel, Ed’s Lobster Bar, Indochine, Macao Trading Company, Michael’s and Osteria il Paiolo. For dessert, Lulu Cake Boutique provided cupcakes.

In the live auction room, co-chairs Alec Baldwin, Carey Lowell and Richard Gere took the stage to acknowledge the important work and various projects of the Coalition for the Homeless. James Rosenquist, the event's honoree, further underlined the importance of fighting for housing, job training and children’s services while he spoke about his memories of being a homeless New Yorker. When the live auction bidding began, Phillips du Pury auctioneer, Aileen Agogplan, auctioned off Rosenquist’s work as well as those by Andy Warhol, Francesco Clemente, Nan Goldin, Jenny Holzer and others.The rest of Skylight’s cavernous space served as a gallery for the silent auction. Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased established artists like Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, Olaf Breuning, and Christo. The silent auction featured works ranging from paintings and photographs to sculptures and installation pieces.The event was sponsored by FENDI and featured an exclusive FENDI Lounge where guests relaxed on lounge furnishings and drank Nicholas Feuillatte champagne between bidding sessions.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, art solicitation, layout, production and logistics to décor, restaurant coordination and music. Empire also engaged and worked closely with Joyce Manalo and ArtForward who were responsible for overall coordination of the art solicitation, donations, delivery and handling of all of the pieces for both the live and silent auctions. Bettina Prentice Communications handled press and the development of the art advisory and benefit committees as well as working to secure the evening’s honoree and many of the donated artworks.ARTWALK NY raised over $800,000 for the Coalition for the Homeless and reached the highest attendance in the event’s 16 years. 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 http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/

On October 18, 2010, The Center for Hearing and Communication celebrated it’s 100th Anniversary at the iconic 583 Park in New York City. Empire was proud to produce this centennial event, raising critical funds to provide high quality comprehensive services to those affected by hearing loss and deafness.

Over 400 guests were brought together for this black-tie cocktail and dinner to celebrate the achievements of CHC’s life changing services for those with hearing loss and auditory challenges. The evening’s program was hosted by ABC News anchor Bill Ritter, followed by an emotional and inspirational lineup of speakers and performers who were all supported by live interpreters and open captioning to facilitate for all guests.

Some of the evening’s highlights opening remarks by CHC’s President, Jeffrey Cohen, musical performance by One Life to Live actress, Kassie DePaiva, an acoustic performance by American Idol’s Crystal Bowersox and stand up comedic performance by Comedy Central’s Christian Finnegan.

Dr. Noel Kohen was honored as the pioneer for cochlear implants, while Mariella Paulino, a recipient of CHC’s services shared a personal and moving story of how CHC impacted her life. Other highlights included a live auction by Nick Dawes and a musical performance by Joey McIntyre, who shared a beautiful story about his son who was born deaf, early diagnosis and the solutions available to treat it.

Empire is a leading producer of fundraising galas and proud to support the Center for Hearing and Communication in their commitment to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and auditory and listening challenges. To learn more and donate to the Center for Hearing and Communication, please visit chchearing.org/

For the launch of new docu-series Running Russell Simmons, Oxygen Media enlisted Empire Entertainment to design and produce a party for 300 clients and friends of Russell Simmons at New York City’s newest hotspot Lavo. Empire worked closely with Oxygen to create an event that would provide access for their top clients to the highly exclusive celebrity party scene of entertainment and fashion mogul Russell Simmons. This goal was also coupled with seamlessly integrating the Oxygen and Running Russell Simmons brands within the event’s design. Taking cues from Russell’s well-known fondness for argyle patterns, Empire designed a green and yellow argyle print carpet for the press tent, which hosted Russell, his friends Nick Cannon, Tyson Beckford, and Al Sharpton, as well as models Petra Nemcova and Selita Ebanks, and many more. Outside on 58th Street, yellow Oxygen “O” projections on the sidewalk created a whimsical pathway leading guests to Lavo’s unmarked doorway.

Guests then descended into the subterranean nightclub through a mirror-paneled stairwell stunningly adorned with hundreds of yellow and silver Oxygen O’s bubbling upwards like effervescent champagne. Inside the party, celebrity DJ Cassidy kept the mood high with a mix of contemporary hip hop and classic tunes. Through Cassidy’s clever coaxing, legendary rap icon Rev Run – of Run DMC fame, and also Russell’s brother – took the mic and wowed the house with several of his iconic hits including “Walk This Way” and “It’s Like That.” An hour later, a second impromptu performance of “Shoop” and “Push it” by Pepa of Salt-n-Pepa, left guests feeling they had just experienced hip hop history. To further amplify the party atmosphere, Empire flanked the DJ booth with twin 10-ft LED video walls flooded with animated graphics and audio visualizations tied into the music. To enhance the adjoining VIP lounge, Empire built two shadowboxes into the corners, featuring professional dancers, backlit by green LED lights, creating the effect of sexy silhouettes grooving to the music. Throughout the evening, guests feasted on an entirely vegan selection of passed hors d’oeuvres and sweets, inspired by Russell's personal diet and devotion to animal activism. The customized menu surprised even the most skeptical of carnivores, many of whom remarked that the food was so good they didn't realize it was vegan.

To give party-goers further immersion into the event, guests were encouraged to tweet their experiences to Running Russell Simmons' twitter feed. These comments and shout-outs were displayed on plasmas throughout the space as well as on stage with the DJ. A photobooth was also on hand to capture stylish poses and handsome mugs of guests and celebrities, leaving them with printed photos they could take with them along with their memories of the engaging evening.Empire served as overall event producer and was responsible for technical production, event design, and signage design and production.

Empire is a leading producer of custom events and is a creative partner for companies seeking to deliver original and trendsetting events.

2010 marked the 25th anniversary of American Jewish World Service – a global organization that works to alleviate poverty, hunger, and disease in the developing world. On this occasion AJWS turned to Empire Entertainment to produce a night of celebration that would focus on its past success while inspiring new and old supporters alike to look toward the future. The gala was held at the elegant Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz @ Lincoln Center on Thursday, October 28th. Empire worked hand in hand with AJWS executive team, board members and event committees to develop a program that both engaged and entertained the guests, while shedding light on the remarkable work of the organization.

Expanding upon traditional gala elements such as cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a theater program and after party- Empire enhanced the program with special décor that included a specially-commissioned timeline installation that depicted AJWS’ history juxtaposed against world events over the last 25 years. Following cocktails live African drummers led guests into the theater program. To host this impressive event, Empire secured one of the world’s most respected global journalists - Christiane Amanpour. Her inspiring keynote address highlighted grantees, volunteers, and donors, who have played integral roles in the lifeline of AJWS. Other program highlights included remarks by AJWS President Ruth Messinger, event chairs Barbara Dobkin and Gigi Pritzker, and the riveting stories of two featured grantee recipients. The event also doubled as Ruth’s 70th birthday party, with a special video paying tribute to Ruth and her unwavering dedication to AJWS- Happy Birthday, Ruth!

To keep the event entertaining, Empire delivered several unique entertainment components. Working with 40 Year Old Virgin director, Judd Apatow, Empire produced and premiered a hilarious video featuring everyone from Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Silverman, to Brian Williams, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Lindsay Lohan which had the audience in stitches. [Click here to read more about the viral video]. As a grand finalé, the Africa Children’s Choir performed a few uplifting numbers that had the audience on their feet. Following the theater program the main body of guests joined the young professional attendees for an after party in the spectacular Allen Room that Empire converted into a lounge / club environment with DJ, drink and desserts. Empire served as the overall event producer for this 1,000 person gala managing all aspects of production including venue, lighting, staging, audio, image magnification, catering (provided by Foremost RAM and Great Performances), security, design and décor, and overall project management. Empire also consulted on creative programming aspects including scripting and show order as well as securing the evening’s headline entertainment.

Empire is one of the world’s leading producers of not-for-profit events and fundraisers.

As American Jewish World Service prepared to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, they looked to Empire Entertainment for a creative idea to reach a wide audience with a young demographic to help them develop a new generation of donors and supporters. Empire’s solution? Produce a short film to premiere at their 25th Anniversary Celebration designed to go viral in a big way. AJWS loved the concept. Empire approached one of the world’s best-known comedy directors & producers, Judd Apatow. Apatow, whose credits include the 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall among many others, quickly responded, suggesting the following creative concept: “How about this idea—a bunch of people saying, I am not Jewish and I support the American Jewish World Service.” I think people sometimes hesitate to give to organizations if they are religiously titled and this could help break that barrier. Super waspy people. Someone who is so clearly Jewish saying they are not Jewish then admitting they are at the end. Muslims. Chinese people. An animal who talks. All living things. Something in that area could be weird and fun and informative. Who’s with me!?!”

Empire brought in comedy writer and standup comedian Jordan Rubin to flesh out the script and begin the production process. Over the period of several weeks Empire, Judd Apatow and Jordan engaged in an extensive talent outreach process, ultimately securing twenty of Hollywood’s hottest actors and comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, Helen Hunt, Tracy Morgan, Don Johnson, Ken Jeong, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Danny Trejo, Lindsay Lohan, Patrick Stewart, Andy Samberg, Susan Sarandon, Denis Leary, John Mayer, Donald Glover, Lisa Edelstein, Keifer Sutherland, Brian Williams, and Gilbert Gottfried. Even Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog made it into the film.Talent on board, Empire worked with Los Angeles-based production company 13 Keys to book the crews, equipment, editors and studio spaces for shoots in both Los Angeles and New York City. Two weeks later, with nearly 12 hilarious hours of footage recorded, Judd and Jordan worked to edit the piece into a short, viral testament to the incredible work of AJWS that would resonate with youth audiences.

The resulting video premiered live at Jazz @ Lincoln Center, NYC on Thursday, October 28th for almost 1000 guests.

The results? Just over two weeks following the premier, website traffic and AJWS’ online activity continues to exceed all of the client’s wildest expectations. The video has been viewed over 900,000 times on YouTube, over 300,000 times on Funnyordie.com, and has been posted by over 100 other blogs and websites including The New York Times, Entertainment Tonight online, NY Magazine, Huffington Post, Comedy Central, & Jewcy.com with countless postings, repostings and shared views.

Moreover, the video was nominated for and won YouTube's DoGooder Non-Profit Video Award in the Large Organization category.Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of all forms of video, film, television, and media projects for our clients and a key partner in helping our clients achieve their objectives and exceed their goals.

On October 27, 2010, Empire produced the ONEXONE Foundation's 3rd Annual Gala which included appearances by Matt Damon, Patricia Arquette and Mia Hamm, and performances by Collective Soul, Matisyahu, and other talent.Matt Damon is the ambassador of ONEXONE, and the organization's mission is to preserve a basic quality of life for children locally and globally. ONEXONE had previously had great success with fundraising efforts in Canada and California, and the Foundation turned to Empire to produce a first-ever New York City gala that would surpass all previous efforts.Empire recommended several potential venues and then led ONEXONE staff on a full day of walkthroughs to determine the best space for the project. Capitale was eventually selected as the ideal event space, and Empire was then able to start work on the event production in earnest.

On the evening of the event guests entered the stately venue past a large step & repeat backdrop assembled on the permitted sidewalk. Once inside guests enjoyed an elegant cocktail reception in the foyer surrounded by tables displaying silent auction items. These included a guitar signed by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, and dozens of other fantastic items donated by Matt Damon, Josh Groban, New York Rangers' star Chris Drury, and others.After cocktails ended, there was a reveal into the main ballroom that was surrounded with flown banners featuring oversized close-up photos of children from around the world. This visually striking treatment not only decorated the already-ornate room but also served as a constant reminder as to what the event was really all about.

The stage program also started with a perfect fit for the event, children's chorus PS22, which has garnered millions of YouTube hits, singing Matisyahu's song "One Day" which is heard as soon as you log onto http://www.onexone.org. An even greater surprise came when Matisyahu himself joined the 60 kids onstage to sing along with them.After some very funny opening remarks by host Jay Bilas of ESPN and CBS Sports fame, ONEXONE’s President Marc Joubert took the stage along with the organization's founder Joey Adler. They provided some moving words about the organization and the cause at hand, and then turned the podium over to Matt Damon who spoke passionately about the good work accomplished by ONEXONE in many countries, and also about the tremendous amount of work still to be done. Matt also presented the 2010 ONEXONE Difference Award to Patricia Arquette for her tireless work on behalf of the Give Love Foundation.Marquis Jet co-founder Jesse Itzler then brought his incredibly high-energy, larger-than-life personality to the stage, conducting a live auction that raised over $150,000 for the organization while keeping the attendees completely entertained. Other speakers included soccer superstar Mia Hamm and United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti, Paul Farmer.

During a spectacular dinner break in the action, guests were amazed by 9-year old piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick who handled the stage like an old pro, joking that he was "really little" when he first performed at a ONEXONE event a couple of years earlier. The incredibly talented youngster then had guests out of their seats and singing along to universal classics such as "Piano Man" and "I Will Survive".Next came a headline performance by K'naan, a Somalia-born recording artist whose sound channels Bob Marley and Michael Jackson with a very sophisticated and political protest lyricism. Having seen firsthand the damage done to children in a war-torn country, K'naan was yet another ideal fit for the event. And if that wasn't enough, the evening concluded with an acoustic headline set by Collective Soul, a band with seven #1 mainstream rock hits. The band did not disappoint, opening with "Shine", and also performing "Breathe", "December", "Better Now", "Staring Down", and others. Empire managed nearly every aspect of the gala, including site selection, step & repeat, registration, silent and live auctions, staging, sound, video, and lighting design, stage management, technical direction, florals, signage, and more. Empire was honored to be called on by ONEXONE. Learn more about this worthy organization at http://www.onexone.org/

In 1960, the birth control pill, now known simply as “The Pill” was introduced to the world in what is now acknowledged as one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. In celebration of this momentous achievement, Empire partnered with State of the Art Events to bring to life the strategic vision that Communications Strategies, Inc. created for this historic event in the form of a gala event at the Pierre Hotel. The gala program honored those women and men who have made major contributions toward ensuring that future generations will continue to have access to education and employment opportunities and level the playing field through advances in women’s health.

The event's Honorees included Kate White, editor in chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Profamil Haiti, a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation – Western Hemisphere Region, Jehmu Greene, former head of the Women’s Media Center, Alexander Sanger, grandson of the founder of the Pill, Margaret Sanger, and finally – the Gloria Steinem who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.Cybill Shepherd was host for the evening, often invoking personal stories of her own experience with The Pill. The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee lightened the mood by poking fun at Cosmo: "The GQ of the G-spot, the Newsweek of nookie, the Harper's of hitting it." Grammy nominated singer Jazmine Sullivan brought the evening to a close with her rendition of Natural Woman.

Empire was thrilled to join with State of the Art Events and Communications Strategies, Inc. to help produce this event program celebrating this historic milestone.

When a private client wanted to deliver a special surprise for a family member’s 50th birthday, they turned to Empire Entertainment to book and produce an unforgettable concert. The intimate birthday event, for just under 100 guests, would take place in a tent on a tennis court situated on the grounds of the family’s newly-completed waterfront home in the Northeastern United States. The entertainment initially requested was Steely Dan. Steely Dan was not available but fortunately Empire was aware of an extraordinary new tour featuring principal performers: Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers) and Boz Scaggs. Entitled the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue, the tour featured these three musical legends performing with a band composed largely of musicians from Steely Dan’s band. Empire was able to quickly book this tour and worked closely with their road and production management to create a production scenario that could be achieved in the intimate backyard space in a residential neighborhood.

The event featured a cocktail reception, seated dinner and a series of toasts and speeches. During the final speech at dessert, the evening’s host introduced the band and a scrim was drawn aside revealing the band to a completely surprised birthday honoree and audience. The band then launched into an 80 minute set of hits from all three of the principals that included “Reeling in the Years,” “FM,” “Taking it To the Streets,” “Lowdown,” “Shakedown Street,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Rock Steady,” “Peg,” and “Love Train” among others. Knowing that the client loved Steely Dan’s music growing up, Empire worked with the band to ensure that several of their hits and those of Donald Fagen’s solo career were included in the set list.The audience stood and danced throughout the concert and during the final encore the band invited the birthday honoree onstage to join them for their bows. The client was ecstatic. In addition to booking and logistics, Empire handled all technical production and stage management of the project working closely with event planners D&R Events and Stamford Tents to ensure a smooth experience from load-in to load-out.

Empire is a leading producer of unique, private events.

2010 was the third consecutive year that Empire was tapped by a NYC based investment bank to produce their annual gala. With a limited number of venues with the capacity for a dinner for more than 1400 guests, as well as substantial staging for a headline concert performance, Empire made a novel recommendation of working in two spaces rather than one for the event. The cocktail reception and dinner was held in the garden of Rockefeller Center as well as the surrounding restaurants, The Sea Grill and Rock Center Café. In close consultation with the client regarding the overall design, Empire transformed the garden/ice rink area into a black & white Art Deco mecca, creating lush and comfortable lounge seating areas with 1920's-era inspired furnishings, such as white-leather tufted couches, sectionals, and chaises, slipper chairs, complemented by mirrored and beveled cocktail tables and highboys, as well as oversized, grandiose white-feathered umbrellas throughout the space.

Each of the restaurants was designed with it's own unique feel and vibe, the Sea Grill as a "King Kong Lounge", and the Rock Center Café as a dark-hued speakeasy. Empire also covered the entry steps to the space in a lush black carpet, branded with a Deco-inspired client logo, created especially for the event. As guests walked down the steps into the garden, they were greeted by 10 statuesque models, dressed in authentic Deco-era beaded gowns, wavy, bobbed 1920's hairstyle wigs, and all manner of accessories carefully selected by Empire to mimic the fashion of the times. The models initially greeted guests with specialty cocktails, and then walked among the guests distributing candies and treats that also fit the look and feel of the event, such as Necco Wafers, Abba Zabbas, and Lucky Strike candy cigarettes.

Guests were also treated to the sounds of the Deco era, as Rob Scheps' All-Star 19-piece big band performed on a stage built directly over the beautiful Rockefeller Center fountain. The stage allowed the fountain to run as usual, providing a beautiful backdrop for the tuxedoed band's fantastic performance. Empire created a custom Deco facade for the stage, and also used the client's Deco logo as a vinyl transfer that was affixed to the bandstands onstage, providing some additional sophisticated branding that fit in with the overall theme. After a spectacular dinner that included succulent items such as Colossal Poached Shrimp in a Spiced Gin Cocktail Sauce and Flame Seared Beef Tenderloin in a classic Béarnaise Sauce, guests were escorted one block to world-renowned Radio City Music Hall where they were joined by another 1500 or so attendees. After enjoying another drink in Radio City's storied Grand Foyer, guests entered the Theatre where legendary comedian Robert Klein performed a hilarious opening set which included piano accompaniment for a side-splitting song Robert had written about the middle-aged man's nemesis, the colonoscopy.

The crowd was then completely awed as global icon, Janet Jackson took the stage with a full band and 10 backup dancers, and set the stage on fire with a greatest hits set that included pop classics including "Nasty", "Rhythm Nation", "Control", "What Have You Done for Me Lately", and many, many more. The fully-choreographed show was electric, and utilized Radio CIty Music Hall's immense 90' x 40' LED screen as a backdrop, allowing for a jaw-dropping video and light show that complemented Janet Jackson's energy and four costume changes. Janet then also graciously met with 20 of the client's VIP's, posing for photos and mingling with the guests. Empire again provided oversight of nearly every element of this event, including site selection, staging, audio, video & lighting designs, tenting, talent booking consultation, stage management, signage/branding, catering, décor, registration, staffing, and more.

Empire prides itself in our ability to flawlessly execute complex events with large audiences in some of the most incredible event venues in the world such as Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.

On September 30, 2010, Empire Entertainment was proud to continue their partnership with Keep a Child Alive as producer of their 7th annual Black Ball Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. Graciously sponsored by Covergirl and Bing and hosted by Dave Wirtschafter, the event featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Janelle Monae, and Sade and remarks by Deepak Chopra Uma Thurman and others. A star-studded guest list of over 750 included Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Usher and Clive Davis among others who came to show their support in the fight against the global AIDS pandemic.

The evening began with a cocktail reception and gallery-like exhibit launching a new cutting-edge “Buy Life” campaign conceived by ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. The campaign featured a bar code that when scanned on a smartphone, directs potential donors to a donation site. Within the event the barcode appeared on several surfaces including the step-and-repeat, tickets program, and even enlarged on the facade of the bars, providing a call to action everywhere guests turned. Following cocktails the guests entered a breathtaking candlelit oasis where they enjoyed a delicious dinner menu served by Creative Edge Catering. All wine and spirits for the evening were generously donated by Sherry-Lehmann. During the meal, powerfully emotive graphic messages and a series of films about the work and impact of Keep a Child Alive were projected onto multi-leveled projection screens. During dinner, Phillips de Pury auctioneer Alexander Gilkes and KCA advocate, Uma Thurman worked together to auction a series of incredible experiences and unique pieces of art. The duo worked in unity to auction an adventure to India, a retreat to Turks and Caicos, and authentic signed portraits by infamous street / grafitti artist, Mr. Brainwash, raising $260,000 on the spot alone.

At the end of the auction the audience were enticed to stand and pledge $1000 each to “Buy Life.” It was a magical moment when over 100 guests got up from their seats committing a further $160,000. After desserts and remarks by Deepak Chopra, the concert program for which the Black Ball is renowned began led by an eight and a half month pregnant Alicia Keys and her incredible band.Rising superstar Janelle Monae sang “Cold War” and “Tightrope” bringing the audience to their feet with her high energy set. Next up the legendary Sade, performed “Soldier of Love,” “Moon and the Sky” and duet with Alicia on classic “Love is Stronger than Pride.” Her mesmerizing presence and smooth as silk voice gripped the audience from the first note to the last. Alicia then welcomed Jay-Z to the stage with the Dead Presidents intro. After performing “PSA,” Jay-Z was joined onstage by Alicia Key’s husband Swizz Beats for a high energy version of “On to the Next One” which got everyone up and out of their seats.

As the finale to the evening, Alicia Keys returned to the stage to join Jay-Z by channeling Frank Sinatra with an impromptu performance of “New York, New York,” before closing with the New York anthem “Empire State of Mind.”With the concert portion of the evening over, Swizz Beats then took the helm as DJ and spun the rest of the night away while guests danced on their seats celebrating the afterglow of an amazing evening filled with inspiration and support for Keep a Child Alive. All told, the Black Ball event raised $2.4 million for AIDS affected children and families in Africa and India.Once again, Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the Black Ball and managed aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent coordination, technical production, security and onsite management. Earle Sebastian was the Creative Designer of the evening responsible for elements including the screen content and overall look & feel, while Amanda Davis and Empire provided design & implementation of the event’s décor elements. Empire Entertainment is proud to serve as partner of Keep a Child Alive in saving lives and raising awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. To learn more and donate, please visit www.keepachildalive.org or scan this barcode to become a BUY LIFE partner. Because the more you buy, the more you save. KEEP A CHILD ALIVE.

When Jerry Seinfeld took the stage to deliver one of his legendary stand-up comedy performances, it was the culmination of a yearlong effort to help children and families affected by pediatric cancer. Seinfeld’s 45 minute stand-up performance was the centerpiece of a Celebration of Courage, a night of comedy benefiting the Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund, a non-profit organization at Columbia University Medical Center.The evening was sponsored by The OctoberWoman Foundation and was underwritten by Action Carting Environmental Services and other sponsors. The overall project was managed by Elizabeth Rose Consulting along with OneSource Worldwide.

Empire Entertainment was proud to be the production company and entertainment producers responsible for delivering Jerry Seinfeld and opening comedian Tom Papa.The event, which took place at New York’s Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, featured a cocktail reception, speaking program, headline entertainment and VIP afterparty.The evening was hosted by James Gandolfini, formerly of The Sopranos, and included special appearances by television star and cancer surviving author, Fran Drescher. The evening’s menu was designed by critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur and author Mario Batali. The evening also featured a silent & live auction and a lounge-style after party in the spectacular Allen Room that looks out on Central Park. Tenor, Michael Amante performed between DJ sets at the after party, which also featured aerial performances and music by Music Fusion. In addition to booking Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Papa, Empire served as the overall event production company handling elements ranging from décor and technical production, to screen graphics, talent logistics and stage management.The sold out evening raised substantial funds for Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund.

Empire is a leading producer of not for profit events worldwide.

Clive Davis is known throughout the world for discovering some of the most talented musical artists of our time: Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen are just a few of the superstars that Clive David has helped achieve worldwide success.When Clive Davis and Sony BMG / RCA Music wanted to launch legend Carlos Santana's brand new album, “Guitar Heaven The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time” they called on Empire Entertainment to produce a unique launch event. Empire’s long standing relationship with Hard Rock Hotel and Santana’s residency at the HRH Joint made the Hard Rock the perfect place to host this special event.

At the newest nightclub inside The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Vanity - 100 members of media, industry leaders and special invited guests gathered together for an intimate VIP listening event.The audience was a whose who of music including guest vocalists on the album, Chris Daughtry, India Arie, and Gavin Rossdale. Other attendees included NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton; Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Olivia Harrison (wife to the late Beatles member, George Harrison); and other music industry VIPs. Following the listening party at Vanity. Santana treated fans to a special performance of Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through The Hits at the Joint. Guest vocalists, Chris Daughtry had fans on their feet when he performed "Photograph," Gavin Rossdale entertained the crowd with his rendition of "Bang A Gong," and "India Arie took the stage first to sing the album's first single, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” an amazing collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma.Empire assisted with venue selection, coordination of catering, managing production, sound, stage, lighting, audio and HD video record for the listening event at Vanity as well as Santana performance at the Joint.

Empire was proud to work with Sony BMG / RCA Music again to produce another successful and legendary record release event.

When the Organizing Committee of the 2nd Miss Vietnam World Pageant wanted the world-renown musical group Il Divo to perform at the final night of the 2010 coronation, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure the group for their first ever visit to Vietnam. The Miss World Vietnam Pageant took place at Vinpearl Land in Nha Trang, Vietnam and was broadcast live throughout Southeast Asia and the world on VTV3 & VTV4. Il Divo kicked off the live program with a dramatic performance of "Amazing Grace", joined onstage by all 40 pageant contestants. Il Divo returned to the stage to perform two final songs - "Regresa A Mi" & "The Winner Takes It All" - thrilling the sold-out audience of 5,000 fans.Upon their arrival in Ho Chi Minh City a press conference was held to introduce Il Divo to Vietnam. They took questions from the local media, posed for photos with Vietnam's top actresses and singers, and sat down with Vietnam's two largest newspapers for one-on-one interviews.

In addition to contract negotiation and delivering the group, Empire managed each aspect of Il Divo's participation for the press conference, performance, and all other logistics throughout their 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 arranged for the rights clearance of t he songs for live broadcast, assisted with press inquiries and press releases, as well as the booking of Il Divo's air transportation, hotel accommodations, and visa / work permit acquisition.

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

How do you entertain an audience with invitees such as Michael Jordan, Tony Romo, Dan Quayle, Stone Phillips, Jerry Rice, Don Cheadle, and other luminaries? When NBC Sports was faced with that challenge, they turned to Adam Kahan, Senior Vice President of Empire Entertainment. For more than 20 years, NBC has broadcast the Annual American Century Championship, a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe with a field comprised of major celebrities from the world of sports, film, and television. While the participants play their 18 holes during each day of the tournament, it is up to NBC to also produce evening events to entertain the players. And NBC has been partnering with Empire since 2006 for headline entertainers who will fit both the audience and the event budget.

In 2010, NBC needed two nights of headline comedy, and Adam recommended two of his favorite performers: legendary funnyman Brian Regan, and Seth Meyers, head writer of SNL as well as host of “Weekend Update”. Regan has been an Empire favorite for years, consistently proving he provides the biggest belly-laughs in the business by any performer whose material is always 100% clean. And he proved it again for NBC Sports and American Century, with the client calling his performance a “homerun”.Seth Meyers has more recently become one of Empire’s go-to performers, both for straight standup comedy, as well as for hosting engagements. His standup is sophisticated and hilarious, and his incredibly quick wit and ability to ad lib on the fly make him an ideal host for awards ceremonies and other long-running programs. Empire has secured Seth for projects ranging from hosting The Webby Awards in 2008 & 2009, to hosting & industrial video projects for one of the world's largest technology companies. Adam recommended Seth Meyers for the American Century Championship primarily due to his penchant for doing customized material at the start of his shows. Seth’s comedy about golf generally as well as his jokes about specific personalities in the room brought the house down and set the tone for a second fantastic night of comedy.

Empire Entertainment has been recommending and securing comedians and other headline performers since its inception in 1993. Having presented performers including Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Ray Romano, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and dozens more for our clients, we take pride in matching the best possible performer to each event, according to the audience demographic, budget, client goals, and other specific factors.

When Radical Media developed their plans for an ambitious television commercial for client EA Sports, their creative called for a shoot in several locations depicting football's biggest names playing Madden 11 alongside people throughout the country in spontaneous situations.The locations ranged from high school football fields to fire stations and college dorms but the high impact shot required a location that was familiar to all and one that would convey the magnitude of the Games popularity. The natural choice: New York's Times Square.

Radical Media turned to Empire Entertainment to navigate the site selection and permitting of a portion of Broadway and Duffy Square in Times Square and, working with a variety of New York City agencies, Empire was able to deliver this unique location.The shoot featured Quarterback Drew Brees arriving in Times Square via tour bus with cheerleaders in tow and then challenging pedestrians and tourists to play Madden 11. The spontaneous game play was projected onto one of Times Square's massive video billboards. Thousands of bystanders and tourists gathered to fill in the frame for the exciting, spontaneous commercial shoot.For this project Empire supported Radical Media with site selection, permitting and acuisition, site management, tenting, logistics coordination, tchnical management of the connectivity between the center of Times Square and the video billboard and other support services.To view the final commercial: Click Here

Empire is a producing partner in a variety of broadcast and commercial productions.

When one of the world's most sophisticated corporations sought a globally-recognized keynote speaker to personify the message of partnership at their annual client conference, they once again turned to Empire Entertainment to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen keynote speaker would need to be globally-known, possess the oratory mastery to hold the attention of an audience of almost 10,000 people, be able to both entertain and inspire, and also deliver important messages that would reinforce and underscore the content delivered by business speakers earlier in the program. Empire recommended and ultimately delivered the President William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, the first Democrat to be awarded two terms in six decades, and a leader whose administration created more than 22 million jobs and presided over the longest period of economic expansion and prosperity in U.S. history.

President Clinton’s inspiring & entertaining keynote remarks, and moderated question & answer session met the client's objectives perfectly. The President’s anecdotal and often humorous remarks about his work with the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation kept the huge audience deeply engaged and the substance of his remarks complemented the overall meeting content perfectly. Prior to his presentation, President Clinton participated in a meet & greet session with client’s VIPs from around the world. Whether you require a motivator, an inspirational speaker, an expert speaker or just someone to engage the audience, Empire is the ideal one-stop-shop for every type of keynote speaker.

In June 2010 Empire Entertainment produced the 14th Annual Webby Awards, . This marked the 6th consecutive year Recognition Media LLC chose to partner with Empire on the project which has been referred to as "the Internet’s Highest Honor" by the New York Times. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality. The event is perhaps best known for allowing winners just 5 words for their acceptance speeches, which has led to many touching, hilarious, and creative moments over the years. On the night of the event, more than 900 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to Cipriani Wall Street to honor and be honored for their contributions to the World Wide Web.

The gala kicked off with a cocktail reception, during which over 100 Webby winners were invited to film their five-word speeches. These speeches (as well as many of the highlights from the event) were then uploaded to the Webby Awards YouTube channel later that same evening (you can see all of the speeches and highlights at www.youtube.com/webby Empire secured B.J. Novak from “The Office” to host the event. In his opening remarks, Novak proved why he is one of the NBC hit show’s head-writers, remarking on the irony of the New York Times receiving an award from the internet “the very thing that threatened to destroy it”, and adding “who knows, maybe next year we’ll see the environment accepting an award from BP.”Novak's energy and humor throughout the night kept the ceremony light and entertaining, as did some hilarious videos created especially for the event by The Onion and some of the cast from the VH1 hit show, "Best Week Ever".

Novak introduced many winners to deliver their brief speeches from the stage, including Buzz Aldrin, Lisa Kudrow, Arianna Huffington, Animal from the famed "Muppet Show" (who proceeded to attenpt to eat the trophy), Isabella Rossellini, and more.The biggest winners of the evening included the band OK Go! Who were honoured as the Film & Video Artist of the Year, Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler (who was presented with the Best Actress Award by husband Will Arnett and friend Jason Bateman), and Zach Galifinakis as Best Actor. In one of the evening’s great moments, PS22, a children’s chorus that had achieved millions of YouTube hits for their renditions of current pop and R&B hits was introduced as Artist of the Year by one of their heroes, Ne-Yo. They then proceeded to bring the house down by performing their take on one of Ne-Yo’s biggest hits “Closer”.

And in one of the most poignant moments at the event in recent years, Jimmy Fallon (who had been honoured as the Webby 2009 Person of Year) presented the 2010 Person of the Year Award to renowned film critic Roger Ebert. Ebert had recently survived a well-chronicled and very difficult battle with cancer, a battle that left him without vocal chords and able to talk only through a computer which now provides his voice. Ebert received a standing ovation from the audience who were not disappointed when Ebert delivered only a three-word acceptance speech: “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (which translates from Latin to “I came, I saw, I conquered”.But perhaps the most exciting and inspiring acceptance speech of the evening was delivered by the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Vinton Cerf. Cerf, now Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, Cerf is widely considered "Father of the Internet”,and got a roar fro the crowd when he took the podium and announced “You ain’t seen nothing yet”. Empire Entertainment again provided oversight of nearly every element of this complex event, including signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, audio, video, stage set & lighting designs, stage management, and more.

Empire is a leading producer and/or partner on many Awards events each year, including the The Gotham Awards, The PR Week Awards, and The Executive Council Ten Awards. We take pride in clients such as Recognition Media who choose to work with us annually on their most important projects.

The third annual Internet Week New York festival featured over 200 events around New York City between June 7-14, 2010. The founders of the event entrusted Empire Entertainment to produce the many events that took place at the festival headquarters at the Metropolitan Pavilion.The ground floor of the Pavilion was divided into two sides, one of which was set up as a full theater for conferences and presentations, and the other as a digital playground where sponsors including Yahoo!, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Pepsico, IAB, Southwest Airlines, Aquent, AOL, and many others showed off new technologies, and set up incredible installations that drew the attention of thousands of attendees over the course of the week.

The HQ kicked off on Monday, June 7th with a private preview for dozens of members of the press who turned up and wrote glowing reviews in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many more national outlets. The preview was immediately followed by an HP press conference where Vyomesh (VJ) Joshi, the head of Hewlett-Packard’s $24 billion printing empire, showed off the company’s brand new ePrint technology that allows users to email documents from smartphones directly to printers that immediately print the attachments.The HQ was then opened to the public who were able to enjoy the HP sponsored Media Center, images on a 17’ x 12’ media wall provided by Yahoo, demonstrations of Microsoft Expression design technology, and many stimulating keynote speakers and panels taking place on the Broadcast Stage while they relaxed with a snack and a beverage in the Pepsico lounge.

Meanwhile, in the theater side of the Pavilion, Microsoft held a two-hour conference highlighting the new features of Microsoft Expression, the company’s design software. After a very quick turnaround in the roon, the Yahoo! “Provoke Summit” featured a keynote presentation by viral marketing guru Ze Frank and stimulating panel discussions on the future of social media. Pepsico also utilized the theater portion of the Pavilion later in the week for the launch of “The #Promise” - an initiative to advance the best ideas for how companies and consumers can work together to address pressing global challenge.

The conference was a full-day live-streamed affair, featuring presentations by GE, MTV, and Nokia, as well as a keynote presentation by Hollywood star Ed Norton in which he announced new online charitable initiative “Crowdrise” which he called “pretty much the most fun you can have making a difference without taking any illegal substances.” “The #Promise” conference also featured live Twitter feeds to the video screens which flanked the stage allowing observers in the audience at the HQ as well as those watching via live stream to comment on what the presenters were addressing, and allowing the speakers to respond. Each day at the HQ culminated with cocktail parties sponsored by IAB, Yahoo!, Blip.com, Ignite, and Internet Week New York itself.Empire oversaw the 3rd Annual Internet Week New York festival headquarters from conception to completion, coordinating registration for the thousands of guests, stage managing and producing all of the presentations in the theater and on the Broadcast Stage, and managing the event sponsors from the design process for their footprints in the space and all of their needs from load-in to load-out.

Empire is proud to produce Internet Week New York, and to provide production support to other festivals including The New York Film Festival, The World Science Festival, The Tribeca Family Festival, and more.

The World Science Festival, co-founded by Brian Greene and Tracy Day has a mission "to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future."Following a successful inaugural Festival in 2008 and follow up in 2009, Empire was thrilled to once again be chosen to produce and manage production of over thirty major programs throughout seven New York City & Brooklyn venues in a span of just four days. The 2010 World Science festival culminated with an all-day outdoor Street Festival in and around Washington Square Park.

This years diverse programming appealed to all demographics and included moderated panel discussions with some of the most brilliant scientific minds today. Some of the many participants and moderators in this years' World Science festival programs included John Hockenbery, Sylvia Earle, Marc Hauser, Michio Kaku, Charlie Kaufman, Lawrence Krauss, Robert Krulwich, Oliver Sacks, Richard Besser, Alan Alda, Elizabeth Vargas, Brian Greene, and many others. This year's festival also included an original production of Icarus at the Edge of Time, written by Brian Greene, composed by Philip Glass, and moderated by Liev Schreiber and the popular World Science Festival Street Fair in Washington Square Park.

The response to this year's World Science Festival was phenomenal. Thousands ofpeople participated in the Festival's events and programs, with lines again wrapping around city blocks for possible stand-by tickets to the many sold-out programs.As in previous years, Empire's support on the project included technical and stage management of seven venues including oversight of set design & construction, sound, lighting, video playback and technical direction for programs that were often technically challenging due to the nature of the content and technology.The World Science Festival project is an ideal example of Empire's capability to act as a behind the scenes partner on all types and sizes of programs, including multiple-day festivals.Empire Entertainment was once again proud to serve as the production partner for the World Science Festival.

Each year Google, Inc. invites kids from all over the U.S. to create their own versions of the Google logo – the ubiquitous six letters that appears on millions of desktops everyday, all over the world. The contest culminates with Google flying 40 finalists to New York City to attend a grand event in their honor. The event is called “Doodle4Google”. This year, Google enlisted Empire Entertainment to design and execute Doodle4Google, one of the marquee events in their marketing event stable. Doodle4Google 2010 began with a celebration of the kids’ work at an awards ceremony at Google’s New York headquarters. A panel of judges, which included Sesame Street star Elmo, gave the kids lots of art-making tips before handing out awards to every child, including the 2010 Doodle4Google winner, 9-year-old Makenzie Melton from El Dorado Springs, Missouri.

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, the children piled onto luxury charter buses to head up to see their winning entries on display at none other than the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, where their work would be on public display through August 2010. The final stage of the Doodle4Google celebration took place at Central Park’s Great Hill, which was studded with white tents and colorful balloons (in the Google colors, of course), welcoming the children and their parents to afternoon of delicious eats and family fun activities. Google’s own, official “Doodlers” were on hand to sign doodles and talk art with parents and children alike.For this multi-location, precision-timed event, Empire worked closely with the Google events team to develop detailed creative for each aspect of the three separate events.

Empire provided design and decor, set design, stage and technical management, tenting, permitting, catering, activities and coordination of the live events in each location.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of O Magazine, The Hearst Corporation planned and presented the Live Your Best Life Weekend in New York City. The centerpiece of the weekend’s events was a one night only, one-woman original show featuring none other than Oprah Winfrey herself. For this major undertaking, Hearst Corporation and Executive Producer Scott Sanders Productions partnered with Empire Entertainment to serve as the production company. The original show traced the arc of Oprah’s life & career, was written by Oprah Winfrey and directed by renowned theatrical director George C. Wolfe. The show was be supported by a ‘living magazine’ backdrop of projected visual media created by Batwin + Robin.

The show, performed live before a full house, was also taped for use on oprah.com and potential future broadcast.On the evening of Saturday, May 8, the O Magazine 10th Anniversary show took place and Oprah Winfrey bought down the house with her powerful, moving show. The presentation featured Oprah talking about all aspects of her life and career, and featured much rare imagery on three large projection panels. At the end of the program the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes came onstage to perform a number and brought out a cake that revealed Hugh Jackman who led the entire house in singing “Happy Birthday.” In the midst of planning this already substantial production, Oprah's production company, Harpo, decided to take this opportunity to also bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to Radio City Music Hall. Responding quickly to this major shift in plans, Empire worked closely with the Oprah Winfrey Show to support the extensive needs of their production within a single, unified production design.

In addition to Oprah Winfrey, the show featured a live performance by Christina Aguilera and, for the first time, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, and Nate Berkus all shared the stage together on one live program. The show also featured actress Cybill Shepherd and her daughters, Ariel Oppenheim and Clementine Ford, who participated in a "Mother Daughter" fashion segment. For the O Magazine 10th Anniverary show, Empire managed a wide portfolio of responsibilities including production design, technical direction, venue coordination, set design & construction, lighting design, staging and set, audio, lighting, video projection, music supervision, camera and broadcast facilities, all labor coordination, contracting and payroll, performer releases and rights clearances, street permitting, front of house logistics, backstage arrangements and even facilitated a live radio broadcast by Gayle King and Oprah Radio.

Empire is a leading production company in the field of staging live, broadcast events.

In May 2010, Empire Entertainment returned to Alice Tully Hall to produce the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Chaplin Award Tribute Gala. This year's star-studded Gala, the 37th annual, honored Academy Award winner Michael Douglas. The Film Society's Annual Gala Tribute began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the US from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, and in 2009, Tom Hanks. This year's gala evening started with VIP cocktails with the honoree in the Hauser Patron's Lounge in Alice Tully Hall and was followed by a seated dinner in the glass-walled atrium.

For the dinner, Empire worked closely the Film Society of Lincoln center events team and with Gala Co-Chair Liz Swig to design a unique, Lucite table with internal LED lighting and a low, geometric centerpiece that contained florals. The dinner décor was implemented fully by Empire Entertainment.Following dinner the 1000+ guests entered the Starr Theater for the all-star program produced by Empire Entertainment. The program began with remarks by this year's event committee chair Ann Tenenbaum and by Film Society Executive Director Mara Manus and Program Director Richard Pena. Then came a career retrospective montage featuring work from Michael Douglas' past films and ending with a clip of the forthcoming, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. NBC Nightly News anchor, Brian Williams, delivered the first tribute of the evening. This was followed by film clips and tributes by writer/director Milos Forman, actress Erika Christensen, writer/director Curtis Hanson, actor Tobey Maguire, actor/comedian Danny DeVito, and actor Frank Langella.

One highlight of the evening was a live performance by Jimmy Buffett, who performed "Margaritaville" and "He Went to Paris." Buffett's performance was followed by remarks by Michael's wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and by his father, Kirk Douglas, who presented the Chaplin Award to his son. Following the tribute program the guests returned to the atrium for a DJ'ed after party with sponsored drinks by 42 Below and Stella Artois.For this high stature event Empire served as overall event producer and was responsible for overseeing creative and coordinating program participation for all participating presenters and talent, working with Lincoln center to provide necessary production design and supervision, creating the run of show and stage managing the event and working with the various film clips and graphics to integrate them into the program. Empire also designed and implemented all aspects of the red carpet and present arrivals, press and step & repeat, VIP cocktail party, dinner design & décor, catering, and after-party design including DJ booking.The program was immensely successful and the client, all of the participating presenters and Michael Douglas were ecstatic with the results.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is frequently engaged to present programs with international stature talent & celebrities.

When Healing the Divide and The Tibet Center invited His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet to again present his teachings in New York City, they engaged Empire Entertainment to serve as the production company. Following the success of His Holiness’ visit to New York in October 2007, Empire Entertainment eagerly agreed to return. Working in partnership with Healing the Divide, The Tibet Center and Radio City Music Hall, Empire worked on every aspect of the program including set design, logistics and technical production. Over the course of three days, His Holiness' delivered six, two-hour sessions on the topics of “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” by Shantideva, and Nagarjuna’s “Commentary on Bodhicitta”. The historic teachings drew full houses for three consecutive days and the public talk entitled “Awakening the Heart of Selflessness”, was introduced by Richard Gere, and was completely sold out.Each session was simultaneously translated into three different languages: Cantonese, Mandarin and Korean. 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 Carpet & Home generously donated carpeting and staging items while Turning Star discounted their fireproofing services for all flammable items. Empire coordinated the briadcast-quality recording of each session with a four camera, high-definition video package which included one robo-cam to capture His Holiness’ expressions up close. Empire is honored to have had another opportunity to present His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall. Empire is a leading producer of major public and civic events and programs.

Each year TIME publishes the Time 100: A global list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In conjunction with this highly-anticipated editorial event, TIME hosts an exclusive Gala event in New York City attended by many current and past TIME 100 honorees, celebrities, entertainers and world leaders. Heavily covered by global media, The TIME 100 Gala is one of the highest profile newsmaker events in the world. This year's TIME 100 Gala took place on May 4, 2010 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event consisted of multiple red carpets, an intimate cocktail reception, a seated dinner and program that combined toasts, speeches, performances, and a cocktail party following the dinner.

Performers at the TIME 100 Gala included Prince, Taylor Swift, Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg as well as remarks by President Bill Clinton, Governor Sarah Palin, Dr. Abe - singled out by TIME as one of Haiti’s “heroes”, Neil Patrick Harris, Ben Stiller, Elton John and others.For this high-stature event, all of the evening's production components require seamless execution and Empire was proud to once again assist the TIME Events team led by Christine Rosa, Executive Director of Event Marketing and Events Director Robin Bigelli, as Event Producer. Empire’s responsibilities ranged from securing the performing talent to managing venue, catering (provided by Great Performances), design & décor of all spaces, branding, step & repeat, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, live media feed, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing and security.Visit time.com to view a brief summary of this year's Time 100 http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,83166221001_1987389,00.html

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high profile media events and is proud to again have been chosen to produce this remarkable program for TIME.

The Big Lunch, established by The Eden Project in 2009, is an annual event which encourages people to sit down with their neighbors for lunch on one day of the year, in a simple act of friendship and community.Over 750,000 people took part in the inaugural event, but for 2010 The Big Lunch wanted to blow past that initial benchmark and record over 3 million participants in the nationwide July event.Generating heavy media exposure in anticipation of the 2010 event was critical to achieving The Big Lunch's challenging goal of over 3 million participants. The Big Lunch called on Empire Entertainment Japan for a solution to their challenge. Empire enlisted the support of revolutionary 3D 'Trick Artist' Kurt Wenner to create an original artwork that would deliver the world of "The Big Lunch" to viewers and news outlets.

In designing this original work, Kurt Wenner placed emphasis on not only the painted artwork, but also the interactive element of the artwork, helping to underline the community-oriented theme that The Big Lunch represents. The final artwork featured a picnic scene where Londoners interacted with the floating food and other elements picture within the arwork.Kurt Wenner completed the work at a live event at Aberdeen Road in London, and the public, press, and social media response to the work was immediate and overwhelming, with one outlet reporting, "Walking the streets can be incredibly dull. Walking the streets where artist Kurt Wenner has walked before you is generally anything but. Wenner 3D piece for The Big Lunch's kickoff is more than 16 feet by 16 feet and features the largest, most beautiful picnic lunch we've ever seen. This is one sidewalk we wouldn't mind tripping over."

In 2010 the city of Oran in Algeria hosted the LNG 16 Conference. LNG is the largest event in the world dedicated to the liquefied natural gas industry, attracting more than 2,500 delegates and 200 exhibitors. The LNG Exhibition and Conference takes place every three years with LNG producer and consumer countries taking turns to organize the event.The LNG Exhibition and Conference featured several major sponsored events on each day of the multi-day conference. Empire Japan had the opportunity to produce a party for a Japanese company participating in the exhibition.

The party performances kicked off with a grand opening featuring Japanese traditional Taiko drumming. Next Empire presented a live performance of Japanese calligraphy Shodo performance in which guests could participate. The show closed with a series of mysterious “Geisha Magical Performances.” The international audience responded with thunderous applause. The party was a great success and Empire Japan collaborated with technical teams from Japan and Morocco and managed the shipping of equipment from Germany to facilitate the performances.

Empire Entertainment Japan is a production company with global production experience, able to coordinate and manage flawless productions from the Middle East and Asia to Latin American and Europe.

The setting: The idyllic Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. The purpose: An incentive program for one of the world’s leading communication technology companies. The perfect headline entertainment: International, Platinum-selling superstar Seal.Seal’s participation in the event was kept a secret until the moment he was announced onstage to the excited audience of 500+ guests & spouses. Once onstage Seal did not disappoint. His eighty minute set included several danceable R&B and soul covers as well as all of his biggest hits including “Kiss From A Rose,” “Bring it On,” and “Crazy” which had the audience dancing and shouting for encores. Following the performance, Seal graciously greeted and talked with VIPs for almost 30 minutes, taking photos with all of them. For this incentive program, Empire worked closely with the client’s meeting production company, Swift Media Group, to identify talent candidates, negotiate the performance contract (enticing him out of the studio where we was then recording), and facilitated the development of a working production plan with Swift Media Group and local vendors. Empire also worked to manage complicated logistics including the freight of equipment into and out of Mexico, local musician’s union requirements and work permits & visas.

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

Bravo Media, a division of NBC Universal, selected Empire Entertainment to produce their Upfront Event, held on March 10, 2010 at Skylight Soho in New York City.Empire collaborated closely with Bravo Ad Sales Marketing to create an attention-getting event that would bring Bravo’s distinctive brand and unique programming to life for its advertising clients. The result was a stylish, experiential marketing event and party for 600 guests that featured a variety of programming-themed, custom-designed vignettes in which clients could interact with show talent.To showcase Bravo’s roster of programs, Empire proposed the concept of transforming a raw space into a “house” comprised of highly stylized rooms, with each room representing one of Bravo’s 5 passion points: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Design and Pop Culture.

Empire built temporary walls to partition the interior of Skylight’s expansive, high-ceilinged venue into the Kitchen (food), Closet (fashion), Bath & Fitness Studio (beauty), Living Room (design) & Pop/Screening Room (pop culture).The Kitchen featured Top Chef chef’testants cooking and serving small plates to guests across a 20-ft wide central island counter, while former contenders from Shear Genius styled guests’ hair in the Bath. Other interactive stations included interviews with Andy Cohen on a reproduction of the Watch What Happens Live! set, love consultations with the Millionaire Matchmaker team in the Pop Room, couture fashion styling and photo shoots with the stars from Double Exposure in the Closet, and workout tips with Thintervention’s Jackie Warner in the Fitness Studio.For this Upfront Event, Bravo brought in nearly 70 stars from their shows, half of which were flown into New York City by Empire’s talent logistics team, which managed all air and ground transfers. All participating talent walked the Bravo blue carpet inside the heated 60-ft press tent before heading into the party through the custom-branded entrance canopy, accented with box hedges.

Inside the party, Creative Edge served up tasty hors d’oeuvres and a variety of food stations, while guests sipped specialty cocktails tinted to match each passion point’s color. DJ Eric Cubeechee, a contestant from Launch My Line, spun a set of pop tunes that kept the crowd partying 45 minutes past the scheduled 4-hour party time frame. Celebrity attendees included Matthew McConaughey, Isaac Mizrahi, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Colicchio and others. The striking design and unique interactions with show talent combined to create an unforgettable experience for Bravo’s top clients and one that will keep Bravo’s brand front and center as they determine their advertising purchase decisions for 2010.Empire Entertainment worked closely with the Bravo Ad Sales Marketing team and served as overall event producer and designer for the program. Empire’s responsibilities included overall design & management, coordinating custom scenic, decor, audio/visual, catering, activities, venue, helping Bravo’s press department with red carpet, talent travel logistics, graphic design, printing, permits and security.

Empire has also produced many upfront events and parties for clients that include Disney Media Group, FOX Broadcasting and the National Geographic Channel among others.

As the global economy continues its rise out of recession, many companies remain reluctant to invest significant portions of their event budgets for top-tier talent despite the undiminished need to inspire and entertainment employees & customers. Empire Entertainment, while continuing to secure high-end artists and large-scale corporate events, has responded to increasing client needs for cost-effective, high quality entertainment by delivering talent options to suit any budget. On three recent corporate events, Empire managed to deliver big name value and up-and-coming pricing. When a consumer products client needed an after dinner show for several hundred people in Dallas Texas, Empire delivered technology magician Marco Tempest's 'Power Show' with over 30 minutes of dazzling illusions on a large meeting stage with only one performer traveling. For a recent business meeting at the Dubai World Trade Center for a technology client with over 3000 attendees, Empire provided a 4 member cast of Europe's Phoenix Fire Dancers to perform one of their "Light Vision" sequences to open the first morning's general session. For a global consulting firm meeting in La Quinta, CA Empire provided after-dinner entertainment in the form of comedic improv troupe "Whose Live Anyway." Cast members Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Chip Esten and others brought down the house with their hilarious and spontaneous routines.

For these and other projects, Empire has used its extensive knowledge of locally-situated performer options, its negotiation ability and its longstanding relationships with artists to deliver top quality talent at prices that clients can afford. Empire has established itself in the securing and booking of talent, and have worked within every budget range.

For the highly anticipated launch of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2010, the Sports Illustrated events team selected Empire Entertainment to provide the perfect entertainment for two high profile, sexy marquee events in NYC and Las Vegas. Empire secured Sugar Ray's lead vocalist and host of Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics", Mark McGrath, to emcee the stage program. McGrath introduced the sexy models including this year's cover girl, Brooklyn Decker. At NYC's Hotel Gansevoort, Club Provocateur, first stop of the multi-media tour, onlookers such as John Legend, Jay Sean, and Gregg Bello watched the bevy of supermodels rock a runway that spanned the packed club. The models, guests, sponsors and McGrath partied the night away and later departed on a chartered jet from New York City to their next destination, Las Vegas.

At the final night of the launch at the Hard Rock Hotel's newest edition, Club Vanity, Mark McGrath once again emceed the stage program to an eager crowd of over 1,000 guests and sponsors. For this party, Empire secured rockers Maroon 5 to perform while DJ Cassidy spun. Empire was responsible for securing Maroon 5 and McGrath, handling details relating to their performances with the help of the Sports Illustrated Events team. Empire also worked closely with Team Velocity / Vivid who staged the events.

Empire is a leading provider of high-profile talent for corporate and media events.

This past January, BizBash, the event industry's leading publication, released their lists for The Top New York City Events. In addition to serving as producer of the event named as New York's #1 Media Event, the Time Magazine, Time 100, Empire was honored to have produced 5 events (out of 19) listed under the categories of "Top Industry Events" and "Top Entertainment Events" in 2009.Of the top 10 New York Entertainment Industry events last year, Empire served as producer of no fewer than five including the Time 100 Gala, The Webby Awards, The New York Film Festival, The Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute to Tom Hanks, and The Gotham Awards.BizBash's "New York's Top Entertainment Industry Events 2010"New York Film FestivalFilm Society of Lincoln Center TributeGotham AwardsBizBash's "New York's Top Media Events 2010"Time 100 GalaThe Webby AwardsEmpire will produce many of these and other events in 2010.Empire is a leading producer of some of the world's most influential entertainment & media industry events.

When one of the nations largest companies decided to host a special weekend for customers at Super Bowl XLIV, they turned to Empire Entertainment to provide headline entertainment for the Saturday night before the game. With an intimate audience of less than 100 consisting of CEO-level guests along with their spouses and children, it was Empire’s challenge to come up with an entertainment option that would entertain all of the age groups within the room.With the decision made to hire a comedian, Empire recommended well-known Saturday Night Live writer and performer, Darrell Hammond. Darrell is known for being one of the most prolific comedians of his time, responsible for a wide array of memorable comedic impressions throughout his 15 years on the air.

In order to allay client concerns about content for this singularly important audience, Empire arranged for a pre-event conference call with it’s producer, Darrell and a company executive responsible for the evening. Through this call, Darrell Hammond learned a great deal about the attendees, the client’s goals for the evening, and the celebratory feel they were looking for. This gave Darrell the background necessary to tailor his performance material to exactly suit the audience.Darrell’s 45-minute standup comedy set kept the guests hysterically laughing from beginning to end. The material was 100% clean and included many of his best-loved impressions including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, George W. Bush, Jay Leno, and Dick Cheney among others. Darrell also interacted with the audience, working a few very willing members into the act. Following the performance, Darrell participated in a meet & greet / photo-opportunity with all of the audience members, and even joined the guests later in their hospitality suite.

For this engagement, Empire was responsible for all contracting, scheduling, production, and logistical elements for Darrell Hammond’s performance. Empire worked closely with the venue’s staff to coordinate the perfect timing and set-up for the performance.

Empire is the leader in providing headline comedy entertainment for high profile events throughout the world.

Empire Entertainment, in tandem with Honeysweet Productions, produced the first-ever Brand-In Entertainment Inaugural Integration Auction held at Christie’s Auction House in New York City.The purpose of the Inaugural Integration Auction was to invite professional representatives and advertising agencies to bid on exclusive packages to feature their services and products among a variety of media platforms. Leveraging relationships with major advertising firms in the U.S. and abroad, as well as with major studios, record companies and independent production companies, the Inaugural Integration Auction 2010 auctioned off choice brand incorporation opportunities in a multitude of platforms, including network television, online/ webisodes, graphic novels, films, plays and more.

The setting for the auction was from Christie's Auction House in New York City on January 20th, in the renowned Woods Room. The uniquely original auction was hosted by COO of Brand-In Entertainment and licensed auctioneer Tere Morris. The live auction and program featured stage appearances by John Salley, Samantha Marq, Paul Provenza, Joey Greco, Corbin Bernsen and others, as well as a special performance by Heather Myles from TruCountry.The focal point of the event was the silent auction, which featured an innovative electronic bidding system from IML that eliminates the traditional pen & paper bid sheet.

Empire & Honeysweet branded the room as if it were Brand-In Entertainments headquarters in a simple yet elegant design scheme that transformed the room. For this production Empire & Honeysweet handled all production design and management, talent coordination and stage management as well as consulting on all aspects including logistics, catering and show design.

When a leading pharmaceutical company needs to do something special for its sales force -- something special in an off year -- it calls on Empire Entertainment. Empire leveraged its industry connections and know-how to secure the chart-topping, multi-platinum selling Counting Crows at a reasonable fee for a year-end gala in Phoenix, AZ, celebrating the client's elite sellers. For an intimate audience of 300, the Counting Crows ripped through a string of hits including 'Round Here and Mr. Jones. With their angst-filled hybrid of Van Morrison, the Band, and R.E.M., Counting Crows became an overnight sensation in 1994. Only a year earlier, the band was a group of unknown musicians, filling in for the absent Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Early in 1993, the band recorded their debut album, August and Everything After, with T-Bone Burnett. Released in the fall, it was a dark and somber record, driven by the morose lyrics and expressive vocals of Adam Duritz. The only up-tempo song, "Mr. Jones," became their ticket to stardom, and Counting Crows enjoyed a significant amount of success throughout the '90s and beyond. The Crows were preceded by a karaoke extravaganza featuring various attendees in crazy costumes singing parody versions of popular songs. The music was provided not by a karaoke machine but b y live karaoke specialists, The Amazing Embarrassonics.

Once again, Independent Feature Project (IFP) turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the star studded 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. Despite the inclement weather, the guests came out in droves to support the film industry's legendary kick off event ushering in Awards season. Attendees included Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Willem Dafoe, Natalie Portman, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock and Tim Robbins along with nearly 800 independent film mavericks.The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

Given the unfortunate weather, Empire quickly and creatively created a tented step and repeat red carpet to kick off the evening. This exclusive event was hosted by Cipriani Wall Street with guest DJ Jauretsi spinning all night long. Up and coming Comedy Central comdian Kumail Nanjiani opened the show with hilarious rants on the film community, taking special attention to William Dafoe sitting front and center.The crowd got a special treat when Meryl Streep took the stage to give a heart warming introduction to tribute her good friend Stanley Tucci. Other Award Tributees consisted of Natalie Portman, Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, and the night's big winner Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" won both Best Feature and Best Ensemble Performance.

Empire acted as overall event producer, handling all event design and planning, technical production, graphic design of event materials and print advertisements, video roll-ins & scripting, stage management and talent wrangling, event logistics, budgeting and coordination.

When it came time to start planning their 10th Annual Gala, the American Friends of Israel’s Rabin Medical Center turned to Empire in order to take their event to the next level. The gala raises money for one of Israel’s premier hospitals, and every year they draw an elite crowd of civic and philanthropic leaders to support their cause.After an extremely successful gala last year, AFRMC needed help to brand the gala and secure high-stature entertainment to liven up the event. With the event on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Empire helped develop the “Broadway on the Hudson” theme through Broadway talent solicitation and collaboration with their graphic designer. Given the client’s concerns that a lengthy program would alienate the audience, Empire conceived creative solutions to integrate the numerous speakers with entertainment components while solving timing issues regarding the schedule of events.

Through an extensive outreach process, Empire secured legendary comedian Robert Klein and world-renowned tap dancer Savion Glover to perform. Empire was also able to secure Charlie Rose to emcee the event and to facilitate the performances of other talent including the Broadway Show “Memphis”, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All Stars Band and New York City Swing.Empire served as overall event producer for this 760 person gala managing all aspects of production including venue, lighting, staging, audio, image magnification, catering (provided by Restaurant Associates and Foremost Catering), video documentation, valet parking, security, design and décor, graphic presentation and overall project management. Empire also consulted on the invitation design, journal design, and creative programming aspects including scripting, show order, and the medical equipment appeal and art auction ran by Jennifer Roth of Sotheby's. Empire then developed a press release and distributed it to key media outlets for maximum exposure.

Empire is one of the world’s leading producers of not-for-profit events and fundraisers.

Each Year, TIME releases a special issue devoted to the Person of the Year. This iconic issue highlights the individuals who have most affected the events of the year and made the greatest global impact. To support this tradition, each year Time Magazine holds a high level event at its New York Headquarters where Managing Editor, Richard Stengel, hosts a discussion with influential individuals about whom should be recognized as the year's Person of the Year. The 2009 was designed as a cocktail reception followed by a staged discussion. The program included former Mayor of New York and 2001 Time Magazine Person of the Year, Rudy Giuliani, Cardiac Surgeon, Author, and Host of the Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Editor-at-Large of O Magazine, Gayle King, Top Chef Judge, and Founder & Co-Owner of Craft Restaurants, Tom Colicchio, ABC News and The View Host, Barbara Walters, and Mayor Luke Ravensthal of the City of Pittsburgh, the youngest Mayor of a major American City.

The lively discussion and audience Q & A focused on potential 2010 Persons of the Year ranging from the Twitter Guys and the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke to the Iranian Voter and Nancy Pelosi. For this elegant and chic affair, Empire worked with TIME's events team to design and install a lounge-style cocktail reception area featuring black lacquer central bar and serving trays, an image gallery of past Time Person of the Year Magazine covers and lounge furnishings.

With a dinner party feel, cabaret style seating was set; black linen cocktail rounds with Time red florals, and a branded stage setting and backdrop. In addition to design and decor elements, Empire worked with the guests and presenters to stage manage a flawless program.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile media events.

When philanthropist, globe-trekker and photographer Bobby Sager released his photo book entitled The Power of the Invisible Sun, he and innovative not-for-profit initiative executive producer Tracey Durning engaged Empire Entertainment to produce release events in New York City and London. The events, which commemorated the release of Sager's bestselling book of images of underprivileged children throughout the developing world, would feature powerful projection treatments of his photography and philanthropic philosophies, performances by close friend Sting and a high concentration of celebrity attendees.

The first event was held at Donna Karan's Stephan Weiss Studio in New York's West Village, home of her growing Urban Zen activities. The event was attended by over 250 guests including celebrities such as Edward Norton, Donna Karan and Padma Lakshmi among others. Empire transformed the interior of the huge open space into a comfortable and contemporary lounge environment around which the photography was displayed by seven massive visual projections on seven screens. Durning carefully choreographed the projection sequences combining Sager's stirring images with animated handwriting and key phrases from the book with cascading images that surrounded the space, narrating the author's messages, which synchronized at times for emphasis. In addition to the projected images, Empire installed large format prints and text samples to give the space a p hysical image presence, including a custom-made "Hope" bar in black and yellow lacquer. The New York event's stage program included remarks by Donna Karan and Bobby Sager as well as an intimate acoustic concert by Sting and his band which the audience enjoyed while seated on carpets , cushions, and lounge furnishings. The menu for the evening reflected Sager's eclectic tastes with menu items such as snow cones, grain alcohol Jello shots and cotton candy.

The following week, Empire presented the European event in London at the iconic contemporary art museum - The Saatchi Gallery. This event was co-hosted by Sting & Trudie Styler, again featured a high definition, seven projector display of the photography, an eclectic menu of fish & chips and Jello shots, and a performance by Sting that included such hits as Invisible Sun and I'll Be Watching You. Attendees of this event included Annie Lennox, actors Val Kilmer, Neve Campbell and Richard Grant, and Vivienne Westwood among others. The Admirable Crichton provided all catering while Ingenius UK provided all technical support.

For these challenging, back-to-back transatlantic events, Empire served as overall event producer, and was responsible for oversight of elements including venue acquisition, design, decor, catering, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, red carpet, logistics, event flow, security and creating displays of the photography both projected and physical. Empire was thrilled to be involved with the launch of this book of powerful imagery and to participate in an initiative that helps to bring hope and opportunity to the developing world.

Each year, America's pre-eminent film presentation organization, The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents New York’s most established film festival. For the 47th Annual New York Film Festival, The Film Society of Lincoln Center turned to Empire Entertainment to serve as the overall production company and special event producers to support the extraordinary range of premieres, screenings and events. Empire’s responsibilities would encompass nearly 50 separate events & screenings over the course of the 17-day festival with many taking place in the newly renovated, Alice Tully Hall.

Highlights of the 2009 festival included a special screening of the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, in a newly re-mastered version, never seen before by the public. Present at the screening were 5 out of 6 of the remaining Munchkins from the films original cast.Crossroads of Youth, a Korean silent film from 1934 that was recently re-discovered and restored, was screened just as it was in the 30’s - featuring a live musical orchestra and a narrator. Attendees were transported back to a time when films were viewed as live experiences.Precious, the festival’s Centerpiece selection, premiered to a sold out crowd complete with a celebrity-filled red carpet to see the Oscar buzz-worthy film. Those is attendance to introduce the film were Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz, in addition to Gabourey Sidibe, the film’s title char acter. Academy Award-winning Spanish filmmaker, Pedro Almodovar, was on hand to introduce his latest film, Broken Embraces. Introduced by lead actress, Penelope Cruz, the film’s sold out crowd gave a standing ovation at the film’s completion, a fitting ending to the festival’s closing selection.

Earlier in the day, Pedro sat down with the Festival’s Program Director for a 2-hour discussion on the history of cinema.Empire was also responsible for staging a series of Directors Dialogues, intimate one-on-one conversations between Directors with selections in the festival and industry experts. Directors this year included Italian filmmaker, Marco Bellocchio, “Precious” director, Lee Daniels, Austrian disturbia king, Michael Haneke, French veteran, Claire Denis. Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and The Whale) made appearances as moderators. The dialogues were recorded and later streamed on HBO.Empire is a leading producer of high profile festival and events and is honored to work with the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For information on sponsorships for the 2010 New York Film Festival please contact Yasmine Falk at yfalk@filmlinc.com

When a leading global company held three major events in three different cities in three days, they turned to Empire Entertainment's multi-tasking bandwidth to ensure that all three events would receive full attention and be executed flawlessly.October 20, 2010 – Las Vegas, NVWhen the client was looking for a headline act for a huge 80’s themed party to take place at The Beach @ Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Empire recommended and secured Huey Lewis and the News. In front of an audience of over 5000 attendees, Huey Lewis and the News rocked the hotel's Beach Pool Stage for 75 minutes, and had the crowd dancing and singing along to their hits such as "Power of Love," "I Want a New Drug," and "The Heart of Rock & Roll." Empire succeeded in selecting the perfect talent for this particular audience as it received the highest marks in this event's history from attendees.

Beginning with the proposal process, Empire was responsible for all contracting, scheduling, production, and logistical elements for the band's performance. In addition, Empire served as stage manager, coordinating various elements including VIP executive remarks, break-dancer performances, DJ, and the timing of a finale fireworks display set to it's own soundtrack, which went off immediately following the band's performance. October 21, 2009 – San Francisco, CAEmpire was onsite at one of San Francisco's hottest nightspots, Ruby Skye, to help produce a sponsored event surrounding a major conference. Two weeks prior to the event the client came to Empire with the desire to book an energetic headline artist to wow their attendees.

Working with the client's internal relationship managers, Empire quickly secured and contracted funky, up-and-coming hip-hop rocker Janelle Monáe to perform. Her dance moves tore up the stage, but she also found time to paint a picture and hand it to a lucky guest. As Janelle Monáe finished her hectic and eclectic set, a senior marketing executive took to the stage to announce a special surprise: the company’s new product was set to launch at midnight and this group of 500+ guests would be the first to own it. 100,000 watt DJ & drummer sensation DJ Ravi Drums joined the executives on-stage to provide a drum roll for the countdown to the midnight launch and then took over the party with a custom rendition of Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" featuring a lyrical reference of the client’s product. DJ Ravi Drums kept the party going well past two in the morning with his brand of high-energy drumming. Empire secured and provided technical and logistical support for Janelle Monáe and DJ Ravi Drums in addition to managing their performances and the flow of the evening.

October 22, 2009 – New York, NYFor the conclusion of 3-days of events for this client, Empire was onsite to globally launch the client's new product at Skylight Studios in New York City. Filled with live demonstrations, art gallery exhibits, and product vignettes, 350 journalists, bloggers and executives gathered to buzz about the new release. The company’s CEO enthusiastically welcomed the crowd while the 5 year-old star from the company’s well-known TV commercials won over the audience with her sassy and charming appeal. The event provided a fun and interactive hands on environment to showcase the product’s approachable and streamlined functions of organizing everyday life. Empire was responsible for site selection and acquisition and secured Skylight Studios for this global launch event. Empire served as main liaison with venue & client regarding contracts, payment, schedules and permits as well as providing miscellanous support services including archival photography and a makeup artist for their presenting executives.

Whether it is securing headline talent, selecting the ideal venue, or handling all production and logistical needs, Empire Entertainment is a capable of executing simultaneous or back-to-back high-profile events on opposite coasts and around the world.

September 2009 was a very busy and exciting month for Kurt Wenner, the amazing 3D artist known for his realistic street painting and chalk murals all over the world. When GM’s luxury brand Buick was launching their new model, the 2010 LaCrosse, they wanted to deliver a memorable and original marketing stunt. When Buick turned to Empire for ideas, Empire secured Kurt Wenner to paint beautiful 3D paintings of the 2010 LaCrosse in major cities in the US. Kurt Wenner’s works were on display for the public at; Pen’s Landing in Philadelphia(9/2-6), Herald Square in New York City(9/7-13, Union Station in Washington D.C(9/17-20) and The Millennium Park in Chicago(9/26-27).

Kurt Wenner performed live demonstrations of his painting, which was fully accessible to the public who were able to experience both the making creation of the painting and the finished product’s impact. All of the 3D painting featured the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, on a amazing backgrounds, symbolizing the city’s location where the painting was displayed.Kurt Wenner is an artist best known for being the innovator of 3D chalk murals projection called anamorphosis. His 3D Chalk drawings on pavements have been featured in many newspapers, magazine and television shows all over the World. His anamorphic art is meant to deceive the human eye, which might look ordinary from one angle, but viewed through a curved lens, it becomes 3-D. Originally from Ann Harbor, Michigan, Kurt graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. He started his career with NASA as an advanced scientific space illustrator.

Every year Empire secures a comedy superstar to host a large-scale annual meeting for a major global corporation and approximately 20,000 of their regional employees. In 2008, Empire brought in the star of NBC’s hit comedy, “The Office”, Rainn Wilson, whose physical humor made the event wildly successful.This year, Empire tapped Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers to take the reigns at Safeco Field.Seth Meyers is best known for his role as anchor of Sarturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment. What is less well-known is that Seth is also the head writer of Saturday Night Live, as well as cast member. His skill as a writer paired with sharp comedic wit made him the perfect host for this highly-demanding event.

In preparation for the event Seth worked with the client’s talented creative agency, Wexley School for Girls, and Empire to develop customized material, including a monologue, video sequences, and even a Weekend Update-style presentation for the event. Upon arrival in Seattle, Seth also shot a series of brief interstitial videos to introduce speakers. These included backgrounds like the Seattle Space Needle and Seattle’s famed Pike Place Fish Market where Seth literally caught a Salmon. Each video introduction played at the meeting was met with roaring laughter and applause.The earth-shaking finalé of Seth’s performance came as he explained to all the attendees that a seismograph had been placed in the building across the street and instructed everyone to stomp their feet in order to create a human earthquake. The vibrations of the 20,000+ person audience stomping rocked the stadium and cheers rang out when the live video feed showed that they had buried the needle!Seth Meyers worked closely with Wexley School for Girls and Empire on details such as scripting, costume, special effects, staging, etc.Empire negotiated the deal for Seth and worked with his management in order to negotiate time off from his duties at Saturday Night Live. An Empire talent producer also worked with Seth onsite to work closely with Seth for rehearsals and shoots to ensure the best possible performance.

Empire is a leading source of celebrity and headline talent for corporate meeting hosts, spokesperson roles and personal appearances.

Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation formally launched their national education initiative "Get Schooled," with a groundbreaking series of events that culminated with the television premiere Get Schooled: You Have the Right. The premiere aired simultaneously across all Viacom networks including BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV and Nickelodeon, marking Viacom’s first-ever programming "roadblock" or simulcast across all of the media company's U.S. television properties. Surrounding the premiere was a multi-tiered, integrated series of events designed to change the paradigm of pro-social initiatives. Featuring an education conference, small group discussion, concert, and television premiere components, the day-long program of events informed, entertained, and fostered relevant discussion all focused on promoting education reform.

Thought leaders, education stakeholders, corporate and non-profit partners as well as many celebrities convened on the famed Paramount Pictures Studio Lot in Hollywood, CA to take part in the affair, which was also sponsored by AT&T, Capital One Corporation and NYSE Euronext.Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report hosted the education conference during which a distinguished line-up of well-known voices in the education field presented their riveting ideas and novel insights. In classic Colbert-style, the host dryly interjected his witty political satire in between presentations from speakers that included Bill & Melinda Gates, Viacom President & CEO Philippe Dauman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller, Davis Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Los Angeles school teacher Stephen Minix and political columnist Arianna Huffington among others.

Over 500 students from local Los Angeles-area high schools joined the multitude of attendees to view an advance screening of Get Schooled: You Have the Right. Miranda Cosgrove, star of Nickelodeon’s Emmy-nominated hit show “iCarly,” was received with squeals of excitement when she introduced the premiere to the student audience.For the final event of the day, Paramount's New York City Street Lot was the stage for celebration with a Block Party hosted by MTV’s Damien Fahey that showcased performances by DJ Spooky, America's Best Dance Crew’s BREAKSK8 and Champions Quest, R&B singer songwriter Monica, and teen pop sensation Jesse McCartney. Students and attendees alike rocked out on the Rockband 2 stage and browsed through Get Schooled website kiosks, while enjoying classic NY Street fare catered by Wolfgang Puck.

The event featured an extensive press component with several red carpet and PSA taping areas. There was heavy press turnout and coverage of both the education substance of the day as well as the many celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Ben Stiller, Seal, Hank Azaria, Andre Agassi and J.J. Abrams among others that attended. With only 30 days advance, Viacom turned to Empire Entertainment to serve as the production company for all elements of the event program. The concert and conference elements were shot as a live, multi-camera television events for VOD, executed with precision timing to allow for live broadcasts including interviews with Bill & Melinda Gates and Philippe Dauman with Maria Bartiromo for CNBC. Empire’s turnkey delivery of this project included supervision and management of all front of house logistics, creation and management of media and press areas, sponsorship activation and integration, technical and production design and support, speaker and talent coordination, content management, and supervision of all broadcast elements.Empire also worked closely with Radical Media, who provided for design inspiration for graphics, and scenic elements.

Empire specializes in managing multi-faceted, high stature live events such as the Get Schooled launch. From logistics and content to production and design, Empire delivers flawlessly on events and live broadcast projects of the highest caliber.

On September 9, 2009, Empire Entertainment produced Diana Ross, AntiGravity®, and a fireworks display by Fireworks by Grucci on world-renowned Ellis Island. It was the second straight year that Empire was tapped by a NYC based investment bank to produce their annual gala, and Empire again provided oversight of nearly every element of the event, including staging, audio & lighting designs, tenting, talent booking and consultation, fireworks, bus and ferry transportation, stage management, signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, and more.Empire arranged for 15 buses to transport the attendees from the Palace Hotel to three private ferries in Battery Park, also arranged by the Empire team.

As guests disembarked the ferries at Ellis Island, they walked a red carpet that led into the Exhibit Halls. The red carpet was flanked by a number of greeters costumed in red, white, and blue which played into the "Red, White & Blue All-American Barbecue" themed dinner that had been promised on the invitation (which was designed by Empire in consultation with the client). Stiltwalkers, cowgirls, jugglers and more welcomed the attendees upon their arrival.Once inside the Museum, attendees were treated to the spectacular jazz stylings of The Neal Sugarman Quartet while they enjoyed cocktails and private guided tours of the Great Hall and other incredible exhibits of Ellis Island. Following the cocktail reception the doors were opened to allow the 1700 guests to move to the main event area - - a 100' x 182' clearspan tent outside on the famed Ellis Island "Wall of Honor" lawn.

At the client's request, Empire designed three separate seating areas for guests which were arranged in a lounge setting, with white leather ottomans, banquettes, and sofas, accented with red coffee tables, blue pillows and throws. A 20' x 20' central white bar was dressed with vibrant florals and lit in a stunning fashion.The tent was built without sidewalls in order to accommodate the client's request to keep the event's outdoor atmosphere intact. Empire's caterer provided foodstations featuring barbecue favorites such as honey-chipotle barbequed baby back ribs, all-natural fried chicken, jumbo smoked turkey legs, as well as clambake elements including Maryland crab cakes, lobster rolls, and fried clams. The great food was washed down with blackberry basil lemonade, ginger iced tea, as well as red & white sangrias. During dinner, guests enjoyed Cirque-style performance segments by AntiGravity®, such as hand-balancing acts, contortionists, sword-swallowers, and fire-breathers, all costumed in attire to match the red, white, and blue theme of the evening. And when dinner was completed, the attendees were wowed by an incredible fireworks display over the New York City skyline.

The finalé of the evening came when Diana Ross made her grand entrance onstage, opening with her song "I'm Coming Out". Changing costumes a number of times during the performance, the Motown legend turned back time with smash hits including "Upside Down", "Love Hangover", and "You Can't Hurry Love". When she invited guests onstage to dance with her to "Ease on Down The Road", more than 30 attendees obliged. After finishing the set with "I Will Survive", she graciously met with 30 of the client's top VIP's at a private meet and greet.Empire prides itself in our ability to flawlessly execute complex events with large audiences in some of the most incredible event venues in the world such as Ellis Island.

When a Fortune 300 financial services firm needed cost-effective headline entertainment that would appeal to three different audiences for three separate incentive programs in 2009, they came to Empire Entertainment for recommendations. After speaking with the client about the demographics of each group, and the budget for each event, Empire was able to make a number of recommendations. But it was also easy for Empire to provide one top choice: Don Felder. A member of the Eagles for nearly 30 years, Felder had co-written “Hotel California” as well as a number of the band’s other hits. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles in 1998. After joining the Eagles for their renowned “Hell Freezes Over” tour from 1994-1996, Felder played with the band again in 1998 at their Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Not long afterwards, however, Felder and the Eagles went separate ways, which allowed Don to start his own band, which is now one of the best on the market for corporate events with audiences of almost any age range.

At private events, Don and his band perform many of the Eagles greatest hits, including of course, “Hotel California”, which typically opens his sets featuring Don playing the original double-neck while guitar he wrote and recorded the track with. At the three shows for Empire’s client, the set lists included rock classics including “Take It Easy”, “Life In the Fast Lane”, and “Heartache Tonight”, while ballads such as “Tequila Sunrise” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” gave the guests and their spouses an opportunity to slow dance as well. Felder’s sets also generally include a handful of songs by some of his other favorite artists, notably “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Pride & Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughn (on which Felder proves he is still one of the greatest guitarists who have ever lived).And as incredible as Felder is onstage, he is equally courteous and flexible offstage. He understands the need to listen to client concerns and requests at private shows, and in a truly accommodating gesture, he agreed to play “Hotel California” at the end of each show for Empire’s client, as well as at the start. He was also wonderful at the meet and greet following each of the three performances, happily meeting the client’s VIP’s, taking photos with them, and sharing stories.All three audiences were elated hearing their old Eagles favorites, and sang along with the band while jamming the dance floor.

Empire has been recommending, securing, and producing headline entertainment for special events since its inception in 1993. We pride ourselves on suggesting the best possible entertainers for our clients based on their attendees, budgets, and event objectives.

The annual Public Theater Gala, which marks the opening night of Shakespeare in the Park, is the quintessential New York City gala benefiting the arts, and Empire is honored to have been chosen as the event producer for the 2nd year in a row. In the rainiest June that New Yorkers can remember, the Public Theater was fortunate to have a warm and dry evening for their entirely outdoor bash. This year’s honorees included Susan Lyne, chief executive of the Gilt Groupe and former chief executive of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, and acclaimed director Mike Nichols, whose extensive credits include The Graduate and the 2001 Shakespeare in the Park production of The Seagull with Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman.

The event began with a dinner for 800 on the lawn outside of the Delacorte Theater. Gorgeous fuchsia peony arrangements topped dinner tables draped in lavender linens, and Hudson Yards Catering designed a delectable summer menu that featured Argentinean sirloin, horseradish-crusted salmon and roasted wild mushrooms. Following dinner, guests including Steve Martin and Cynthia Nixon headed into the Delacorte Theater for a performance of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night starring the very beautiful and talented Anne Hathaway. Capping off the evening was an after-party for the cast and guests, held at the Belvedere Castle overlooking Turtle Pond. Partygoers danced under the stars and strung twinkle lights while DJ Marlon Morris spun pop favorites, both old and new.

Empire served as overall event producer, coordinating guest registration logistics with the Public Theater’s development team, catering with Hudson Yards Catering, decor & floral design, red carpet & signage as well as staging & production with the Public Theater's own exceptional production team. Empire also managed the production schedule, show flow, layouts, budget and production roles to ensure that everyone's efforts were tightly integrated and coordinated with the operations of the Public Theater and the Central Park Conservancy. Empire Entertainment has over 15 years of experience producing public, private, not-for-profit and outdoor events in New York City and around the world. Many thanks to the Public Theater for choosing Empire to produce their gala once again. To learn more about the Public Theater and their programs and to become a member and supporter, visit http://www.publictheater.org/

Empire was honored join with renowned producers Radical Media, FremantleMedia Enterprises, and The Mark Gordon Company to help produce the HardBat Classic Ping Pong Tournament at the Venetian / Sands Expo in Las Vegas. Presented by Bud Light and billed as ”the biggest, baddest throw down in the history of table tennis” the HardBat Classic was designed to relaunch Ping Pong as a renewed sensation and to bring “old school” table tennis out of the basement and into the big time as competitors fought for the $100,000 grand prize.

The tournament featured competition among over 500 players and hustlers, all played with old school bats made of only wood and rubber, pips out instead of sponge-padded bats. This style of play levels the playing field allowing amateurs and pros to compete fairly.Empire served as the event producer managing the design and execution of the physical build-out of the enormous Sands Expo Hall C space at the Venetian. The tournament village consisted of registration and equipment pickup areas, retail locations for sponsors KillerSpin and K-Swiss, a large central Bud Light bar & lounge area, a café and VIP area, mo re than 60 competition courts, four semi-final courts, and a carefully branded championship arena seating almost 500 fans.

The three day tournament featured exclusive VIP celebrity parties at venues including Tao, Lavo and the Stadium in the Palazzo which were attended by celebrities including Anna Kournikova, 30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander and Entourage’s Autumn Reeser.The grand champion match came down to a white knuckle challenge between 23-year-old Jack Baker and 73-yea-old Wayne Oberton, who played in shorts up to his chest and suspenders. In the end, beauty triumphed over age as Jack accepted the winners robe, medal and $100,000 grand prize amid a shower of glitter confetti.

Empire handled all physical design of the space, the creation of the championship arena, all staging, sound, lighting, décor, security, logistics, staffing, production management and stage management of the main events. In addition to Radical Media, the program partner’s included the Mark Gordon Company, Fremantle Enterprises, KillerSpin and the Venetian / Sands Expo.The HardBat Classic premiered on ESPN in October 2009.

Empire Entertainment has served as a producer and production partner on many broadcast events including live sports & entertainment specials.

Each year, one of the world's top food and beverage companies flies its highest sales achievers and their spouses from around the world to its New York headquarters to celebrate their achievement 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, held inside a state-of-the-art tent built temporarily on the grounds of the corporate headquarters. And 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 over the multinational attendees that were present and that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration.Empire presented the modern circus ensemble Cirque Dreams to perform a series of dynamic segments that inspired and entertained the audience. Performances included a father and sons diabolo juggling trio, a shape-shifting act, a low-slack wire balancing performance and an acrobatic duo on a Risley seat.The Eturnity Band, New York City's best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, kept the audience dancing until the end of the night.

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

The World Science Festival, co-founded by Brian Greene and Tracy Day has a mission "to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future."Following a successful inaugural Festival in 2008, Empire was thrilled to once again team up with the 2009 World Science Festival to produce and manage production of over twenty-five major programs throughout six different New York City venues in a span of just four days.

The festival culminated with an all-day outdoor Street Festival in and around Washington Square Park.This year's diverse programming appealed to all demographics and included moderated panel discussions with some of the most brilliant scientific minds today, original theatrical productions with major stars such as Anna Deavere Smith and Emily Levine, and musical performances by artists such as Bobby McFerrin. Some of the many participants in this year's World Science festival programs included Dean Kamen, Edward O. Wilson, Irena Schulz with Snowball the dancing cockatoo, John Hockenbery, Sylvia Earle, Majora Carter, Lawrence Krauss, Robert Krulwich, Charlie Rose, Oliver Sacks, Alan Alda, Bill Blakemore, Brian Greene and many others.

The response to this year's World Science Festival was phenomenal. More than 165,000 people participated in the Festival's events and programs, with lines again wrapping around city blocks for possible stand-by tickets to the sold-out programs.As was done for the inaugural World Science Festival in 2008, Empire's support on the project included management of numerous venues staging and set requirements, sound, lighting, video playback, stage management and technical direction as well as many other production elements required for such extensive and, elaborate productions. Empire also tracked all production expenses paid directly by the not-for-profit World Science Festival to ensure the foundation stayed on budget and could adhere to rigorous financial reporting standards.

The World Science Festival is an ideal example of Empire's capability to act as a behind the scenes partner on all types and sizes of programs, including multiple-day festivals, as well as our unique ability to mold our services to the client's special needs and to act as a team player to help execute flawless events. Empire Entertainment was once again proud to serve as the production partner for the annual World Science Festival.

In June 2009 Empire Entertainment produced the 13th Annual Webby Awards, marking the 5th consecutive year Recognition Media LLC chose to partner with Empire on the project which has been referred to as "the only award show for Internet sites that matters" by The Los Angeles Times. The myth of the number 13 bringing bad luck was quickly put to rest, as the event was the best Webby Awards yet. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the coveted awards have been called "the Internet's" Highest Honor" by the New York Times. On the night of the event, more than 850 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to Cipriani Wall Street to honor and be honored for their contributions to the World Wide Web.

This evening kicked off with a cocktail reception, during which over 100 Webby winners were invited to film their five-word speeches (a distinguishing characteristic of the event), which would be uploaded to the Webby Awards YouTube channel later that same evening - - check them out at www.youtube.com/webby Empire secured Seth Meyers from Saturday Night Live to host the event for the second straight year. In his opening remarks, Meyers proved why he is head writer for SNL, quipping that "on the internet you can see any type of bizarre sex act anytime you want, you can get prescription drugs without seeing a doctor, and you can lose yourself in role-playing games. So in a lot of ways the internet is the future, but in a lot of ways, it's the '70's." Meyers' charisma and razor-sharp ad libs throughout the night kept the ceremony light and entertaining, as did some hilarious videos created especially for the event by The Onion and some of the cast from the VH1 hit show, "Best Week Ever".

Meyers introduced many winners to deliver their brief speeches from the stage, including supermodels Alessandra Abrosio and Doetzen Kroes from Victoria's Secret, actress/model Molly Sims, Arianna Huffington, Beaker from the famed "Muppet Show", and a winner from the Netherlands who used his five words to deliver a marriage proposal to his girlfriend, which she promptly accepted. The biggest winners of the evening were Lisa Kudrow, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Sarah Silverman, Biz Stone (the founder of Twitter, who was introduced by the iconic Martha Stewart), and Tim Berners-Lee, who has been credited with inventing the World Wide Web. But the best 5-word speech of the night was arguably by Jimmy Fallon, who after being announced by Cameron Diaz, said simply, "Thank God Conan got promoted", a reference to having recently taken over the "Late Night" talk show from Conan O'Brien.

Empire Entertainment again provided oversight of nearly every element of this complex event, including signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, audio, video, & lighting designs, stage management, and more.

Empire is a leading producer and/or partner on many Awards events each year, including the The Gotham Awards, The PR Week Awards, and The Executive Council Ten Awards. We take pride in clients such as Recognition Media who choose to work with us annually on their most important projects.

The TriBeCa Film Festival once again turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the festival's largest single event - the TriBeCa Family Festival. The multi-faceted street festival pulled in an estimated 200,000 visitors throughout the day and served as a focal point for the growing celebration of the revival of Lower Manhattan. Just as in previous years, this year's Family Festival offered more than 50 tents of entertainment, activities, and food and stretched across 12 city blocks. Four outdoor stages presented a diverse collection of New York-based performers and community talent, including Shrek The Musical, National Double Dutch League and The New Jersey Nets Dancers.

Highlights included an arts and crafts pavilion, a BMX street course from X-Games, a basketball shooting court sponsored by the New York Knicks, hundreds of street performers, face painters, kite-making, sidewalk chalk art, and numerous other kid-friendly activities. The event also included the participation of dozens of restaurants and merchants in lower Manhattan and the spontaneous participation of schools, community groups and all manner of special interests and institutions in TriBeCa. Empire Entertainment served as Executive Producers and managed all production and logistics elements of the entire event and coordinated all services including tenting, integration with city agencies, security, generators and electrical power distribution, decor, staging, sound, lighting, labor, decor, bathrooms, street cleanup, video and A/V, event design and layout, stage management and overall event management.

Empire is a major producer of public events and is proud to be a partner of TriBeCa Productions in the TriBeCa Film Festival.

Each year, TIME identifies the 100 most influential people in the world in special issue called the Time 100. In conjunction with this highly-anticipated editorial event, Time Magazine hosts an ultra high level dinner gala attended by the year's Time 100 honorees as well as past honorees. Empire Entertainment was chosen to serve as the overall event producer for this most prestigious of events which featured Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, AR Rahman, Jimmy Fallon, the Twitter Founders and a host of others.

The Time 100 gala took place on May 5, 2009 at New York’s Jazz @ Lincoln Center; the event commenced with grand entrance to the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle and a red carpet treatment that passed through the multi-level lobby that allowed the general public to view the arriving dignitaries and honorees. Honda, one of the evening’s sponsors, presented one of their newest vehicles on the red carpet.The Jazz @ Lincoln Center Atrium hosted the cocktail reception and bar, with catering provided by Great Performances. This area featured music and interactive stations where guests could explore the Time 100 issue on HP’s new TouchSmart PC. This star-studded reception gave politicians and movie stars the opportunity to mingle with moguls, performers, and Nobel laureates.

Some of the guests who attended the event included Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, Claire Danes, Gayle King, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Barbara Walters, Ann Coulter, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Sawyer, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Steve Schwarzman, Meredith Whitney, Zhang Ziyi, and Billie Jean King.Guests then moved into the Allen Room for dinner where guests enjoyed a sumptuous meal on tables intricately decorated by Empire’s design team as they looked out on Central Park. The Time 100 program began with an introduction by Managing Editor Richard Stengel, followed by a Time 100’s Sizzle video created by Empire Entertainment’s multi-image team. After the video, the First Lady and Honored Guest Michelle Obama spoke of the importance of public service in her own life, and subsequently announced that the President's budget proposal for the next year would include $50 million to support nonprofit groups and promote national service.

Time President Mark Ford then took the podium to thank the evening’s sponsors – Honda, Cartier, HP, and Verizon Wireless. Next, Deputy Managing Editor Josh Tyrangiel introduced Slumdog Millionaire’s A.R. Rahman and his band who performed two sings including the film’s hit ‘Jai Ho.’ Rahman had arrived from Mumbai only a few hours prior to the start of the event and still managed to wow the guests. Following this performance a series of toasts to the honored guests were delivered by Oprah Winfrey, writer Paul Krugman, designer Stella McCartney, human rights activist Somaly Mam, and the Twitter Founders Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey. These toasts were interspersed with a performance and hilarious tribute remarks by Late Night host Jimmy Fallon who also performed an uproarious original song “Carwash for Peace.”

Following dessert, Time Warner Chairman and Chief Executive Grammy Jeffrey Bewkes took the stage to introduce Grammy Award winner John Legend and his band who delivered a 30-minute set of hits that brought the audience on their feet. The event was heavily covered by worldwide media, with Empire Entertainment providing a live feed and online B-roll posting later that evening. For this exceptionally complex and highly anticipated project, Empire served as overall event producing managing all aspects including venue coordination, catering coordination with Great Performances, design & décor of all spaces, sponsor fulfillment, branding, step & repeat, printing, design & production of video and graphics packages, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, live media feed, coordination with all presenters and speakers, talent booking & coordination, stage management, staffing, security, Secret Service integration, and coordination with the White House Advance Office.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-level programs and events and is proud to have been chosen to produce this remarkable program.

On April 27 and 28, 2009, the world's foremost nutrition, health and wellness company, Nestlé S.A., in conjunction with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Swiss Mission to the United Nations, collaborated to present the First Annual Creating Shared Value Forum in New York City. They partnered with a globally recognized communications consulting firm who selected Empire to serve as Production Company for this prestigious program. The objective of the forum was to help advance solutions to the serious problems facing the world in the areas of water, rural development and nutrition.

The forum kicked off with an elegant dinner held at the UN Delegate's Dining Room in the United Nations, with panoramic views overlooking the East River. Invited guests included United Nations, Development, Humanitarian and Relief Organizations, distinguished academics, representatives from a host of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other participants in the Forum's discussions. Leaders from the three hosting organizations welcomed the guests while they announced three new initiatives and introduced the topics for the following day's forum. They also debuted the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Report, entitled "Nutritional Needs and Quality Diets," which profiles Nestlé's global efforts to improve quality diets, support weight management, address specific dietary needs and improve knowledge, awareness and understanding about nutrition.

The following day, the world's leading experts in business strategy, nutrition, water, and rural development held multiple panel discussions at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel. United Nations representatives, members of various development organizations, esteemed academics and government officials contributed their thoughts on the intersection of critical issues in their fields with corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.Moderated by Maria Livanos Cattaui, former Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, the forum included a who's who of experts including: Jeffery Sachs, Special Advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the UN Millennium Development Goals and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University;Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships;Jane Nelson, Director of the CSR Initiative at Harvard University's JFK School of Government;Nancy Birdsall, founding president of the Center for Global Development; Georg Kell, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact; andJohn Elkington, co-founder of SustainAbility, and founding Partner & Director of Volans.

Throughout their discussions, questions and comments were welcomed from the participating attendees who were also leaders on these issues and a spirited discussion ensued. The Forum was also webcast live through various channels all over the globe: See link below for webcast:(http://clients.world-television.com/nestle/Nestle_Global_Forum09/) The incredible day of collaboration, discussion and knowledge-sharing on a wide range of topics helped to suggest strategies and best practices for addressing these issues and promoting a shared responsibility to create a better world. "Creating shared value is essential for the good of business and for the safety of our world. More than 2 billion people go to bed hungry. It's not just awareness, it's our necessity to fix," Jeffrey Sachs said. Empire served as Production Company for this program, designing, managing and overseeing the provision of all technical production, conference logistics, décor and the design and creation of all branding and signage.

Empire is a leading producer of global conferences and forums and a supporter of initiatives promoting global sustainability.

Each year, America's pre-eminent film presentation organization, The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents its annual Gala Tribute honoring legendary stars and industry leaders of our generation at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. The Film Society's Annual Gala Tribute began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the US from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton and, in 2008, actress Meryl Streep.This year's Gala, the 36th annual, honored two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. The star-studded event featured remarks by many of Hanks's friends and collaborators, as well as film clips commemorating his celebrated career.

The evening culminated in the presentation of the Gala Tribute award – named the Chaplin Award. This year's gala evening started with VIP cocktails with the honoree in the Hauser Patron's Lounge in Alice Tully Hall and was followed by a seated dinner in the glass-walled atrium. The dinner décor was provided by designer David Stark. Following dinner the 1000+ guests entered the Starr Theater for the all-star program produced by Empire Entertainment. The program began with remarks by this year's event committee chair Ann Tenenbaum and then remarks by Film Society Executive Director Mara Manus and Program Director Richard Pena. Then came a career retrospective montage featuring work from most of Tom Hank's past films and ending with a clip of his newest release, Angels & Demons which served to introduce director Ron Howard who delivered the first tribute of the evening. This was followed by film clips and tributes by writer/director Nora Ephron, actress Sally Field, director Jonathan Demme, writer/director Mike Nichols, actress Julia Roberts, writer/director John Patrick Shanley, actress Charlize Theron, a performance based on the Chopsticks scene in "Big" by up-and-coming Julliard pianist Aaron Diehl and a tribute by director Robert Zemeckis.

Two highlights of the evening were a live performance by Bruce Springsteen & wife Patti Scialfa, followed by remarks by director Steven Spielberg and his presentation of the award to Tom Hank who then delivered his moving and hilarious acceptance remarks. Following the tribute program the guests returned to the atrium for a DJ's party sponsored by 42 Below Vodka.For this high stature event Empire served as producer and were responsible for overseeing creative and coordinating program participation for all participating presenters and talent, working with Lincoln center to provide necessary production design and supervision, creating the run of show and stage managing the event and working with the various film clips provided by the studios to integrate them into the program. The program was immensely successful and the client, all of the participating presenters and Tom Hanks were ecstatic with the results.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is frequently engaged to present programs with international stature talent & celebrities like Julie Roberts, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks.

When one of India's leading media conglomerates, sought to present the Concert for Mumbai - a benefit performance to raise money for ambulances in Mumbai following the Mumbai attacks of 26/11 - they turned to Empire Entertainment, an international production company with access to the hottest names in international entertainment to help deliver talent. Charged with delivering an artist whose broad, international appeal would ensure ticket sales and sponsorships, Empire successfully delivered the innovative and world-renowned MASS Ensemble. MASS (which stands for Music Architecture Sound Sculpture) has literally created their own performance genre with their elegant and high impact blend of music, sculpture, dance and visual arts. Moreover, MASS were thrilled for the opportunity to show their solidarity and share their unique music with the people of Mumbai.

When asked at the press conference held the day before the show why they had agreed to perform, Founder and Creative Director William Close explained, "In 2000, I developed a musical instrument called the Earth Harp. The first time this instrument was set up, it strung from one side of a valley 1,000 feet across to the other side. It turned the earth itself into an instrument. As we tour around the planet and set this giant instrument up in concert halls, attach it to buildings and architecture, I believe it becomes a symbol of resonance of the earth and music for the earth… We all know how deep and powerful music is, and how transformative it is… To help situations such as the experiences that have happened to this amazing city on 26/11, [we] share our music and transform the negative energy [created by the terrorists]."

Four MASS members played this magnificent Earth Harp together on their first piece at Shanmukhananda Hall. This symbol of the world as an instrument of peace, of beauty, of harmonious sound sent a compelling opening message to the audience, and the momentum only magnified throughout the rest of the show. They revealed unique instrument inventions including the Aquatar, Drum Cloud, Drumbrella, Chime Sculpture and Wing Harp. They incorporated dramatic demonstrations of yoga in its most advanced form as Andrea Brook, Sarah Llewellyn and Peter Francyk expressed the music of MASS through movement. They even were able to collaborate with a phenomenal local tabla musician on a number of songs. Gasps of delight, spontaneous applause and shouts of praise from the audience added a soundtrack to the performance that only contributed to its powerful impact. On the final piece, Shawn Barry sang the hopeful melody of John Lennon's "Imagine," poignantly joined by the voices of over 1,000 audience members on the chorus. As MASS Ensemble took their final bow, the crowd leapt to its feet in a lengthy and enthusiastic standing ovation.

As one critic from RadioandMusic.com perfectly captured, "MASS Ensemble were mesmerizing for many reasons. One, they converted the entire hall in to an instrument - a huge earth harp, something which the Mumbai audience would have witnessed for the first time - the band sounded as if a philharmonic was at work. The multi talented musicians from MASS shifted from one instrument to another with ease and elegance. They sang, danced and even displayed some jaw dropping aerobics." With Empire Entertainment on hand to coordinate contracts, pre-production and on-site logistics, the Concert for Mumbai was a seamless, successful, and most importantly profitable experience for the client and the charitable beneficiary. As the crowd departed Shanmukhananda Hall that night, the words of John Lennon still floated in the air:You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one.

Empire Entertainment is an international event production company, providing entertainment solutions for clients all over the globe. Empire Entertainment is proud to have joined MASS in donating our time and service to this worthy event for the people of Mumbai. - - - Photographs by Deepak Dhuri / www.radioandmusic.com

When a leading software company was planning to bring corporate customers, partners, team members and industry experts together in New Orleans for a giant, week-long global conference, they asked Empire to provide the entertainment. In keeping with the flavor of New Orleans, Empire proposed and eventually secured local musical legends, The Radiators, to provide the soundtrack for the conference. This New Orleans musical institution has a sound described as a convergence of R&B, jazz, country, soul, swing, gospel, and New Orleans Rock n' Roll.

The Radiators are a featured mainstay of the "New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival" but on this week the band was a mainstay at the Ernest Morial Convention Center - acting at the house-band entertainment for three days of meetings and keynotes for a community of top software executives. The Radiators played live music as the eight thousand attendees entered the hall and supported keynote presenters as they took the stage. The Radiators' lively blend of upbeat, cross-genre New Orleans' rock brought energy and pacing and kept attendees engaged and surprised as the event unfolded. Having only wet the appetite of conference attendees, The Radiators took the stage at a local nightclub on one evening where they performed a full-length, high-energy concert that had the crowd electrified and cheering late into the night.

Like the diverse conference attendees themselves, The Radiators' perfect mixture of New Orleans jazz and rock ensured a steady flow for the tightly scripted conferences during the day, and a loose vibe for the guests to unwind to at night.

Empire is a leading provider of entertainment for large scale corporate meetings and events and is always able to deliver local flavor talent whether in New Orleans, Paris or Hong Kong.

When one of the world's leading technology companies formulated their plan to launch a ground-breaking new innovation, they made the decision to use a viral stunt as a means of drawing buzz to the product.The client selected a global marketing agency, who in turn partnered with Empire to produce a unique three day, live entertainment stunt that would generate substantial attention and buzz both where the stunt took place as well as online and in the viral cloud.

In order to achieve maximum visibility for consumer reach, they targeted the most highly trafficked location in New York City - Times Square. At the crossroads of New York City, the live stunts would be seen daily by a substantial number of the 1.5 million locals and tourists that cross Times Square's daily path. With the launch of the new and revolutionary technology, it was essential to create an experience to match the energy of the product – an energy that would match the buzzing backdrop of New York City and the commotion of billboards, brands and lights that mark Times Square. To accomplish this Empire secured innovative acrobatic and aerial troupe, Antigravity®, to present an entertainment-driven and high-flying choreographed experience that delivered product messaging and a physical representation of it's functionality. This creative was based on a conceptual storyboard developed by the marketing agency & Empire.

Empire worked within a month timeframe to bring an original concept to life. Antigravity®, with a notable roster of world-renowned acrobatic competitors, former Olympic athletes and Broadway performers, showcased their talents within a 10 minute high-energy performance, choreographed to original music, created and licensed specifically by Empire for this event.To achieve maximum impact, it was decided that the original performance would be repeated four times throughout the day, at critical high-traffic points, on three consecutive days – Friday thru Sunday.

The team of 32 performers, which also included some of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, were dressed in sleek, branded racer-like costumes. Each performance began with the cast separated into four separate groups. Each group of eight performers entered Times Square from a four block radius in order to build buzz and draw audience from afar. After five minutes of pre-show the four groups converged on Duffy Square island (where the TKTS booth is located) bringing together a momentous crowd. As the multitude of onlookers and tourists steadied their cameras for a free show, Antigravity® kicked into high gear and delivered a ten minute performance that included Rockettes-type choreography, extreme acrobatics, contortion, tumbling breakdancing, cyre wheel and other Antigravity specialties. One of the unique features of this performance was the use of performers to create a 16' wide X 9' high ‘living billboard' that displayed a series of advertising images and functionality demonstrations as the performers exchanged and flipped cards to create image after image. After the final image, the boards and performers pulled apart to expose an open stage area that transitioned into the famous finale of the Antigravity® Jumping Boots, which catapulted performers fifteen feet in the air into dynamic tumbling sequences. The audience was left speechless and met the performances with rousing applause as they rushed to meet and take photographs with the performers post event.

To support the promotion and drive product trials, street teams were on site directly after the acrobatic stunt as well as on surrounding NYC blocks to provide hands on experience with the product. The demonstrated technologies were preloaded with candid photographs and videos of the Antigravity® team rehearsing the routines, captured by Empire in the week leading up to the event.The stunt performance live entertainment event was part of an even larger brand marketing campaign where billboards, wrapped New York City buildings and busses, and store product launches covered the city landscape. Empire photographers and videographers documented all coverage as well as footage of the Antigravity performance in Times Square to create a viral video that was posted on the first day of the performances. A variety of partners provided other essential support for this program including permits for the event.

Close partnership by the Times Square Alliance and local NYC police precinct were also essential in delivering the successful events. Empire Entertainment served as event producer, helped develop the creative concept, coordinated and managed production and logistics elements, secured the talent, created all original props and placards, licensed the original music, directed the creation of costumes and choreography, provided security, production, videotaping and photography and created and edited the viral video.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of unique, dynamic event and street marketing initiatives and creative launch events.

When a leading pharmaceutical company wanted top-quality entertainment to perform for approximately 1,000 of their finest sales employees, they turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a concert with one of the most renowned bands of the 90's. Following a weeks worth of company meetings, the employees entered the ballroom with excitement, awaiting the announcement of who their surprise performer would be. After remarks and an introduction by a company executive, Smash Mouth took the stage to begin their 80-minute greatest hits, high energy set. Kicking off their performance with a rousing rendition of their hit "Can't Get Enough of You Baby," the audience jumped to their feet and cheered the band on as they performed their hit songs such as "Then The Morning Comes", "Walkin' On The Sun", and their cover of "I'm A Believer".

Smash Mouth's interaction with the crowd throughout the set led to a room-wide sing-a-long of classic rock songs including Van Halen's "Runnin' With The Devil" and The Kinks' "You Really Got Me". The evening climaxed with an all-out performance of Smash Mouth's #1 hit "All Star".Empire was responsible for proposing, contracting and arranging travel and accommodations for Smash Mouth, as well as coordinating and managing all schedules, logistical and technical aspects of the band's performance.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of private and corporate events in the U.S. and around the world.

Empire worked closely with Fox International to design a press event for the Blu-Ray release of the Fox film, "Max Payne" starring Mark Wahlberg – they wanted something that would fascinate attendees but also speak to the dark themes of the film.The event kicked off innocently enough, with cocktails and a screening of the film at the swish Cipriani Club. But the next morning, the cadre of journalists from around the world began their day at the scene of a grisly double murder – staged by forensics experts from CUNY. The forensics professors and their students created a realistic crime scene in a dark Manhattan club, complete with two "bodies", blood spatter and spent shells. The journalists collected evidence, interviewed witnesses and combed the scene for clues, all in the hopes of solving the murder.

The following morning, at a sports club across town, the journalists were given access to the suspects and their brazen lies and explosive revelations. Arrests were made, followed by cupcakes for all.In addition to great food and drink, the guests were treated to one-on-one interviews with the film's director, Peter Moore, as part of the three-day press event.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of unique marketing initiatives and product launch / press events.

Nothing makes a wedding more special or memorable than the perfect entertainment. And in some cases, when the client wants to create the event of a lifetime, the entertainment required includes some of the biggest headliners in the world. Such was the case when a high-profile couple wanted to celebrate their special day at the world-renowned Marquis Los Cabos. To secure their wedding entertainment they and their wedding planner turned to Empire Entertainment to engage and produce the internationally-acclaimed romance singer, Julio Iglesias. Working closely with the wedding planner, their production team and Julio's representation and production teams across many countries and time zones, Empire was ultimately successful in securing the wedding couple's first choice performer.

Empire completed the protracted negotiations resulting in the contract for Julio to perform. Following the contracting Empire coordinated all logistical, production and creative details for the performance including the complicated cross-border shipping of band equipment. Additionally, Empire worked closely with vendor partners in Mexico as well as Government officials to secure all necessary visas and work permits for the band & crew consisting of nationals from the Netherlands, Spain and the Dominican Republic among others. Empire also worked closely between Julio Iglesias' production team and the world class sound, lighting, staging & decor vendors engaged for the project to satisfy Julio's complex production requirements without sacrificing the designer's incredible vision for the event.

One production issue for which Empire provided the novel solution was the issue of allowing Julio's sound & lighting engineers to mix and light the show from within the intimate and exquisitely decorated wedding banquet room. The problem was that Julio's massive sound & lighting boards would have compromised the decor in the room. Empire's solution? Install drawstring, semi-transparent drapes at the rear of the room which gave the audio & lighting engineers direct sightline to the stage and to open them only once the house lights were lowered for the start of the show. The result? The audience never saw the technical installation or the technicians and the show looked and sounded great. Julio Iglesias was kept a complete surprise to all the guests who cheered when he was introduced by the bride. Julio performed a show of his decades-spanning greatest hits that included "To All The Girls I Loved Before", "Abrazame" and "El Amor", among others, singing in Spanish, English and French. Julio played for over 75 minutes and delivered a truly unique show. After the performance Julio posed for photos with the bride & groom and their friends.

As is typical for large, international productions of this nature, Empire managed every detail of the concert performance from the negotiations and contracting, all the way through to the final execution, and stage management of the performance. Empire is a worldwide leader in the booking & producing of headline talent for high end private events and has a great deal of experience producing major events in Mexico, Central and Latin America.

The Golden Horse Awards is the Academy Awards for Chinese-language films and one of the most prestigious film award ceremonies in the world. When STAR Group was seeking a performer who would not only live up to the prestige of the event, but also astound their millions of viewers, there was only one candidate - Marco Tempest, the virtual magician. Combining the worlds of magic and technology, creativity and cutting-edge visual performance, Marco's skills as an illusionist and as an imaginative performer are revolutionizing the way the world sees magic."Marco Tempest performed his magic in front of the Gods of Dragon Mountain Temple," reported one news syndicate.

Prior to the day of ceremony, Marco spent his day at the Dragon Mountain Temple, where he displayed his magic in front of the Taiwanese press, impressing them with his feats of digital sleight-of-hand and drumming up interest in the upcoming award ceremony. On awards night Marco took the stage at Taichung's Chungshan Hall before a huge live and televised audience. The show began with the stage in pitch black except for a light beginning to materialize on Marco's body. The magical light then flowed through Marco's fingers, down his arms, and his chest, transcending the limits of reality. Right from the start the audience knew they were watching something truly extraordinary.

Marco's performances for the show, from the press junket in Taipei to an impromptu appearance on the red-carpet, and the grand finale where he conjured an actual Golden Horse Award from the virtual world, set the stage for the glamorous night. "A brilliantly imaginative performance of magic and technology!" Deputy Minister of Taiwan's Government Information Office Mr. Albert Lin, said as he scratched his head in bewilderment. The consensus of the millions and millions of viewers across Asia was that Marco's performance was mind-blowing.

Empire Entertainment Japan once again delivered, and helped make one of the biggest film award ceremonies in Asia completely unforgettable.

Glancing around the room, you would have thought you were at the Oscars – Penélope Cruz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sean Penn, Dennis Hopper, Harvey Weinstein, Ethan Hawke, Mickey Rourke, Debra Winger, Rachel Weiz, Jeff Goldblum, Marisa Tomei just to name a few. But this was the 2008 Gotham Independent Film Awards, an elegant and buzzworthy New York Independent Film event. Presented by Independent Feature Project (IFP), the Gothams are New York's most prestigious independent film awards program and are considered by many industry insiders as an early indicator of what the Oscar landscape will look like in the Spring.

This year's Gotham Awards kicked off with a celebrity red carpet event at 48 Wall Street, heavily attended by the media. Afterwards, the 750 or so attendees -- a who's who of the independent film world -- made their way across the street to Cipriani Wall Street for a sumptuous dinner. The main event began with an acoustic guitar performance by Academy Award nominated actor Terrence Howard. Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi then took the stage as the night's emcee and warmed up the audience with topical humor. Guest DJ Biz Markie spun through the night, as a cavalcade of Hollywood's finest doled out awards like "Best Film NOT Playing At a Theater Near You".

This year's awards paid special tribute to four iconic figures - Penelope Cruz, "Good Will Hunting" director Gus Van Sant, Melvin Van Peebles and HBO Documentary Film Head Sheila Nevins. Penelop Cruz's tribute was accompanied by a special videotaped message from Woody Allen. Empire Entertainment had the opportunity to produce this year's Gothams because IFP wanted to streamline the nearly two decade-old event without losing any of the relaxed, informal "vibe" that makes the event so special to the A-listers who attend. New York Magazine was among the first to point out that Gotham's partnership with Empire was a success: "If last night's Gotham Awards ceremony at were any indication, the upcoming spate of year-end prize-giving will be a series of smooth, well-oiled affairs. With machinelike precision — are we sure these are independent filmmakers? — the unofficial kickoff to the 2008 movie-awards season began on time, ended on time, and pretty much went without a hitch."

For this program, Empire handled all event logistics, planning, budgeting and coordination, technical production, graphic design of event materials and print advertisments, video roll-ins & scripting, and stage management.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of cutting-edge award programs like the Gotham and Webby Awards.

When a global investment bank wanted to shake up their Annual Global Investment Conference Gala, they called on Empire Entertainment to produce the event. The three-day Conference took place at The Palace Hotel in New York City and kicked off with a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton. For the entertainment portion of the conference, the client invited all conference attendees to a blowout gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan.

Empire's original productions division transformed the space into a beautiful, chic lounge environment. From the red carpet entrance, to the lobby, to the entire performance space inside, Empire created an atmosphere that made the venue unrecognizable to those who are accustomed to seeing it as a concrete-floor concert hall. The interior space was completely altered into a sea of sensual red, with wall-to-wall carpeting, lounge furnishings and sleek black lacquer accents.

Dramatic food stations with ice sculptures were set on all three floors of the space, with high-end items including oysters on the half shell, tuna tartare, sliced muscovy duck breast, pulled barbecued lamb sandwiches, and abalone mushroom carpaccio. Servers also passed small plates of miso roast black cod, slow cooked short ribs, yellowtail ceviche "ice cream cones" and more.

Given the tremendous ceiling height at the venue, Empire recommended and secured the world-renowned aerial troupe Antigravity to perform interstitial entertainment segments prior to the headline concert that evening. Incredibly beautiful and talented women performed breathtaking feats of contortion, aerial hammock routines, and a jaw-dropping bungee-jump piece that stunned the crowd. These performances, set to DJ music, built up the energy and excitement in the room as the evening went on.For the grand finalé, Empire produced a headline concert performance by the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire. The band had the crowd on their feet and dancing to mega-hits including "Boogie Wonderland", "Let's Groove Tonight", and "September" and sent guests out on a tremendous high note.

Empire prides itself on producing special events worldwide from conception to completion, as was the case with this gala.

On November 13, 2008, Empire Entertainment was again proud to support Keep a Child Alive and serve as producer of their 5th annual fundraising event, the Black Ball, which was generously underwritten by the Condé Nast Media Group.

Hosted by Co-founder Alicia Keys and KCA Global Ambassador IMAN, the event saluted humanitarians in the fight against AIDS such as actress and advocate, Queen Latifah, followed by extraordinary performances including Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, Adele and others. Over 1200 guests including Tyra Banks, Clive Davis, Russell Simmons, John Mayer, Timbaland, Cynthia Nixon, Zoe Kravitz, Swizz Beatz, Michelle Williams, David Bowie, Elijah Wood, Padma Lakshmi, and Jessica Alba attended to support KCA in their fight against the global AIDS pandemic.The evening began with a cocktail reception and gallery exhibit of the "Museum of Dreams," a setting designed and conceptualized by KCA's Earle Sebastian and David Stark Design. The "Museum of Dreams" was designed to highlight everyday things that Westerners take for granted but that represent the hopes and prayers of African children and families with HIV/AIDS.

Following cocktails the guests then entered into a breathtaking "African Dream" inspired Hammerstein Ballroom where they enjoyed a delicious dinner menu designed by Aquavit's Marcus Samuelsson and served by Hudson Yards Catering. Powerful video and emotive graphic messages on projection screens and in centerpiece bell jars coupled kept the focus of the evening on the burning needs in Africa. During dinner an auction of once in a lifetime experiences was held led by Christies auctioneers Tash Perrin and Hugh Edmeades. Lot's included a "God Save the Queen" poster signed by artist Jamie Reid which was the subject of a bidding war between Queen Latifah and John Mayer who ended up paying $100,000 each. Other lots included a trip to Africa, Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and one week on Richard Branson's private Necker Island.

Following dinner was the honoree program. The evening's honorees were Jackie Branfield, Simon Fuller and Queen Latifah. Jackie Branfield is the founder and director of Operation Bobbi Bear, which protects sexually abused children from social and judicial neglect while preventing further abuse and HIV infection in South Africa. Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol and Idol Gives Back, raised over $76 million for charity last season alone and has mobilized the American people to take action on a variety of causes and issues. Queen Latifah has shown incredible dedication and leadership in speaking out about HIV/AIDS through her long careers in film, music and advocacy. At the conclusion of the honoree program, Alicia Keys introduced the world to Noah - a 15 year old, HIV positive musician from Rwanda, who sings in his community to educate people about HIV prevention and whose dream was to come perform at the Black Ball. His dream was fulfilled and the audience went wild for his incredible performance. Following Noah, Alicia Keys and her incredible band backed a series of moving performances by artists that included Emmanuel Jal, Daughtry, Adele and finally superstar Justin Timberlake who electrified the audience with "Until the End of Time," "My Love," "Lovestoned", and "Another Day in Paradise" in a stunning duet with Alicia Keys.

All told, the Black Ball event raised over $2.4 million for AIDS affected children and families in Africa. Once again, Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the Black Ball and managed all aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent management and coordination, production, security and onsite management, collaborating with Keep a Child Alive and other partners and donors. Empire Entertainment is proud to serve as partner of Keep a Child Alive in saving lives and raising awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. Keep a Child Alive is an innovative charitable organization dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support services to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world. To learn more and donate, please visit www.keepachildalive.org

When the world-renowned Palm Jumeirah and its flagship resort, Atlantis - The Palm, unveiled plans for one of the biggest events of the year to celebrate the opening of the resort, they and renowned event designer and producer Colin Cowie turned to Empire Entertainment to help manage the live entertainment and live event components. The three day celebration was attended by over 2,000 celebrity and VIP guests. The grand opening event featured music legend Kylie Minogue's debut performance in the Middle East, a performance by Nawal Al Zoghbi - one of the highest selling Arab artists of all time, Bollywood Superstar Priyanka Chopra, and dinner hosted by Nobu Matsuhisa, Santi Santamaria, Michel Rostang and Giorgio Locatelli.

The finalé of the grand opening event was a 22 minute 'Illumination Sequence" featuring an originally-designed video projection across the entire facade of the Atlantis produced by industry veterans Edd Griles and Chip Rachlin. The powerful video projections, which told the story of the Atlantis, were integrated with an installation of high powered Syncrolites and pyrotechnic effects above and beneath the building. At the end of the Illumination sequence, Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra emerged on stage to unleash the world's largest-ever fireworks display - over 7 times larger than those seem at the Beijing Olympic Games - designed and executed by the world famous Grucci Family. The fireworks spectacular was executed over the Palm Islands' 43 KM of shoreline, illuminating the entire island with more than 100,000 specially designed pyrotechnic devices.

The grand opening evening's event was attended by a host of notable names including His Highness Sheik Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Charlize Theron, Michael Jordan, Robert DeNiro, Janet Jackson, Preity Zinta, Lily Allen, The Duchess of York, Agyness Deyn, Gerard Butler, Boris Becker, Petra Nemcova, Richard Branson, Lindsay Lohan, Mary Kate Olsen, Mischa Barton, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham, Rani Mukherjee, Gosha Kutsenko, Ronnie Woods and many others from all corners of the globe. DJ Donna D'Cruz of Rasa Music helmed the turntables for the cocktail party.

For this immense undertaking, Empire served as talent producer and talent logistics supervisor which included coordinating and integrating the participation of live talent such as Kylie Minogue, local musicians and dancers, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Priyanka Chopra, and DJ Donna D'Cruz. Empire also developed and managed the run of the show and stage-managed the live event including triggering the fireworks display. The event was broadcast globally via satellite into over 700 million households with the images of the Palm Island fireworks seen by over 1 billion people. Video highlights of the event can be seen by clicking here.

Empire is a leading producer of entertainment for some of the highest stature events in the world and is often engaged by leading event designer & producers like Colin Cowie Lifestyle for our expertise in delivering and managing large scale, live entertainment components for the most demanding projects.