When one of Russia's most successful oligarchs sought to throw an incredible party at a private estate in Cap D'Antibes on the Cote D'Azur, their Moscow-based, Russian event producers and strategic Empire partners turned to Empire Entertainment for help with the evening entertainment. The extraordinary party was hosted on a private, waterfront estate just adjacent to the famous Eden Roc and Hotel du Cap. The guests, numbering approximately 150, came from throughout Russia, Europe, Asia and the United States and included VIPs like Roman Abramovich.

The evening began with a cocktail reception surrounding a glittering pool, lit with floating candles and traversed with laser beams. American motion picture and TV star Jim Belushi and co-host, Russian television personality Andrey Malakhov, greeted guests as they arrived. Guests were then seated for a sumptuous dinner and Jim & Andrey took to the stage where Jim performed some Blues Brothers songs to track and the two delivered a combined standup set in English and Russian. After dessert, the British humor improv troupe Incognito Artists performed. Following dinner Jim and Andrey led guests from the dinner tent across the property to a giant outdoor stage and where they were treated to a full length, headline concert by international superstar Beyoncé and her full band and dancers. Her electrifying set included all of her hits such as "Survivor," "Deja Vu," "Say My Name" and "Crazy in Love" and the audience danced to every song. Following Beyoncé's concert the guests were led down a lighted pathway line with fountains to the waterfront where the evening's next surprise awaited them.

Upon arrival and taking their seats, an extraordinary 35 minute original spectacle of fountains, flame pots, fire dancers, lasers and fireworks astounded guests and drew attention up and down the Cote D'Azur from the shore and surrounding private yachts. The Phoenix Fire Dancers were part of this performance. Following the spectacle, guests returned to the dinner tent, now remodeled into an elegant after-party lounge with couches, ottomans and nightclub lighting, there they danced the rest of the night away and enjoyed cigars, cognac and dance music by Europe's Touch & Go and another band that performed Russian classics. Empire is thrilled to enjoy a strategic alliance with one of Russia's most established event production companies and has produced many events in private clients in Russia, France, Israel and elsewhere.

For more information on events in Russia and our capabilities from Moscow to Vladivostok, contact Empire Entertainment.

As Las Vegas, NV has increasingly become a prime destination major corporate programs & events, Empire has kept pace and offers our clients a full range of event services and capabilities in this unique city. These capabilities were on full display recently when Empire produced a wide range of events within days of each other in various settings and venues.

The series of events began when Empire produced the ever popular B-52s outdoors under a covered stage in the pool areas of The MGM Grand. The mixed group of over 1000 men and women danced and partied under the stars to hits that included "Love Shack," "Roam" and "Rock Lobster." Later that week we moved over to the Ballrooms at The Venetian Hotel, where Empire presented a concert with the Black Crowes. The 90 minute, greatest hits concert for a crowd of mostly young, male technology industry influencers was a huge hit with the audience who showered the band with ongoing applause in appreciation their no holds' barred hard-rocking style. Shortly after that Empire returned to more shows at the Mandalay Bay Arena and The Pearl at The Palms, where we presented performances for our clients featuring artists as diverse as Blue Man Group, Dana Carvey, American Idols' Michael Johns & Carly Smithson, and Sugar Ray.

Empire is able to serve our clients needs in Las Vegas based on our 15 years of extensive experience there and close relationships with the best talent, production and creative resources available. Whether it's a poolside party for several thousand or an intimate high-roller event featuring a top name headliner, Empire has the experience, relationships and resources to satisfy any clients needs in this unique city.

For the sixth year in a row, the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, chose Empire Entertainment to produce their Ten Awards program in New York City. This program, billed as "The Academy Awards of Business," annually recognizes the best & brightest in the New York business universe. The host sponsor for this important program was technology giant IBM. Other sponsors of this year's program included Cushman & Wakefield NASDAQ OMX, Zagat Survey, UPS, Dow Jones, Google, Accenture, Ogilvy, and AT&T among others. The Awards program was hosted by FOX Business Network's Brian Sullivan and featured keynote addresses by NYPD Comissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Hudson Riverkeeper's Chief Prosecuting Attorney, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

This year's award winners were: CEO of the Year: Shelley Lazarus, OgilvyCFO of the Year: Stephen Patrick, Colgate-PalmoliveCIO of the Year: Barbara Koster, Prudential FinancialBest Up and Comer: Eric Shepcaro, TelxBest Hedge Fund/Private Equity Firm of the Year: David Tepper, Appaloosa ManagementBest Female Executive: Judy McGrath, MTV NetworksBest Green Organization: Alex Matthiessen, RiverkeeperBest Media Executive: Laura Walker, WNYC Public RadioBest Healthcare Executive: Jeff Kinder & Ronald A. Williams, AetnaBest Executive Team: Are Traasdahl, Evan Schwartz, Scott Marshall, Markus Thortsvedt, Joe Bilman & Lasse Hamre, ThumbplayDealmaker of the Year: Michael Chen, GE Commercial FinanceCitizen of the Year: Sandi D. Franklin, Brooklyn Center for the Urban EnvironmentCEO and Innovation Award: Larry Cohen, CapgeminiThere was also a special Ten Awards NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony with the winners at NASDAQ's MarketSite in Times Square.

For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection, staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of graphics packages, and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, and signage.

Empire is a leading creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

When a private equity firm with a 25-year history of forming partnerships with talented entrepreneurs and management teams sought to entertain their partners at an Annual Meeting, they turned to Empire Entertainment for assistance with the headline talent. The format of the annual meeting is a 2-day series of lectures and panel discussions focused on the company's portfolio highlighted by a welcome dinner and cocktail reception on the first evening. In attempt to lighten the mood and break the informational tone of the 48-hour affair, the client turned to Empire Entertainment to select, book, and manage the humorous entertainment portion of the evening.

Dennis Miller, noted as one of the most acerbic and intelligent comedians of our time, was a natural fit for this sophisticated audience. His knowledge of current affairs and innate ability to inject humor and sarcasm into such serious topics made him a natural crowd pleaser. His high stature from his year's on Saturday Night Live and his HBO series made him a special treat for the audience. His material included even-handed political content that was especially relevant to the upcoming presidential election only two months later.The evening and Dennis Miller's hour long performance was exactly the success that the client sought for their partners. The audience greatly enjoyed Dennis Miller's cerebral humor and his celebrity stature ensured that the attendees felt that the presenting company had pulled out all the stops to deliver a name performer for their dinner. For this project Empire worked with the client to recommend and select from among various performer options, negotiated and contracted Dennis Miller, coordinated logistics including air, rooms and ground transportation, interfaced with the client's A/V supplier to ensure appropriate technical support, and provided a producer onsite to handle Dennis Miller from arrival to departure.

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

When a global corporation was planning a large-scale annual meeting for all of it's regional employees, they sought a humorous host who could handle their audience of over 12,000. Moreover, the external creative agency for the event, a cutting edge new firm with a Generation-Y attitude, needed a tongue-in-cheek, fresh comedian with a business affiliation to deliver on their creative. As the preferred entertainment supplier to the corporate client, Empire was asked to work with the creative agency to fulfill the specific talent needs of the project while simultaneously following the carefully-constructed contractual guidelines that have governed the relationship with the client for the past 10 years.

Working closely with the client and creative agency, Empire was able to deliver one of the stars of NBC's wildly successful series - "The Office" - Rainn Wilson, to host the meeting. Rainn's humor - as displayed in the Office series, but also in his film roles in "Juno," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," "Galaxy Quest," "Almost Famous" and "The Rocker" - was perfect for this audience and the creative.Prior to coming onsite, Rainn participated in a remote recording of a video sketch depicting the creative agency trying to select the host. As the agency sifted through potential candidates ranging from Bob Hope and Jared from the Subway commercials to Gandhi, they moved on to suggest Rainn Wilson who they unanimously decided should not be the host as he is decidedly "not funny." Then they discovered that Rainn was on the conference call...

Onsite Rainn was a superb host and fulfilled perfectly the creative agency's vision. He opened the meeting in full costume as one of the client's entertainment properties and rapidly assumed the role of host in the center of the sports stadium. He began: "All my life I was told no. No you can't have a pony, no you can't eat that off the floor, no you can't shave your grandfather. No matter how famous I get nothing seems to change. Even today at the airport: "No you can't change your seat from 31B, middle, to 31A, window. No, you can't carry on your alpaca. No, you can't sync your iPhone to your iPod. No, the cable guy will not lock down a time to be at your house. No, no, no."Then today I got to [Client's Name] Company Meeting and they started saying "Yes." They said I could do whatever I wanted. That today was about ‘yes.' I asked, ‘Hmmm, Can I set a seating section on fire?' They said yes." Rainn then demonstrated the power of "Yes" by waving his hands which set off an explosion in a section of the bleachers and then threw out a pitch from the pitching mound.Rainn then hosted a series of humorous vignettes that introduced speakers and videos and tied together the various presentations throughout the day.

Each of Rainn's segments were met with roaring laughter and applause.The exciting finalé of Rainn's performance came as he instructed all attending employees to fold and construct over 12,000 paper airplanes, and then, at once, throw them in unison, achieving the Guiness Book of World Records record for the most paper airplanes thrown at one time.Rainn worked closely with the creative team and Empire on details such as scripting, costumes, special effects, etc.Empire negotiated the deal for Rainn, worked with his management in order to secure time off from his busy shooting schedule for The Office and the theatrical release of his new film The Rocker. Empire also served as onsite talent liaison for Rainn to help him deliver the best possible performance.

Empire is a leading source of celebrity and headline talent for meeting hosts, spokesperson roles and personal appearances and often collaborates with creative agencies and production companies to help fulfill their creative visions through the effective use of talent.

In order to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day weekend and as a value added incentive for the hotel's preferred clientele, Kerzner International turned to Empire Entertainment to book two of Latin America's most popular artists for a concert series in the intimate 600 seat Atlantis Theatre, on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Friday night hosted Alejandra Guzman, Mexico's beloved "Queen of Rock". Alejandra put on a show of her greatest hits and dazzled crowd with her sensual presentation and hard rocking performance, proving to the audience why she owns so many Latin Grammy Awards.International pop superstar, Paulina Rubio, followed the next night. From start to finish, guests were up from their seats and dancing to her hits singles, "Don't Say Goodbye" and "Te Quise Tanto". In addition to booking and contracting Paulina and Alejandra, Empire coordinated all logistical details and managed the bands while on site.

Empire Entertainment Inc. is a worldwide leader in the booking of Latin American music and often serves casinos, resorts, nightclubs and local promoters throughout the world as a talent acquisition and production specialist.

When a private client wanted to celebrate his own 50th birthday among 200 of his closest friends, he turned to Empire Entertainment to book, produce, design and coordinate the affair from beginning to end.The event was designed as a 2-night exclusive concert held in a tent in the backyard of the client's private summer home in East Hampton, NY.

The first evening, Friday night, featured a line up that included The Nancy Atlas Project, a local Hamptons-area phenomenon, who kicked off the festivities with a rock solid set of blues and rock and roll covers. The first evening's headliner was legendary singer & songwriter Elvis Costello who delivered a 75 minute, solo acoustic set that included many of his greatest hits. Afterwards guests danced to DJ Jordan Kessler and later went downstairs for a late night after party. Saturday night's event brought two of 1980's biggest concert headliners to the stage: the Psychedelic Furs and the B-52s who wowed the VIP audience and kept them dancing the entire time. This night's concerts were also followed by an after-party in the residence's stylish "basement lounge" with DJs and more live music.

As the overall producers of the event and all of it's components, Empire worked with various permitting agencies as well as town boards and departments to secure all necessary approvals to hold a major concert event in a residential neighborhood. Once approved, Empire designed and installed a tenting concept, created a décor lighting scenario, brought in decor, catering, furnishings and florals and created a multi-purpose stage design, which enabled all of the activity needed to create a full-scale concert venue.

Friday's and Saturday's events each had dramatically different themes, which meant that the venue's décor, lighting, and catering had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt between the events. A further complication to this already-pressing schedule presented itself when a major rainstorm hit the East End of Long Island on the eve before Friday night's opening party. As a result, the team had less than 12 hours to rebuild major portions of the venue – tenting, décor, sound and lighting, etc. – from the ground up on the morning of the party, not to mention rescue the lawn, now under several inches of water. Aided by knowledgeable local vendors and their own quick-thinking, Empire managed to install a dance floor above the watery grass and avert the crisis.

Empire is a leading producer of specialty and high-concept private events worldwide from conception to completion.

When the Ross School, one of Empire's long-standing clients, was looking for a unique way to raise substantial monies for their Scholarship Fund, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce an original-concept event series, which would peak the interest of their local community.Building off of the momentum of 2007's ultra-elite Hampton SOCIAL concert series, which brought Prince, Billy Joel, & Tom Petty among others to the small campus for a private audience, Empire prepared and Ross School announced a follow-up concert series featuring two of the biggest and most diverse names in music. However in 2008, unlike 2007, the events would directly benefit Ross School Programs and Scholarships.

The series was entitled @ross Summer 2008 and encompassed two major events in the month of August, 2008: THE JONAS BROTHERS@ROSS & ARETHA FRANKLIN@ROSS.Over 700 guests including host Kelly Ripa of television's Regis & Kelly attended the sold out Jonas Brothers event held on the majestic grounds of the Ross Upper School campus in East Hampton, NY. Kelly participated in the onstage raffle of 3 Gibson Guitars, signed by the Jonas Brothers, and then introduced the trio to their screaming fans. While the sought-after teen idols played a roster of their hits, the audience was treated a delicious outdoor BBQ prepared by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. The Aretha Franklin event kicked off with an elegant dinner gala also presented by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. Following dessert, the Queen of Soul appeared onstage, performing an impressive roster of her greatest hits. Guests danced the night away to Natural Woman, Respect, Mack the Knife, and Freeway.

Distinguished guests such as Christie Brinkley, Rosie Perez, and, Abigail Breslin were also in attendance, showing their support for this worthy institution.Located in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, New York, Ross School was founded in 1991 by Courtney and Steven J. Ross, and focuses on cultivating a global perspective and embracing technology. Their scholarship programs, in place since the school's inception, provide financial aid for over forty percent of the School's 560 students, allowing them to contribute to the rich fabric of the Ross School community. These programs also enable Ross to continue its commitment to offering the highest quality education to the broadest range of students, regardless of financial circumstances. Over 33% of all Ross graduates are the first in their families to attend college. In addition to conceiving, managing, and producing @ross Summer 2008, Empire also contracted and arranged travel and accommodations for The Jonas Brothers and Aretha Franklin, as well as all of the logistical and technical aspects of the concert.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of not for profit events in the U.S. and around the world.

This summer, Empire had the privilege to book, contract & manage the headline entertainment for one of the world's largest global corporations and at one of the largest annual corporate events held in America. The highlight of the multi-day conference was an outdoor concert co-headlined by double Grammy- winning artist, Pink and double platinum recording artist, Daughtry. For this concert, Empire was able to negotiate deals with both artists, allowing them to share the stage for an extraordinary night of music, blowing away thousands of young business men & women from around the globe. The artists performed in an outdoor amphitheater at the Six Flags amusement Park.

Although it was a hot Atlanta night where the temperature reached into the 90's, the heat didn't begin until both bands tore into their high-energy sets. Beginning with a rocking 65-minute set by Pink and her band, the audience was on their feet as they performed award-winning greatest hits such as "Get the Party Started," "So What," "Just Like a Pill," and "Who Knew." Following the amazing performance by Pink, Daughty took the stage to wow the audience with yet another 65-minute set. This time the audience sang along as the band performed radio hits such as "It's Not Over," "Home," Feels Like Tonight," and "What About Now."

Empire is the leader in securing contemporary musical talent for business meetings and events.

When one of Empire's long-standing clients was planning an event for 1,000 of their summer interns, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce a flawless concert with two of the biggest names amongst college students everywhere. Known for their series of summer concerts, the Woodland Park Zoo was an ideal spot to host this event. The outdoor setting gave the evening a relaxed feeling and with the beautiful weather, great food and drinks, the guests were having a fantastic time – and the surprise performances were yet to come. Following welcome remarks Vampire Weekend took to the stage and were greeted by a sea of cheers and applause. The band, known for their hit song "A-Punk", is the next indie-pop act on their way to the top. They performed a rousing set for this lively crowd of young company interns.After a brief changeover a client executive announced the next surprise act. Piano pop/rock superstar Ben Folds began playing to an ecstatic crowd who rushed the stage with a flurry of snapshots. Folds played many of his well-known songs such as "Zak and Sara", "Landed", "Kate", and "Rockin' The Suburbs". Despite the large audience Folds' solo performance at the piano created an intimate atmosphere and in fact much of his set list was based on requests shouted by the audience. Folds even improvised a song based on the event and invited guests onstage for a sing-a-long during the last song.In addition to contracting and arranging travel and accommodations for Ben Folds and Vampire Weekend, Empire organized and managed all of the logistical and technical aspects of the concert.Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of private and corporate events in the U.S. and around the world.

Each year, The Public Theater holds its fundraising gala on the opening night of Shakespeare in the Park. The event is always a high point of the New York social season. The event features a seated dinner for almost 1000 people on the Great Lawn, an opening night performance in the Delacorte Theater, and an after-party with drinks, dancing & music among the ramparts of the Belvedere castle. All of this takes place under the stars on a glorious early Summer night. In 2008 the Public Theater engaged Empire Entertainment to help them produce this most sought-after New York City event.

The 2008 Gala honored one of the Public Theater's long-time collaborators and Board Member - Designer & architect David Rockwell. The event was chaired by The Related Companies Chairman & CEO Stephen M. Ross and Reservoir Capital Group CEO, Daniel H. Stern. The event was generously underwritten by Bank of America and other sponsors. The event began with a smoothly run check-in and registration area that swiftly accommodated check-in of various tiers of attendees including VIPs, general attendees, show-only attendees, after-party attendees and press. Empire worked closely with the Public Theater to design a fail safe system to quickly and efficiently separate and process over 1000 arriving guests and the system worked without a flaw.On the red carpet, celebrities ranging from Steve Martin, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Mike Nichols, Ethan Hawke, Cynthia Nixon, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Diane Sawyer, Nora Ephron and others posed for press photos before proceeding into the event. Hudson Yards Catering designed a colorful and mouthwatering dinner buffet for the guests who were seated at a sea of tables on the lawn.

Empire worked with members of the David Rockwell Team on table design to integrate linen color, plates, stemware and silverware with a table runner that utilized Frederick Law-Olmsted's original map of Central Park and a centerpiece designed by Rockwell Group. The Howard Fishman Quartet provided the light jazz background music for the dinner. Following a short honorees' program at dinner which included remarks by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, guests moved into the Delacorte Theater to take their seats for the opening night performance of Hamlet starring Tony Award-winning Michael Stuhlbarg in the starring role. At the conclusion of the performance and curtain calls, the guests walked up the hill behind the theater to the after-party atop Belvedere Castle, which overlooks both Turtle Pond and the Delacorte. The grounds and ramparts of the castle had been elegantly lit with twinkle lights and DJ Marlon Morris spun a set of music perfect for the starry evening and guests drank and partied late into the night.

Fortunately for everyone, this year's weather was perfect -- warm and sunny with low humidity and not a drop of rain, unlike in 2007 when a last-minute downpour prematurely closed the curtains on Romeo and Juliet. The sold out evening was an incredible success and raised substantial funds for the Public Theater and it's programs. For this magical evening Empire served as overall event producer, coordinating check-in logistics with the Public Theater Development team, catering with Hudson Yards, decor & design with The Rockwell Group, Staging & Production with the Public Theater's own extraordinary production team and all talent and staff. Empire also managed the budget, production schedule, show flow and team assignments to keep everyone's efforts tightly integrated and coordinated with the operations of the Public Theater and the NYC Parks Department.

Empire is an experienced producer of public, private and not-for-profit, outdoor events with extensive work history in New York's Extraordinary Central Park. Empire is humbled to have been chosen by the Public Theater, one of the world's most prestigious and prolific presenters of theater to serve as their producer for this singularly important and exceptional event. To learn more about the Public Theater and their programs and to become a member and supporter, visit http://www.publictheater.org/

In June 2008, Empire Entertainment was invited by Recognition Media, LLC to produce the Webby Awards for the fourth consecutive year. The Webby Awards are the leading international awards honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed "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 internet came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway.For this year's awards Empire secured Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers to host the 12th Annual event, which was again held at Cipriani Wall Street. Seth Meyers kept the evening light and fun, and introduced Webby Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, David Byrne. Rapper Ludacris was on hand to introduce The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am as the 2008 Webby Artist of the Year.

The program was packed with memorable moments and legendary Webby 5-word acceptance speeches, but the highlight of the evening came when Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert took the stage to receive his trophy for Webby Person of the Year. After an over-the-top grandiose and complimentary introduction (which was clearly written tongue-in-cheek by Colbert himself), he used his five words to maniacally (and hilariously) scream "ME! ME! ME! ME! ME!!!" The evening concluded in high style with an after party at Hiro Ballroom, and a blazing live performance by Ludacris

The evening prior, Empire also produced the 2008 Webby Film & Video Awards at NYU's Skirball Theater. This event was held for the second year to honor the best films and videos to have premiered online in the last year, as well as to recognize individuals who have been influential and forward-thinking with respect to using the internet as a medium for the moving image. At Webby Film & Video Awards Tay Zonday (renowned for his song and viral Web video "Chocolate Rain") stunned the crowd by singing "The Star Spangled Banner" to kick things off. The offbeat and uproarious star of NBC's "30 Rock", Judah Friedlander hosted the event, and introduced Web superstars "Tim & Eric" as 2008's "Best Actor" and also interacted with robotic Web phenomenon Keepon. Later in the show, Academy Award-nominee Rosie Pérez provided a heartfelt and emotional introduction of The Person of the Year - Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"). The final award of the evening went to Lorne Michaels for lifetime achievement, primarily for his work on the SNL "digital shorts" many of which have become viral web phenomena. Lorne used his five words ironically, telling the standing ovation crowd "Five words is not enough."

Empire Entertainment again provided oversight of nearly every element of these complex events, including site selection and acquisition, signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, audio and video, lighting, talent wrangling, and stage management. Empire was pleased to partner with Cipriani Wall Street, NYU, Production Glue, Digital Kitchen, Deccan Designs, Central Talent Booking, and MKPR on these successful projects.Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge new media events and awards programs and take great pride for consistently delivering great performances for innovative clients like Recognition Media who have chosen to partner with Empire for many years running on their most important projects.

In June 2008, a business partnership called on Empire to design, produce and manage a Family Weekend for their 25th Anniversary. The New York City weekend began with a spirited cocktail hour and delectable dinner in the private dining room of Per Se. Guests then retired to The Four Seasons hotel to rest from the long day of travel.

On Saturday, Empire had the entire day mapped out with exciting tours and activities. At 8AM, the guests enjoyed a run through Central Park guided by a marathon runner from Team Continuum. Upon returning from the run, the guests enjoyed some breakfast in the foyer of The Four Seasons. Empire then acquired a New York Double Decker tour bus which brought them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a private tour. For lunch, the guests proceeded to Orsay where they dined in private. After lunch, the Partners and their families jumped back on board the bus for a tour of New York City, with special guest Timothy "Speed" Levitch, the subject of the 1998 Emmy award-winning documentary "The Cruise". Speed brought the guests on a two hour tour throughout the city, showing them many landmarks like Central Park, The Plaza Hotel, Columbus Circle, The Empire State Building and more.

After the bus tour, the Partners and their families got ready for dinner at the world-famous Tavern on the Green. Following dinner, the guests were escorted into the park to a secret performance location by Wildman Steve Brill, an expert on Central Park and its urban plant life. To conclude their night the Partners and their families arrived in a secured location in the Park to watch a private performance by LUMA, an exhilarating and entirely original form of performance art that fuses a light show with the dynamism of live, human performers.

On late Sunday morning the Partners and their families met in the Metropolitan Suite for brunch with entertainment by Todd Londagin and his jazz trio.Throughout the weekend Empire brought in a video crew and a photographer to follow the group and document their trip. The guests were sent a photo slideshow and documentary DVD as a keepsake for this weekend.

Empire is a leading producer of creative events and activities for all ages, with a unique ability to mold our services to the client's special needs and to act as a team player to help execute flawless events.

Now in its 7th year, 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. Larger than previous years, this year's Family Festival offered more than 60 tents of entertainment, activities, and food and stretched across 12 city blocks. Three outdoor stages presented a diverse collection of New York-based performers and community talent, including The Knicks City Dancers and David Grover and the Big Bear Band.Highlights of this year's Family Festival, sponsored by American Express, included an arts and crafts pavilion, a tennis activity area created by USTA, a basketball shooting court sponsored by the New York Knicks, a mini-movie studio, a life-size chess board, 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 event producer and managed all production and logistics elements of the entire event and coordinated all services including tenting, permitting and street closure, integration with city agencies, security, electrical power distribution, decor, staging, sound, lighting, labor, decor, bathrooms, street cleanup, video and A/V, event design and layout, stage management, etc.

Empire is a major producer of public events and is proud to be a partner of TriBeCa Productions in the TriBeCa Film Festival since it's start in 2002.

To bring their annual employee conference to a dramatic close, one of Europe's most celebrated multinational companies turned to Empire Entertainment to select, secure and deliver a world-renowned and critically-acclaimed musician: the multi-platinum recording artist, Zucchero!Zucchero, who is amongst the most internationally beloved rock singers ever to hail from Italy, has collaborated with Sting, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Mana, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, U2, Elvis Costello, and Solomon Burke during a career that has spanned over 20 years. Empire arranged for Zucchero to take a break from his sold out world tour, which included concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, to play an action-packed concert in Berlin for an energetic and ecstatic crowd.

Following several days of informational meetings, the 5,000 attendees at Berlin's Messe Hall Nine were ready to unwind. Zucchero took the stage following dinner, and within minutes, the attendees were on their feet and rushing to stage of this music legend. Some attendees danced, others waved their hands in the air - everyone had a smile on their face. Zucchero performed a ninety minute show of his greatest hits, complete with three encores and boundless energy. Before he left the stage, Zucchero reached out into the audience to shake hands and personally connect with the gushing crowd. By the time he made his way back to his dressing room, the cheering roar from the ballroom was still audible behind him. The concert was the highlight of the conference.In addition to booking and contracting Zucchero and facilitating all logistics in Germany, Empire also managed the band onsite to ensure a smooth and successful concert experience.

Empire is a leading provider of international headline concert talent for corporate events throughout the world.

Co-Founded by Brian Greene and Tracy Day, the World Science Festival's mission is "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." In May 2008 the World Science Festival launched with a prolific series of events and Empire Entertainment was engaged to manage production for over thirty major programs in over seven venues across New York City in a span of just four days. The diverse programming appealed to all demographics and included moderated panel discussions with some of the most brilliant scientific minds today, original theatrical productions. Major stars including Alan Alda, Anthony Lapaglia and Mia Barron, an interactive sports demonstration with NBA players and scientists, and a family street festival held in Washington Square Park.

Some of the many participants in this year's World Science festival programs included Leon Lederman, Michio Kaku, Robert Krulwich, John Hockenbery, Bill T. Jones, Sam Shepard, Lucy Hawking, Michael York, Charlie Rose, Oliver Sachs, the Disney Imagineering Team, Richard Leakey, Brian Greene and many others. More than 120,000 people attended the Festival. Empire's support on the project included management of numerous venue's staging and set requirements, sound, lighting, video playback, stage management and technical direction as ell 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 2008 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, 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 proud to serve as the production partner for the first annual World Science Festival.

On Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Empire Entertainment produced the DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Gala to help raise awareness of the fight against Leukemia. DKMS strives to give every blood cancer patient an equal chance by recruiting marrow donors from every race and ethnicity. They inspire hope and healing by matching their donors with patients around the world. Over 600 guests including host Mario Cantone of Sex and the City attended the sold out event, held at Capitale in New York, NY. The evening's honorees included Cindy Crawford; Chairman and CEO of Phillips-Van Heusen, Emanuel Chirico; and CEO of Coty Inc, Bernd Beetz. Distinguished guests such as actresses Eva Mendes, Amy Adams and Morgan Fairchild and supermodel Carol Alt also showed their support for this worthy cause. Following a cocktail reception, which featured a 30-foot long red carpet and step & repeat banner, the attendees entered the ballroom where Empire had installed a white flowing ceiling treatment and backdrop with the charity's logo: a red butterfly lit throughout.

The emotional dinner program included the "Moment of the Match" where a donor from Germany was introduced to the 6-year old recipient on stage for the first time. This moment was magnified by the music of New York City DJ, Mike Williams. Following this moment, musical performances by German performing artist, Sarah Connor, DMC and Natasha Bedingfield capped off the night. Empire provided event production for this program including collaboration and execution of all décor aspects, all technical production and stage management, talent logistics and management, and maintained the master run of show, production schedule and script of stage presentations.

When SONY Corporation sought to achieve worldwide impact by announcing a three year sponsorship agreement with International classical music Superstar Lang Lang, they turned to Empire Entertainment's Tokyo office to conceive, coordinate and produce the New York City event. Lang Lang is fast becoming one of the world's best-known classical pianists and has enormous appeal throughout the world and particularly in his native country of China. SONY Corporation identified Lang Lang as the ideal personality to represent their brands & products throughout the world and especially in China.

To announce the partnership, SONY CEO Sir Howard Stringer and Masao Morita, son of SONY founder Akio Morita and an executive of the company, hosted an intimate reception for Lang Lang at the plush Empire Hotel. The guest list included industry VIPs, international media and celebrities as well as some of SONY's senior leadership. The reception took place immediately following Lang Lang's world premiere performance of Tan Dun's new piano concerto at Lincoln Center. Tan Dun, another celebrated Chinese classical music figure, composed the music to SONY Pictures Classic release "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" among many other credits. Following introductory remarks by Sir Howard Stringer and Morita-san, Lang Lang spoke about his excitement for the SONY partnership and then performed a brief recital of Franz Liszt's Liebesträume and Hungarian Rhapsody #6 which brought guests to their feet. After the recital, Lang Lang invited the press to join him in an area designed to represent his living room where the newest Sony products were all on display. These included the Bravio television, the SONY Organic LED television and a product called the Rolly which will soon be released in the U.S. that resembles a dancing Walkman.

For this important press event Empire identified and secured the venue, provided all staging, sound, lighting and piano, created a branded SONY backdrop, oversaw catering and bar, designed and implemented the Lang Lang living room concept with SONY product, stage managed the live event, and even assisted in securing international press coverage. Given the high level nature of the event, flawless coordination between SONY management in Japan and the execution team on the ground in New York was necessary.

Empire's office presences in Tokyo, Japan and New York City enabled it to serve as the perfect partner for SONY in this international endeavor.

Expanding into a relatively new role with a longtime entertainment services client, Empire served as creative director for a major, annual marketing conference in Seattle, WA attended by over 2000 marketers. The one day conference featured keynote speeches by the company's CEO, it's head of marketing, Nothwestern University marketing professor Mohanbir Sawhney and Marketing guru and bestselling author Seth Godin. The conference also featured a marketing excellence awards program, five tracks and three sessions of meeting breakouts, opening and keynote video packages, and a post-conference networking expo. For this major undertaking, Empire worked closely with the client's marketing team and executive management over the period of several months, adding value in many areas including set design & room layout, lighting design, agenda development & refinement, scripting of segment & award program wraparounds, and writing and working with the client's impressive in-house video studios to produce the meeting's videos.

In the area of set & room design, Empire was tasked with finding economical ways to transform the cavernous expo hall into an intimate, immersive venue that would bring the attendees closer to the stage. The solution: to orient the room on a diagonal and spreading the seating more widely, effectively reducing the distance between the stage and the rear rows of seating. Empire also designed and worked with the client's production provider to implement a series of innovative ceiling 'pods' lit with LED strips that glowed and changed color to match the stage content and video tones, enveloping the audience with the content. In terms of content development, Empire worked throughout the process to develop a look, feel, tone and theme to make the program entertaining, inspiring and effective in conveying client's key messages. Prior to the conference and onsite in rehearsals, Empire worked closely with each presenter to best integrate their remarks into an overall theme and flow. Empire is a leading meeting production company with deep experience in designing and producing world class business meetings.

With staff creative directors, writers, graphic designers, video producers, production designers, technical directors and stage managers, Empire provides turnkey service to corporations looking to present state-of-the-art business communications.

When the United Nations Delegations Women's Club and their producer, Annette Richardson, were in need of a production company for their 1st "Women for Peace" event, they selected Empire Entertainment to coordinate talent onsite and stage manage the evening at the world-renowned United Nations General Assembly Hall. Celebrating International Women's Day, the evening began with inspirational words from the Patron of "Women for Peace", the Honorable Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UN Delegations Women's Club President Anna Birgis Hannesson, wife of the Icelandic Ambassador to the United Nations, and Project chair Dr. Helene Yousfi, wife of the Algerian Ambassador to the United Nations, led the many distinguished guest speakers including Mrs Kerim, Wife of the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Solveiga Silkalna, and world-renown humanitarian Jacqueline Murekatete, in their stories of peace and hopes for the future.

This unique cultural event featured over 90 performers from around the world, demonstrating through song and dance that differences among people can be overcome. Empire coordinated all of the artists and satisfied their technical needs to ensure that guests were treated to fantastic performances and that the evening flowed smoothly. The many acts included Indonesian dancers, Chinese acrobats, Latin dancers, French Quadrille dancers, African drummers, and Hawaiian dancers as well as more than one internationally-renowned opera diva. Internationally-acclaimed musician and composer Dr. Simon Shaheen brought his unique blend of Arab, Jazz, Classical, and Latin music to an ecstatic audience. And Swedish soprano Madeleine Kristoffersson moved the audience with her powerful performance of "Pace, pace mio Dio" accompanied by pianist Leon Livshin. Also performing was Magnus Martensson. Hailed as the successor of Victor Borge, this Swedish comedian/pianist is currently the Music Director of the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra of New York. The evening's final performance featured a powerful rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" sung by award-winning songwriter Sylvia Tosun and former-Motown recording artist Kyla Upshaw. During the finalé the women delegates and spouses to UN representatives joined all of the evening's performers on stage in singing for peace.

Empire is a leading producer of international talent and has experience producing major events in many of the world's most prestigious venues.

For the third consecutive year, Empire was chosen by one of the world's top corporations to produce their annual recognition event. Each year, the company's top researchers and scientists gather to network, spend time together and celebrate their achievements. This year's event took place at La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, renowned since 1926 for its charm and serenity. Working within two separate ballrooms, Empire had the challenge of transforming the two ballrooms into three entirely different atmospheres that would change throughout the course of the weekend.

For the Friday night dinner, Empire took on the task of "bringing the outside in." In addition to the dozens of flowers and foliage brought into the room, custom blown glass flowers were created to adorn the stage, emulating the colors schemes of the surrounding resort grounds. After dinner, the audience was thrilled by a presentation by Bill Gates, who followed his presentation with an open Q&A session. After the uplifting presentation, guests were treated to a performance by internationally-acclaimed recording artist, Chris Isaak. Chris rocked all his hits including "Wicked Game," "San Francisco Days," and "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" and had the audience on their feet, especially during his encore when he and his dog came to the stage sporting matching mirror suits. For those not ready to go to bed, after-dinner activities started immediately following the concert. A poker tournament was available for guests looking for a quiet activity, while the Los Angeles-based band The Bonedaddys, entertained the guests with their blend of funk-infused world rock. The next morning at breakfast, the attendees got a new perspective on the universe.

Flying to Palm Springs amidst a tour in Europe, Harvard professor and internationally-proclaimed physicist, Lisa Randall, spoke about the hidden dimensions of space and time and the soon-to-be-operational Large Hadron Particle Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. As guests were participating in their afternoon offsite activities, a second ballroom was transformed into black and gold, styled after the resort's Art Deco galas of the 1930's. Over 50 black chandeliers and mirrors were installed, and a custom stage, complete with specially designed orchestra fronts, added to the room's elegance. As the dinner bell chimed that evening, guests entered the fully-transformed ballroom with the 11-piece Mirage Big Band Orchestra playing on stage. After dinner, Ann Hampton Callaway, a world-class cabaret singer best known for writing & singing "The Nanny" theme song, performed two custom songs backed by the big band. An elegant awards show recognizing the achievements of the company employees followed her performance.

After dinner, attendees were led into a different ballroom designed to resemble a Chicago blues nightclub, where a performance by The Blues Brothers, featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, surprised everyone. The Blues Brothers used their signature energy and charisma to keep people dancing throughout their set, culminating with their hit "Soul Man." Los Angeles' own, DJ Crash, finished the night by spinning modern dance hits until the early morning. After a long weekend, the attendees had one last opportunity to bask in the tranquility of the setting at the departure brunch. Guests relaxed outside on the main lawn with the melodious sound of live flamenco guitarists in the background.

Working in close collaboration with the client on every detail, Empire Entertainment served as the creative and technical production company for the entire program - developing, designing and delivering every aspect and component of the program. Empire also booked all speakers and entertainment and provided all staging, sound, lighting, and audiovisual services as well as décor, production management and onsite staffing.

For the celebration evening of a recent business conference, Empire Entertainment delivered superstar rocker Bryan Adams to perform a major concert event in Maui, Hawaii. The concert was the latest success in a long history of entertainment collaborations between Empire and this longstanding client. The company in question, an international technology goliath, had sought to book Bryan Adams on several past occasions, but scheduling conflicts had always prevented him from accepting the engagement. This year Empire leveraged its deep relationships with Bryan Adams' camp to finally make it happen – and it was well worth the wait. The concert took place on a massive stage constructed on the beach especially for the show. Adams delivered a hit-filled set to a crowd of fervent admirers who sang along and swooned in the balmy island breezes. Adams performed hits like "Cuts Like A Knife," "Summer of 69," "Everything I Do," "Run To You," "Please Forgive Me," and others and the performance culminated in Adams inviting dozens of attendees onto the stage to join him and dance during the encore.

Before the show, Empire orchestrated an extensive meet-and-greet during which Adams hung out and chatted affably with client executives and their families. The high-spirits of the meet-and-greet seemed to fuel Adams performance, which strained against the given time parameters – he wanted to keep playing and the audience clamored for him to keep his guitar on, but a scheduled fireworks show brought the concert to a close and the evening to a dazzling end.

From the beaches of Hawaii and Mexico to the mountains of Colorado and Vermont, Empire is a leading producer of outdoor concerts for private events.

In late November 2007, a private Russian client contacted Empire for help with an exclusive friends & family concert to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel in January 2008. After extensive consultations with the client and a review of available artists, Empire helped to eventually guide the client toward a concert with international superstar, Pink.Due to the last minute nature of the inquiry and the intervening holidays, the deal for Pink's performance had to be worked out among a far flung community of key participants.

On the day the offer was placed, Pink was in Colorado, her manager was in Australia, her agent was in Los Angeles, Empire was in New York, Pink's production manager was in London, her band was dispersed throughout the United States, while the client was in Israel and the client's attorney was in London. Empire deftly brought together all of the participants and managed to confirm the deal with just 12 days remaining prior to the concert. The paperwork was signed by a client officer in Cyprus and the funds were wired from Moscow. With only 12 days to go, Empire coordinated with its' Israeli partners and Pink's camp on a 24/7 basis. Empire organized all Israeli work permits and immigration matters, arranged a sit-down production advance meeting in London, coordinated the international air freight of band gear and lighting equipment thru immigration and security, executed all contracts and international fund transfers, managed a strategy for dealing with Israeli paparazzi, coordinated all hotel accommodations and ground transportation, and fulfilled all Pink production rider requirements with a variety of vendors and subcontractors.

To ensure maximum cooperation with the artist for current and future events, Empire always makes a point of developing personal relationships with the band, road & production management and this experience was no different – Empire personnel bonded with Pink and her band and crew over dinners, local theater performances and a tour of Jerusalem to create a greater basis for collaboration. The net result was that Pink delivered a high energy, 75 minute show, that left the client and the audience of almost 2000 guests delighted and the crowd screaming for more. Pink's full band set included all of her greatest hits including "Mr. President," "Just Like a Pill," and "Get the Party Started."

Empire Entertainment is a company of global reach, with the ability to flawlessly advise, organize and execute the most complicated international transactions on the tightest timelines.

For the daughter of a private client, Empire recently produced a Sweet Sixteen celebration at the Blender Theatre in Manhattan - featuring a private concert by the Jonas Brothers.Currently sharing the title of the most popular teen pop-rock band in the nation with Hannah Montana (a/k/a Miley Cyrus, see Empire February 2007 case study), the Jonas Brothers have been booked solid with tour dates and television appearances since their self-titled platinum album was released in August 2007. Despite the Jonas Brothers' busy schedule, Empire managed to secure the band for a private performance just two days after the end of their wildly popular guest star appearance on the Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Tour and just three weeks before the start of their own sold-out headline arena tour.

The band's appearance was a surprise to all of the attendees except for the family and the guest of honor's friends screamed in delight and disbelief when the proud father introduced and revealed the band. One highlight of the evening occurred when the three brothers invited the guest of honor onstage and serenaded her with Happy Birthday and another song from their album. The 75-minute greatest hits show was energetic, intimate and sure to be cherished by the client, his daughter and their family and friends for a very long time.In addition to booking and coordinating the headline entertainment, Empire selected & contracted the venue, directed audio/visual production, rented supplemental band gear & staging, coordinated catering, rentals, florals, provided event staff and managed logistics.

Empire is a leading producer of both corporate and private concert events.

When an internationally-experienced entertainment partner was needed to secure talent for an extraordinary wedding in the British Virgin Islands, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help turn their vision into reality. For the the three-day event Empire booked and coordinated travel and production for over 40 artists to create a memorable experience for the guests and young couple. With distinguished attendees such as Bono, Sergey Brin, Sir Richard Branson, Eric Schmidt, John Cusack, Dean Kamen, as well as senior Silicon Valley executives, it's no wonder this was the most talked about wedding of 2007.

The Friday night welcome reception took place at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay and featured a performance by jazz guitarist Ken Hatfield with a family member of the bride. Empire also coordinated with a local island band called Profile whose performance set the proper tone for the evening. After dinner and speeches DJ Earworm got the party dancing with custom mash-ups created specifically for the weekend. On Saturday night the party was taking to another level. Upon entering the pavilion at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay the guests were greeted with a poolside performance by the Phoenix Fire Dancers. All the way from Vienna, Austria for this performance, Phoenix displayed feats of fire-eating and dancing to a backbeat of tribal drums. Following dinner, the main event was ready to begin – Bob Marley's The Wailers took to the stage and performed a mind-blowing set of reggae classics such as "No Woman No Cry", "Three Little Birds", and "Stir It Up". After the Wailer's amazing performance, DJ Earworm kept the party dancing while Phoenix Fire Dancers gave a special futuristic performance – this time performing a cyber light show. The dance floor was filled throughout the night and guests ended up in the pool and along the beach where large firs had been lit in artful, metal containers that stood above the water. On Sunday afternoon the big day was ready to begin.

The wedding itself was to take place on the beach of Sir Richard Branson's private Necker Island, with the ceremony being performed by Branson himself. Situated on the beach, jazz guitarist Ken Hatfield's wonderful musical mix of Bossa Nova and jazz welcomed guests to Necker as they arrived by private boats and walked up the beach. When the ceremony began it was Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, equipped with an acoustic guitar, who played the bride down the aisle to his song "First Day of My Life".Following the moving ceremony, the newlyweds stripped off their formal clothes, put on their harnesses and launched directly from the beach into a kite surfing duet with the backing of music by Ken Hatfield. Guests then walked up the beach into the beautiful tented reception area for an intimate performance by Eric Bachmann (former lead singer in 90's indie band "Archers of Loaf") and a fabulous dinner by world-renowned organic cooking master, Alice Waters.

After an extraordinary dinner in the spectacular but minimal dinner tent, decorated in muslin & shell, the magic of the evening was heightened when Bono gave an inspired performance of Ben E. King's classic "Stand By Me", which ended as a group sing-along. After Bono's performance DJ Earworm picked up the beat and spun dance music until well past 3:00AM while guests danced and played alongside Branson's zen pool and Dean Kaman demonstrated one of his newest inventions. For this precision project Empire interfaced contracted and interfaced with all artists, secured travel and ensured that visa requirements were met, coordinated production needs with a world class team of vendors, coordinated on details such as shipping of equipment & costumes, (cargo and production elements were shipped to the islands weeks in advance), coordinated the shuttling of all artists between three islands via private watercraft throughout the week and stage managed all of the live performances and event elements.

Empire Entertainment is renown as a producer of high profile, international events where high level skill sets such as diplomacy, cross-border coordination and complex logistics management are required.

In December 2007, Empire had the opportunity to serve longtime client Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in connection with The Simpsons Movie DVD release. To secure the major media coverage necessary to reach the ubiquitous "The Simpsons" audience, it was decided that New York City would be the best place for the launch due to the concentration of national media outlets.

Working together for months, Empire Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox created a series of media events under the umbrella theme of "Homer For The Holidays." Empire Entertainment organized and produced three massive and simultaneous events on a single day in December at three key locations in the city: The Bryant Park Skating Rink, Times Square, and the Empire State Building. The morning of December 18, New Yorkers awoke to the overnight transformation of The Pond at Bryant Park into a "Simponsized" wonderland. Free all-day (and night) ice skating was provided, as was free Ned Flanders hot chocolate and "Sprinkalicious" pink donuts. Ben & Jerry's even showed up to hand out free cups of their custom ice cream creation The Simpsons Movie "Duff & D'oh!Nuts."

For entertainment, The Pond's ice rink (made yellow for the day in honor of Homer's complexion) hosted hourly performances of "The Simpsons On Ice." The professionally-choreographed routine incorporated a "Spider Pig" solo which delighted audiences and media alike as "The Accidentals," a premiere New-York based a cappella group, sang live vocals in yellow "The Simpsons" choir robes. Bryant Park was decorated with large "The Simpsons" banners and dasher boards and The Simpsons Movie logo and a bright pink holiday tree were featured in the center of the ice rink. 500 donut ornaments adorned the 50-foot-holiday tree at Bryant Park and Spider Pig even showed up to ride the zamboni during scheduled cleanings of the rink's ice.

Meanwhile, in Times Square, the sea of tourists and locals in dark winter coats, were brightened with yellow "The Simpsons" Santa hats. Empire organized a street-marketing team to line the sidewalks of Times Square, handing out colorful "The Simpsons" caps to fans, families and anyone who needed a warm hat in the holiday chill. Street team members were also easy to spot with signature The Simpsons Movie mega-donut balloons sailing above their heads.

Then "The Simpsons" final stamp on NYC was revealed. Instead of glowing white, the Empire State Building lit up in a brilliant yellow to join in the celebration with an unprecedented, commercially-tied lighting of the iconic landmark. The Empire State Building also hosted a lighting ceremony and press conference in its lobby, where Homer flipped the switch to turn on the lights. As a finale to the day's activities, a party for FOX VIPs and The Simpsons Movie cast & crew was held on the 71st floor of the Empire State Building.

Empire was proud to work for Twentieth Century Fox on this major event marketing initiative. Each component of the event was an unparalleled success and the impact of "Homer For The Holidays" was felt by New Yorkers and Americans across the country.

E18 is a fast growing and highly-respected producer of live and corporate events in India. Recently, E18 and Empire Entertainment entered into a partnership with to help secure and promote international headline talent in India as E18 moves aggressively into the concert business.E18's extensive experience and formidable capabilities throughout the subcontinent, coupled with Empire's unparalleled access to talent relationships worldwide make this partnership a major development in this one of the fastest growing markets in the world. For the first project, Empire worked in conjunction with one of it's European partners, General Entertainment, to deliver the World-renowned German heavy metal superstar band The Scorpions to perform in Shillong, India as part of their first ever-tour in India. The concert was an amazing success. Estimated attendance at the concert event was more than 28,000 people.

Logistically there were many challenges to be overcome that just added to the events success. E18 managed to move 25 tons of sound, lighting & trussing pulled together from five different vendors to this remote part of North East India. Equipment had to be transported via various forms of transportation including trucks from Cochin and Delhi, a plane from Mumbai and three trains from Delhi.The concert generated a huge amount of media coverage. Print media in major India cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata called the event the Largest Concert ever in India!!! MSN India wrote: "Scorpions leaves Shillong dazzled - Thousands of fans danced and sang themselves to frenzy as the legendary heavy metal band Scorpions gave a high voltage performance before a packed stadium in Shillong, India's 'rock capital'. An estimated 30,000 people thronged the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in state's capital as the German heavy metal group belted out their all-time hits and classics for close to two hours in the temperature that stayed in a single digit."India is a leading developing market for entertainment & events and Empire is proud to be a partner with E18, experienced with many years of projects in that region.

Empire is a leading advisor and partner to producers on every continent and a gateway to word class entertainment.

For the second consecutive year, one of the world's largest corporations chose Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the headline entertainment for their top clients at their annual conference.Empire presented a variety of entertainment options to the client who ultimately chose Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Members, ZZ Top, to headline their evening finale celebration.When this American Blues rock band formed in 1969, little did they know that they would continue to rock the house with the same three original members more than 35 years later. These rock icons, famous for their custom guitars and trademark beards, delivered a 90-minute greatest hits set to 300 adrenaline pumped guests at the packed Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Guests sang along to classic hits such as "Cheap Sunglasses," "Legs," "Sharp Dressed Man," "Gimme All Your Lovin," and others, screaming for more as the legends governed the stage. The client was thrilled as the rock & roll band from Texas brought the house down.Empire executed all contracts and negotiations, worked closely with the Joint to provide high end concert production, managed and coordinated all logistics, facilitated signed ZZ Top memorabilia and even organized a meet & greet with top level executives.

Empire is a leading provider and producer of headline musical entertainment for major business events worldwide.

For a first-ever Justice, Arts & Music Awards to benefit the Jam Master Jay Foundation and sponsored by Adidas, Empire was thrilled to work in tandem with EPOP International and serve as event producer. The purpose of the J. A. M. Awards is to honor social responsibility. The J.A.M. Awards are the first ever awards in the hip hop community to do this. The evening was designed to honor the late Jam Master Jay's life and to promote Social Justice, Arts and Music (J.A.M.). Planned as an annual program, each year, one honoree from the hip-hop community will be selected and honored in the fields of social Justice, the Arts and Music. Broadcast from The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on November 29th, the star-studded benefit concert was co-hosted by the late Jam Master Jay's wife Terri Corley-Mizell and Jam Master Jay's former band mate, DMC from the ground-breaking hip hop act, Run DMC.

The hip concert and awards program featured a who's who of hip hop and rap artists spanning from the dawn of hip hop to the present day. Performers on the bill included Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, DMC, Reverend Run, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Papoose, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Kid Capri, De La Soul, Dead Prez, EPMD, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Biz Markie, Everlast, Mista Sinista, Jim Jones and others. The Justice Award went to Chuck D, the Arts award went to Lee Quinones and Wyclef Jean won the Music Award.For this complicated production Empire handled all production design and management, talent coordination and stage management as well as consulting on all aspects including logistics, security and show design. The stage set-featured an innovative front projection of laser-drawn graffiti art.

When The Gere Foundation, Healing the Divide, and The Tibet Center of New York invited His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet to deliver his 2007 teachings in New York City, they selected Empire Entertainment to serve as the production company for their series of major public events. His Holiness' teachings would be delivered in five, two-hour sessions over the course of three days and would cover Seventy Verses on Emptiness by Nagarjuna and the ‘Diamond Cutter Sutra' by the Shakyamuni Buddha. These two texts deal with the topic of ‘Emptiness' and convey Buddhism's most profound teaching on the wisdom aspect of the path to enlightenment. Following these teachings, The XIV Dalai Lama would also deliver an hour-long public talk on the subject of "Peace and Prosperity."

All six sessions would anticipate audiences of almost 6,000 people and would be simultaneously translated into three different languages: Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.Through partnership with Healing the Divide and The Tibet Center, Empire worked on every aspect of the two programs and helped secure Radio City Music Hall, develop plans for set design, marketing, logistics, technical management and sponsorship. In association with Gipson Design Group, Empire developed stage design, developed the technical production plan including rigging, soft goods, lighting design, sound design, production schedule and floor plan, and engaged all vendors and all simultaneous translation services.

The production team was able to secure several sponsors to donate their services and products to keep costs as low as possible. Onstage carpeting, dressing room and backstage furnishings were generously donated by ABC Carpet and Home. Turning Star generously fireproofed all onstage fabric pieces including the donated carpets and sacred Thankga banner which had been personally selected by the Dalai Lama and sent from India specifically for these teachings. In addition to image magnification projections on Radio City Music Hall's large LED screens, Empire coordinated the taping of all sessions with a five camera, high-definition video package. This was done in preparation for both a soon-to-be-released DVD version of the teachings and a National Geographic special release based on the Public Talk.The historic teachings drew a full house at Radio City and the public talk on Peace and Prosperity, introduced by Richard Gere was completely sold out. Following his New York visit, the Dalai Lama traveled to Washington DC where he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush. Empire is honored to have had an opportunity to help present the teachings of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall.

Empire is a leading producer of major public and civic events and programs.

On October 25th, 2007 at the Manhattan Center in New York, Alicia Keys and Iman co-hosted a glamorous benefit evening for Keep a Child Alive, awarding honorees that included U2 vocalist and Activist for Africa, Bono and featured extraordinary performances by Bono, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Kathleen Battle and others, all to raise money to continue to provide life-saving medication, support, and orphan care, to families in Africa affected by AIDS.

Empire Entertainment was again proud to serve as producers of this 4th annual event, which was generously underwritten by Condé Nast Media Group. KCA supporters on the red carpet included Jay Z, Russell Simmons, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Peter Berg, Petra Nemcova, Padma Lakshmi, Billie Joe Armstrong, Christy Turlington, Clive Davis, David Bowie, Heath Ledger, Zoe Kravitz and more. Following a VIP cocktail reception and sumptuous dinner designed by Padma Lakshi and served by Hudson Yards Catering, the evening program opened with a powerful South African dance performance by JUXTAPOWER.

The evening's honorees included the legendary Bono, as well as Nick Reding and Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya, two of the fiercest fighters of AIDS on the ground in Africa. In 2003, Nick Reding founded Sponsored Arts for Education, or S.A.F.E. in Nairobi, Kenya. Since that time, it has grown into 3 traveling theatre groups who perform in Nairobi slums, Loita Hills (to the rural Maasai population) and the ghettos of Mombasa with a message of HIV Prevention. To date, S.A.F.E. has performed to over 600,000 reaching people in places many organizations could never get to! Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya is the Director of Alive Medical Center, a Keep a Child Alive funded site in Kampala, Uganda. Her gentle spirit and passionate drive continue to help the people at her clinic and inspire us to work harder. Since her involvement, thousands have been tested for HIV/ AIDS and those that test positive come to her for their comprehensive AIDS care. Dr. Ogunsanya proudly boasts that since Keep a Child Alive's support of Alive Medical Center, not a single child has died of AIDS. Following an extraordinary video that profiled a lifetime of support for Africa, Bono took the stage and graced the audience with a moving acceptance speech that brought the audience to their feet.

After the program the concert began featuring Alicia Keys performing duets with Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani and international opera star Kathleen Battle, with whom she sang "Miss Sarajevo"- Bono's masterpiece written at a time of turmoil and chaos in the world, which he himself performed with Pavarotti. The finalé of the concert was a duet performance by Bono & Alicia Keys on "Don't Give Up Africa" with the Children of Agape singers. Amy Sacco of Bungalow Eight ­ which some may know as the Sex and the City hot spot ­ ended the evening with a Bungalow 8 Ballroom after party and lounge on the top floor Grand Ballroom. The event raised over $2.1 million dollars for Keep a Child Alive. To find out how you and your organization can get involved with Keep a Child Alive and help to fund their important programs, visit their website at www.keepachildalive.org.http://keepachildalive.org/kcaAtWork/index.php?p=BlackBall2007

The Clinton Global Initiative, one of the world's preeminent not-for-profit initiatives, along with Five Currents, enlisted Empire as their production partner for the first ever Global Citizens Award program and concert at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. Given the stature of the audience and the large concentration of heads of state attending the event, every facet of the engagement was executed at the highest caliber. The high expectations of the client, attendees, performers, award presenters & recipients and the venue dictated the need for producers capable of delivering excellence.

Working with Carnegie Hall, Empire created a budget reflecting the cost-effective use of the venue's innate elegance, and successfully managed to keep the budget far lower than would usually be the case with an event featuring as much as this one. Empire worked tirelessly to come up with cost-effective production solutions, always focusing on the foundation's goal of keeping the event both as elegant and appropriately simple as possible. In the end, neither the production value of the celebration nor the foundation's budget was ever compromised during the show that evening.

Welcoming and closing remarks were delivered by President William Jefferson Clinton. Actress Jessica Biel served as host and the award presenters included Tom Golisano, Senator John Glenn, Nobel Laurate Wangari Maathai and author Tony Morrison. The recipients of the evening's Glabal Citizen Awards were Cisco Chairman, John Chambers, Fazle Hasan Abed, Tennis player and humanitarian Andre Agassi and Educator Vicky Colbert. Each presenter and recipient delivered inspiring remarks in connection with their respective awards. But these stellar individuals were not the only stars brightening Carnegie Hall's stage that evening. A performance by legend Tony Bennett wowed the audience, including an a capella version of the classic Jazz standard - "Fly me to the moon". The African Children's Choir also performed, inspiring attendees with the hope that only can be conveyed through the purity of children's voices raised in song. Working with the foundation, Empire provided each participant involved in the awards ceremony detailed support materials so that all were well prepared and directed for this monumental gala. Simultaneously, Empire coordinated with the musical performers to ensure that the concert was executed flawlessly. The result was sheer success - the awards ceremony and the musical performances were seamless. This evening, packed full of spectacular speakers and entertainers, concluded, without intermission, in less than 90 minutes!

Empire is a leading producer of award programs of the highest stature.

As leading producers of headline talent, it was no surprise that Accent on Cincinnati, Ohio's premiere meeting and special event planners, returned to Empire Entertainment for a third year in a row for their entertainment needs. Expectations were high for their biggest insurance conference of the year. It was an exciting challenge to find an act to top past headliners including Glenn Frey and Hall & Oates. Of the thousands of shows Empire has produced, this event finally presented the perfect opportunity to unite legendary performers David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash on the corporate stage. But Accent on Cincinnati still kept their conference attendees guessing…The house went dark at the Aronoff Center. Guests were sitting at the edges of their seats, still wondering who they were about to see. As the client, Joe Rigotti departed the stage, out walked three icons in music history and the crowd sprang to their feet, erupting in cheers. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Crosby, Stills and Nash kept the audience on their feet, dancing and swaying to 90 minutes of their greatest hits; the energy in the room was incredible. Their set featured songs including "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", "Marrakesh Express", "Wooden Ships", "Long Time Gone" and "Helpless Hoping." The audience, captivated by the sweet harmonies of CSN, would not let them leave the stage without a 3-song encore.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians and speakers for corporate meetings and events worldwide.

When one of the world's premiere companies wanted to put on a show to impress their international partners, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce two world-class customer events, in the Mile High City. The first show was for the company's American partners. For this audience, Empire booked one of America's great rock bands, Huey Lewis and The News. Taking place at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, Empire produced an outdoor, field-level event with the Rocky Mountains in the background. Attendees were treated to Huey's greatest hits, including ‘Power of Love,' 'Hip To Be Square,' and ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll' among others.

For the conference's global partner event, the party moved to Coors field, home to the Colorado Rockies baseball team. This audience of several thousand persons represented attendees from over 100 countries. To attract and hold this diverse audience, the entertainment had to have truly global appeal. Based on Empire's recommendations, the client approved a selection of three tribute bands to perform internationally recognizable music to rock the crowd all night.

Opening the show was San Francisco-based Neil Diamond tribute band, Super Diamond. With the guests clapping along, the band performed Neil Diamond classics like, ‘Forever in Blue Jeans' and ‘America'. Immediately following their performance, the Abba tribute band, Bjorn Again, performed the to standing crowd. Dressed in full, authentic Abba costumes, Bjorn Again played the Abba hits with their own modern twist. Just as the sun was setting, they performed ‘Dancing Queen' to the already dancing crowd. For the finalé, Empire chose the world's preeminent U2 cover band - Elevation. The Chicago-based band, featuring a Bono look-a-like frontman, absolutely rocked the audience by singing all the U2 classics including 'With or Without You,' 'Vertigo' and 'Elevation' and getting the 5000 + person audience singing along with every song. The evening ended with an encore of 'Desire' and a massive firework display that shortly followed.

For this multi-day event, Empire booked and produced all aspects of the musical entertainment including the construction of massive outdoor staging in the demanding environment of grass field stadiums. Despite challenges of thunderstorms on both evenings, the events were flawless.

Empire Entertainment created a five city interactive promotional tour that exposed the VH1 brand to over three thousand people in over fifty 50 clubs, lounges and bars throughout markets in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Hoboken and New York City. The promotion featured an eye catching branded vehicle that covered over 1000 miles of mobile bill boarding and a three person cast of promotional actors who interacted with patrons at singles hot spots as pick-up experts who trained, evaluated and critique would-be Romeos and Juliets to help them develop their pick-up skills just prior to, and during, the targeted demographics night out.

The "Pick Up Artist" promotions were a series of promotional stunts that created personal one on one marketing interactions and press/media in all five cities. Scores of clubs eblasted their clientele and set off special parking area for our branded vehicle in front of clubs with velvet rope treatment.

In June 2007, Empire Entertainment produced the 11th Annual Webby Awards. This was the third consecutive year Empire was asked to produce the event by Recognition Media, LLC. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, and "the Online Oscars" by Time Magazine. On the night of the event, more than 850 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway.

This year, the evening kicked off with a cocktail hour at the Museum of American Finance across the street from the main event. Hors d'ouvres and and Bellinis were passed while attendees networked and mingled. When it was time to commence the show, the guests were escorted across Wall Street, which Empire arranged to close for a short time, to Cirpiani Wall Street where the event was held for the second year in a row. Collaborating with the client, Empire created a dazzling stage set and lighting design. At the client's request, the set included a "shadow box" onstage in which winners' silhouettes were visible through a silk screen before it was their turn to take the podium for their 5-word acceptance speech - - one of the many unique charms of the Webby Awards.

Three large video screens were flown by Star Group Productions, adding to the sleek, high-tech feel of the event. Dogwood trees set around the room were uplit with amber lighting, as were the impressive pillars and columns in the venue. Centerpieces of white candles surrounded by small satellite vases with off-white roses created an elegance throughout the room.

Empire secured Rob Corddry to host the event for the third consecutive year. Rob kept the night light and fun, and introduced Webby Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay) as well as Beastie Boys, who were honored as the Webby Artist of the Year. The program was packed with memorable moments and 5-word speeches, but the highlight of the evening came when musical legend David Bowie took the stage to accept the second "Lifetime Achievement" award of the evening. Empire Entertainment again provided oversight of nearly every element of this complex event, including site selection and acquisition, signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, audio and video, lighting, talent wrangling, and stage management. Empire was pleased to partner with Cipriani Wall Street, Star Group Productions, Deccan Designs, and Production Glue on this successful event.

Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge recognition events. We take pride in clients like recognition Media who choose to work with us for many years running on their most important projects.

When Kerzner International sought to open their new upscale property, The Cove, at The Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island, Bahamas, they turned to Colin Cowie Lifestyle to ensure that the weekend worth of events were designed and run to perfection. Colin Cowie turned to Empire Entertainment to ensure that all of the talent was presented to their high standards of excellence! The extended weekend's festivities included a birthday party for Stevie Wonder on Thursday night, a Kai Milla poolside fashion show on Friday, a party featuring a concert performance by Janet Jackson (complete with Grucci fireworks spectacular) poolside on Friday night, and a seventies-themed finale bash in the Atlantis's newly built Ballroom on Saturday night. Empire was responsible for overseeing all aspects of talent coordination, logistics and audio sound production / stage management for all of the events.

Thursday nights' concert honoring Stevie Wonder's birthday involved coordinating many incredible artists, designing the production, running the show, and ensuring that sound was absolutely perfect in the newly-opened Mesa Grill. Plenty of artists were on hand to serenade and perform with Stevie Wonder for his birthday. The Rickey Minor Band from American Idol backed several artists including Joss Stone, John Legend, Nancy Wilson, Mos Def, India.Arie, and many others.

The Friday night party event was set around the new Aquaventure poolside at the foot of the Cove. Guests were greeted with Tequila shots being poured by The Screaming Queens from inside tables where they were costumed as lavish nautical creatures. Members of Body Cast posed as additional aquatic themed, body painted eye candy, as guests listened to the musical stylings of the very glamorous DJ, Donna D'Cruz. The event built up to when a fireworks cue drew everyone's attention to the enormous main stage set in the pool and the surprise reveal of Janet Jackson who came out and delivered an amazing 25 minute concert of her greatest hits. On cue, at the completion of her set, an impressive fireworks display by Grucci began and wowed everyone on Paradise Island!

Empire was responsible for advancing all of Janet Jackson's production and two-week-long rehearsal, cuing all talent throughout the event, coordinating the sound and the commencing of the fireworks display, and running all of the sound and entertainment for the party.Saturday night's finalé was an over-the-top, 1970's themed party complete with afro wigs, platform shoes, and even Saturday Night Fever's John Travolta on the dance floor! Following a walk-in and dinner music set by DJ Ravi Drums, the 2000 guests were treated to a truly seventies line-up of entertainment that kicked off with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and his band performing several Aerosmith and classic rock hits. They were followed by The Village People performing their three well-known seventies hits, Macho Man, In The Navy and YMCA. Earth, Wind & Fire performed next and had everyone dancing and were joined onstage by guest musicians including Stevie Wonder. DJ Donna D'Cruz closed the night keeping the seventies hits coming from her custom DJ booth. Empire was responsible for all of talent coordination & logistics, audio production and stage management of the show.

The celebrity attendees at the weekend of events included Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, John Travolta, Steven Tyler, Lindsay Lohan, Jeremy Piven, Tyra Banks, Kanye West, Ashanti, Bo Derek, Chrius Tucker, Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, Spike Lee, Usher, Liv Tyler, and many, many others. For this challenging International project, Empire was honored to join the Colin Cowie team and to provide all talent and logistical coordination, stage production management, stage management and onsite calling of the shows.

Empire Entertainment is a world leader in the quality management and precision execution of entertainment events throughout the world and is well versed in catering to high

When Lisa Ling, host of National Geographic Channel's Explorer and Correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show decided to get married to Dr. Paul Song, they turned to Empire Entertainment and Empire's Los Angeles partner, Pinnacle Event Design & Production, to bring their wedding vision to life.The weddding would be non-traditional and would reflect the youth and vibrancy, as well as the Asian heritages of the couple.The wedding took place in the Main Hall of Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.

The evening began with a brief ceremony on the South Patio for which Brandon Yip played acoustic guitar and rang the large gong to begin the ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony the sounds of Tupak Shakur's "California Love" were played for the recessional. Next the 525 guests proceeded into the main hall in which Empire had designed and installed a grand, Asian-themed environment in red, black and gold. In the center of the room long aircraft cables suspended between tall lighting towers suspended a series of large red lanterns across the dance floor. Underneath these lanterns were banks of red and black ottomans, surrounded by a sea of cabaret tables and high tops with matching linens and florals rounded out the room. Throughout the venue, food was served by four Asian restaurants set up in themed stations - Japanese Sushi, Korean Barbecue, Chinese dim sum and dumplings. Like the rest of the room, all food stations were designed in red, gold and black. Bars were set up to serve through the existing teller windows throughout the venue.

After toasts and speeches that included a karaoke duet by the couple on the Sonny & Cher classic "I've Got You Babe," a large gong was sounded and DJ David Chang led the audience with dance music ranging from hip hop and rock to funk and soul for the remainder of the night.

Japan Society is an immensely prestigious philanthropic organization dedicated to building economic, political, and social relations between the United States and Japan. To celebrate the milestone of its centennial, Japan Society turned to Empire to co-produce their gala. In doing so, Japan Society recognized Empire's unique position as a world-class production company with offices in New York and Tokyo, as well as Empire's ability to design and plan an event of the highest caliber. Because of Empire's unique understanding of Japanese sensibilities and aesthetics, Japan Society was guaranteed not only preeminent event production expertise, but also distinctive creativity with international perspective. The sparkling gala took place at the Hilton New York in Midtown Manhattan.

The evening began with three separate exquisite cocktail soirées with sponsor banners strategically placed throughout the receptions. Cocktails were then followed by an elegant dinner in the main ballroom that had been transformed into a sophisticated atmosphere with Japanese décor. Custom made silk shantung linens in deep red with complementing white runners provided an aura of richness to the dining room tables, which were strategically illuminated with pin-spotting and ambient décor lighting.

The stage program included some of the most influential individuals in the world. The Honorable William J. Clinton served as keynote speaker, discussing the critical significance of the friendship and alliance between Japan and the United States. The Honorable Senator John D. Rockefeller IV gave centennial remarks and presented the Japan Society Centennial Award to Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, Honorary Chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The 1,000 guests were given the extraordinary treat of a spectacular performance by Japan's National Living Treasure kabuki actor, Sakata Tojuro IV. Also in attendance were The Last Samurai actor Ken Watanabe, and Star Trek's George Takei, who served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

For this centennial gala, Empire served as event co-producer, working with Japan Society's Special Events Department to coordinate all aspects of the production and décor of the elegant and flawless evening. The evening was a significant success, raising over $2 million for this prestigious not-for-profit institution.

On Wednesday, May 16, 2007, Empire Entertainment's Not-For-Profit Division produced the second annual Matt's Promise Foundation Benefit & Concert to raise funds to fight various terminal illnesses for the young including cancer and Ducheynne muscular dystrophy. The sold out event was attended by over 500 guests and was held at the spacious, modern former SoHo Gallery Building, Skylight Studios in New York, NY.The event featured a silent auction of black & white photographs and a live auction of luxury goods and services, including one-of-a kind lots such as invitations to the exclusive premier party of HBO's hit show "Entourage" and a Fender guitar signed by Steve Miller.

The evening included a cocktail reception and silent black and white photography auction, a seated dinner, a live auction program and a 75 minute concert by The Steve Miller Band that had all the guests on their feet and dancing. The Steve Miller Band played all of their hits including "Fly Like an Eagle," "Take The Money & Run," and "Jet Airliner."Platinum sponsorships of $25,000 and more included a VIP meet and greet and photo op with Steve Miller.

Empire's Not-For-Profit Division provided event production for this program including event development and budgeting, package and table sales, securing donation of live auction packages, gift bags and silent auction photography, decor and table settings, production including all staging, sound, lighting and video, booking the Steve Miller Band and onsite production.The successfull evening raised in excess of $900,000 for Matt's Promise.

When an international financial services group held their annual conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco, they sought a musical entertainer with sophistication and class to headline their entertainment evening. Diana Ross was booked by the event production company, 4PM Events, and Empire Entertainment was secured to coordinate production and logistics and to stage manage the event. The event was held at the world-renowned Sporting Club and featured cocktails in the gardens, a seated dinner, a headline comedy performance by Gilbert Gottfried, and fireworks immediately followed by a concert performance by Diana Ross.

Miss Ross and her band performed many of her hits spanning her entire career including "I'm Coming Out," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", ‘Upside Down' , ‘‘You Can't Hurry Love', ‘Baby Love', ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love', ‘Someday We'll Be Together' and ‘Back In My Arms Again' among others. The crowd was up and dancing through much of the 75 minute performance and Diana Ross brought a child of one of the attendees onstage with her to dance and sing during one of her numbers. The audience gave her a standing ovation and brought her back for an encore. After the concert performance, Diana Ross held a meet & greet with VIP attendees and took photos with all of them. For this international production, Empire coordinated logistics and all production arrangements with the band and crew and Sporting Club, and also provided onsite stage management of the entire evening.

When companies want to present world class talent in international locations, they turn to Empire to ensure a professionally-produced event.

2K Games is at the forefront of game development in the growingly competitive and popular video game industry. Their best-selling releases have included titles such as Civilization IV, The Darkness, Elder Scrolls IV, and many more. For their most recent, and highly anticipated title, Bioshock, 2K enlisted Empire Entertainment to produce a one-of-a-kind international press event in New York City. The event was held at The Newspace, a large, open gallery space in the heart of New York City's chic Chelsea art district. The event was designed to recreate the unique, undersea environments depicted in the game and the set the gaming experience apart from all other current titles.

Working closely with the game's developers and recreating creative elements from the game, Empire created an undersea world that submerged guests into "Rapture," the games fictional Atlantis-like city beneath the waves. Empire delved deeply into the concept and in-game art of "Rapture" to create a cohesive environment for the event space that would be a suitable setting for actual game play. The room was surrounded with realistic water projections and lighting effects. At the center of the room a large circular bar rose with a large sculpture of water filled tubes at the center, lit from below. Video gaming press from every corner of the globe came to Rapture to experience the game for the first time ever.

The evening began with cocktails in an environment in which surround projections simulated a position about the ocean surface. The presentation then began with an animation that took guests to the ocean floor and then segued to an introduction and game walkthrough delivered by Ken Levine, BioShock's creator and one of the most respected and talented game designers in the industry. Following the demonstration, guests were invited to be the first people outside the company ever to play the game and they quickly jumped on and huddled around one of the 40 XBox gaming stations setup around the room.

Since the image quality and gaming experience needed to be perfect, Empire brought in state-of-the-art projection hardware such as twin high definition projectors to show off Bioshock's game play at the highest resolution and largest size possible. DL2 moving lights with built-in video effect generators were utilized to bathe the walls in an array of submersive water-theme visuals, and 32" HDTVs were brought in for each of the Xbox gaming stations. In selecting Empire as it's producer, 2K Games recognized Empire's position as a leading production company of cutting-edge product launches that utilize state-of-the-art design and technology.

For the second consecutive year, one of the world's largest companies chose Empire to produce their multi-day recognition event for their top technical employees. The event took place at the world-renowned Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, where guests were treated to a weekend full of activities, speakers, entertainment, educational seminars and celebration. Following an introductory dinner, with keynotes from several of their top executives, the always comical magic duo, Penn and Teller, performed a customized magic show. The team ended with a trick that included one of the company's senior vice presidents, which resulted in a huge round of applause. An after party took place in the breathtaking Crown Room with San Francisco legend, Bud E. Luv performed his famous Las Vegas-style cabaret performance.

The next morning, the Crown Room was transformed into a serene environment with citrus accents and rose petals in which Tai Chi and Yoga classes were offered to attendees by world-renowned instructors. Later that morning, attendees entered the main ballroom, which mimicked the sets of morning talk shows like Good Morning America and The Today Show. After breakfast, the live program commenced, hosted by a company executive and featuring several custom video roll-ins that were filmed, edited and produced on site. In addition to the humorous live morning show-style commentary, the program featured an educational, interactive panel discussion with several of the company's key executives. Empire also developed custom logos that were branded on mugs, t-shirts and pencils to be handed out to attendees.That afternoon, in what was called the World Perspective University, guests had the opportunity to attend a series of lectures delivered by top professors from eight of the world's leading educational institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, University of California Berkeley and Kyoto University. Each professor offered a sophisticated lecture designed with the intention of intellectually challenging the guests.

That evening, following an elegant cocktail reception, attendees entered the newly transformed main ballroom. With 360 degree digital projection, the ballroom was wrapped in a continuous, 410' long and 18' high screen that projected some of the most cutting-edge, high definition visual imagery ever created. With custom visuals created specifically for the event, guests were treated to a kaleidoscope of color, pattern and movement. Welcoming guests to the dinner, Mass Ensemble performed on satellite stages scattered through the ballroom. The evening featured a keynote address by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates followed by a surprise fireside chat and Q&A with Gates and one of Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers, George Lucas. Immediately after the fireside discussion, guests were shown a 10 minute film created especially for this evening. The film told the visual story of the history of consciousness and technology and projected a vision of the future that was accompanied by an original score.

Following the film, guests were escorted to the Star Wars Disco-themed after party. Guests danced the night away to the music of DJ Crash and performances by acrobatic and aerial troupe, Antigravity. For those looking for a more relaxing environment, a whiskey expert lead a single-malt tasting seminar at one of the Fairmont's original bars. After a long night of festivities, the departure breakfast provided attendees with one last hurrah. With soft jazz playing in the background by Liberty Street Jazz Band, guests relaxed over breakfast before heading home.

Empire developed, designed and delivered every aspect and component of the program in collaboration with the client and supplied all speaker and entertainment booking, staging, sound, lighting, and audio visual services, décor, production management and onsite staffing.

Recognizing the importance of the huge Latin American and U.S. Latino markets, Empire Entertainment has created its Latin division to service the needs of private entities and corporations doing business in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world.Talent buyers and corporations operating in South America, Mexico, Central America, Spain and Portugal who need guidance and relationships with U.S. and world talent have already recognized the importance of Empire Entertainment's Latin division. U.S. corporations and private entities seeking to do business and entertain in the region now have a trustworthy partner to execute their event and event marketing needs throughout the region. Serving as a bridge between the English and Spanish/Portuguese worlds, Empire Latin America is in a position to service a wide spectrum of industries, including entertainment, public relations, communications, and advertising.

General Manager Pablo Aslan is a respected producer in the U. S. Latin market, having been instrumental in the revival of Argentine Tango in the U. S. through his work in the 1990's as a concert and record producer, as well as lecturer and teacher. He has produced and directed events for private, corporate and institutional clients, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, Mark Morris Dance, Festival Productions, and Stratta Phillips Productions. With extensive experience in several areas of the entertainment business, and a distiguished career as a musician with performances and recordings with major international artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Shakira, and Lalo Schiffrin, Pablo is an insider in both the U.S. and Latin entertainment worlds. He holds an MFA from UCLA and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Empire Latin America scored its first big project in February 2007 when a prominent public figure in Mexico wanted to invite his old friend, Julio Iglesias, to perform at a private fund raising event. Local organizers turned to Empire Entertainment's new Latin Division to negotiate the terms of the deal and contract this international superstar. Adding to the complexity of this particular situation was the extremely short lead time, and the fact that Julio Iglesias was in the middle of a world tour at the time of the proposed event. Working as translator and mediator, Empire was able to negotiate a mutually agreeable date and coordinated the logistics and production fulfillment, working with the end client, the venue, the Mexico-based agency, the U.S. based booking agency, and Julio's tour management. Empire Latin America's unique position as language and culture translators ensured that the U.S. and Mexican parties understood each other's way of operating, avoiding confusions and misunderstandings, and helping the production move forward against a tight deadline.The highly successful event put Empire Latin America's bilingual and bi-cultural resources to play and delivered Julio Iglesias for what turned out to be a memorable celebration of music, friendship and, yes, love.

Empire Entertainment Latin division looks forward to serving your future needs throughout Mexico, Central and South America, Spain and Portugal.

When one of the world's leading media groups sought to present their annual upfront presentation to key advertisers and sponsors, they turned to the creative production team at Empire Entertainment to bring their vision to life and to design and execute this one-chance-only, all important, live presentation. The audience would consist of several hundred senior advertising and marketing executives along with many of their children who were invited to attend. The client in this case was an umbrella business unit comprised of several separate but affiliated media entities in the areas of cable & broadcast television, radio, publishing and Internet. The underlying theme that the client wished to communicate was that these individual media brands can be accessed to work together to serve marketers seeking to reach their demographic segment.

A concert-theme was chosen for the Upfront and the theme would be carried out from arrival to departure. The presentation would feature performances by two of the media group's biggest musical stars, both highly-popular performing artists in the kids / tweens market and featured prominently in the group's programming.The Upfront presentation took place in the Hudson Theater located just off Times Square. Empire, working with it's set design & construction partners, created a dynamic concert stage set that featured walls of programmable LED lighting, flying lighting discs with projection surfaces and a beaded curtain portal that took the shape of the client's logo.

The presentation began with a walk-in performance by Jumpers in Command, dynamic double-dutch jump rope and hip hop dancing team that got everyone in the mood for fun. The upfront presentation then started with a high energy, two song performance by one of the music groups and their backing dancers. Next the senior executive of advertising sales & promotion took the stage and spoke about the group's recent achievements and their many competitive advantages in the market. Then the head of Programming took the stage and previewed future programming offerings with abundant video roll-ins and graphics. The Upfront concluded with a red hot, two song performance by a tween superstar and her dancers and then the program ended with a curtain call from all of the performers and presenters.

Immediately following the Upfront the guests headed up to the 8th floor function space which Empire had transformed into an Asian-style lounge. The after-party lounge featured black lounge furniture, sumptuous lighting, a full-size Buddha carved of solid ice by the artists at Okamoto Studios, a reflecting pond over which hung an array of blosssoms on monofilament, a customized photo station, and an autograph station where children and adults met and got autographs from the musical performers featured in the Upfront. DJ Riddler spun a mix of programming-featured music and Buddha Bar classics to complete the vibe. The attendees loved both the Upfront presentation and the after-party which was extended by an hour by popular demand.

For this production, Empire handled nearly every detail of both the presentation and after-party including set design & construction, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, teleprompter, decor, staffing, logistics, security and management of the after-party and activities. After the event, the client executive in charge called the Upfront "Spectacular!" continuing "We have received nothing but amazing praise on your set, seamless production of the presentation, fabulous party, and attention to detail. We could not have asked for better partners as we raised the bar!"

Empire is a full-service, creative production company that serves world class clients.

When one of the world's leading software development companies staged the largest product launch in their history, they turned to Empire to help create a memorable experience. The audience would consist of developers and testers of the product, partners, as well as members of the domestic and foreign press. The event would not only announce the arrival of the new product but would also pay tribute to the years of effort in developing the next chapter in their best-selling product lines.

Empire helped to select ideal locations in New York City to meet the client's needs for this one-day, multi-event launch. With extensive working knowledge of venues throughout the city, Empire secured the elegant Cipriani 42nd Street for an important press luncheon and executive panel discussion, the Grand Hyatt for one-on-one media interviews, and one of New York's hottest concert new venues in the heart of Times Square, the Nokia Theatre. As guests arrived at the Nokia Theater, sexy and stunning world DJ, Donna D'Cruz spun a mixture of African, Brazilian and Latin beats to set the tone for this global launch. Then, Recycled Percussion, a contemporary and hard- hitting rhythmic percussion group, pumped up the energy with its high-speed amazing spectacle of power percussion.

To kick off the launch presentation, Angels & Airwaves, a new musical entity from the creative minds of Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), David Kennedy (Box Car Racer), Ryan Sinn (Distillers) and Atom Willard (Rocket from the Crypt, Offspring) took the stage to perform an incredible opening number. They performed a hard-rocking rendition of Joey Ramone's version of "What a Wonderful World," a song specially licensed by Empire Entertainment specifically for this launch event, synced to visuals projections of the new product and customers. Following the launch presentation the band played a 45-minute performance set for the after party. For this global product launch, Empire assisted with site selection and acquisition, securing and coordinating talent, onsite talent management, and procuring the appropriate music licenses.

Empire is a full-service event and entertainment production company, with special expertise in artist bookings and venue selection.

When one of the world's most respected corporations was planning a divisional summit, a conference held once every seven years, they turned to Empire Entertainment to serve as production company to manage all creative & technical production and video production. Completely branded around a logo designed by Empire, this 3-day event at The Phoenician in Phoenix, Arizona mixed business with pleasure. After a high-energy opening video shot and edited by Empire, guests were welcomed by the President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of the company. Shortly following, guests enjoyed the first two of ten regional videos that were scripted, shot and edited by Empire in advance of the event.

Empire's crews had visited company branches around the nation to creatively capture and share the idiosyncrasies of each office environment - the hilarity of the inside jokes easily made these two videos, as well as the remaining eight videos shown later on, a hit. After dinner, rocker, activist and opening night keynote speaker Bono set the bar high for the conference as he entreated attendees to encourage philanthropy among clients. Set against Empire's customized backdrop of six fabric columns and a large-scale suspended logo, Bono's speech had a resounding effect on the audience and he received a standing ovation.

With an elaborate lighting package, the mood changed from Sunday's night hot red colors honoring Bono's "(Red)" campaign to a more business-like look for the next day's intensive business sessions. After addresses from top executives and world-renowned reporter, Tom Brokaw, and personalized breakout sessions tackling important issues in the industry, attendees were ready for a little fun. Guests laughed their way through a Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update"-style video, cleverly produced by Empire with witty, customized company humor. To elevate the energy again after dinner, Empire staged the theatrical production of a game show with a script, scenery and costuming developed by Empire, conference attendees were laughing and cheering through an incredibly memorable evening as their top executives and regional managers played the roles of host and contestants onstage.

Still elated from the hilarious antics of the game show, guests moved into the afterparty, curious about the concert stage and satellite screens Empire had installed. Utter shock gave way to pride as they rocked out to a band composed of executives in their very own division singing hits like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "We're an American Band." Guests danced and partied the night away as dance band Brian Kirk & The Jerks kept the music going. Though attendees were a bit groggy the next morning from the prior night's festivities, they were impressed by morning keynote remarks from General Colin Powell on the illuminated red, white and blue stage. After a final round of breakout sessions, attendees returned to the ballroom for the awards presentation, with the most anticipated award of "Best Video" going to the Boston region, as Bono's instincts accurately predicted. Empire's closing video of live action moments and memories captured throughout the conference nicely rounded out a successful and seamlessly executed event.

Empire is a worldwide producer of company meetings, managing all aspects of a conference including stage production, technical production, video, photography, site selection, contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent coordination, security and on-site supervision.

When a well-respected, Hong Kong-based production company was searching for the ideal talent to headline an important event for an international jewelry company's top customers, they turned to Empire Entertainment. The entertainment for this spectacular event needed to be suitable for a highly discerning group of high net worth individuals and would have to integrate effectively into the sumptuous visual surroundings designed by the production company. Empire worked with the client to identify several candidates and ultimately negotiated with and secured the client's first choice, Portland, Oregon-based orchestra Pink Martini, to perform at the event in their debut China performance.

Pink Martini are a 14 piece contemporary orchestra, led by Chinese-American musical director Thomas Lauderdale and fronted by female vocalist China Forbes. They have performed throughout the world including at the Hollywood Bowl and the Grand opening of the Disney Concert Hall. Pink Martini play elegant music ranging from jazz standards from the 1930s and 1940's to original contemporary originals. The band performs songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Greek, and English. Their music is elegant, sophisticated and ideal for champagne celebrations throughout the world. For this singular event, every detail had to be precisely managed and Empire and the client worked closely with Pink Martini on elements ranging from song list and sequence, to costuming, hair, makeup, and jewelry.

Pink Martini even agreed to learn and rehearse a Chinese song, which thrilled the audience when it was performed as a surprise. After Guests finished dinner at the event, the stage was revealed and Pink Martini played a 75-minute set which soon had guests up and dancing along with several professional dance couples in costume who had been brought in for the evening. Pink Martini's Chinese song brought applause from the audience and their dance-oriented renditions songs like Brasil and Dancez-Vous kept them cheering for encores. The evening ended with a pink champagne VIP meet & greet with the band backstage with the client's managing directors and top customers. For this engagement Empire worked closely with the production company to contract the talent, manage visas and work permits, travel, hotel & ground transportation logistics, production and creative details.

Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment to production company partners throughout the world. Through its relationships with these companies and Empire's own Asia and Latin America divisions, Empire is able to offer world-class production & entertainment services whether the venue is in Hong Kong, China or elsewhere.

For the fourth year in a row, the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, chose Empire Entertainment to produce their Ten Awards program in New York City. This program, billed as "The Academy Awards of Business," annually recognizes the best & brightest in the New York business universe. The host sponsor for this important program was Real Estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. Other sponsors of this year's program included NASDAQ, Zagat Survey, Microsoft, Google, OfficeTiger, Accenture, Loews Hotels, IBM and Philips among others. The Awards program was again hosted by CNBC's Liz Claman and featured a keynote address by former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

This year's award winners were: CEO of the Year: Jonathan Tisch, Loews HotelsCIO of the Year: Jack Nelson, Mount Sinai Medical CenterDealmaker of the Year: Jonathan Gray, Blackstone Group and Philip Falcone, Harbinger Capital PartnersBest International Non-Profit: Ami Nahshon, The Abraham Fund InitiativesEducator of the Year: Dr. Deborah Kenny, Village AcademiesBest New Product or Service: Are Traasdahl, ThumbPlay and David Rose, Angelsoft LLCCFO of the Year: David Turner, Thomson FinancialMarketer of the Year: John Hayes, American ExpressInnovator of the Year: Jason Finger, SeamlessWebBest Up and Comer: Jared Kushner, New York ObserverBest Executive Team: Tim Armstrong, Penry Price and Craig Nevill-Manning, Google There was also a special Ten Awards NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony with the winners at NASDAQ's MarketSite in Times Square.

For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection, staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of graphics packages, and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, and signage.

Empire is a leading creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

Keep a Child Alive is an innovative charitable organization that is dedicated to providing life saving anti-retroviral treatment to children and families living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, and other parts of the impoverished world. In November 2006, Empire was privileged to support KCA, helping to produce their third annual Black Ball fundraising benefit. This year's program was generously sponsored by the Condé Nast Media Group and held at the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

The event began with a cocktail reception and gallery viewing of a Michael Thompson photography exhibit. The photo series, entitled "I Am African," featured celebrities such as Gwenyth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, Richard Gere, Seal, Heidi Klum and others in African attire and was featured in 18 Condé Nast publications. During cocktails African-inspired music was provided by New York's City DJ Tipka. Following the cocktail reception, the 600 plus guests entered the stunning Hammerstein Ballroom lit by candlelight where guests enjoyed a three course dinner and truffle dessert.

The star-studded dinner was attended by notable celebrities including Valentino, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Anne Hathaway, Zhang Ziyi, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Petra Nemcova, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Helena Christiansen and many others who showed up to support KCA's efforts. Following the dinner and a second concert seating and reception in the first balcony, an extraordinary program began that saluted humanitarians and remarkable leaders in the fight against AIDS. Wanda Sykes emceed the program with her sharp style and wit and introduced speeches and appearances by Leigh Blake (President & Founder of Keep a Child Alive), Iman (Global Ambassador for Keep A Child Alive), Dr. Stephen Lewis (U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS), Elijah Wood, Russell Simmons, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Norton. The program also honored Carol Dyanti, of the Ikageng Ministries, Soweto, South Africa, Dr. Paul Farmer, of Partners in Health and Richard D. Beckman, President of the Condé Nast Media Group for their courageous support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

After the speaking program, rock band Louis XIV kicked off the concert performance. Saul Williams, a spoken word artist, delivered a powerful piece, followed by a jamming performance with Alicia Keys and her band which included "Paradise," "Broken Wings," and Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Child." Other highlights of the concert included Alicia's duets with other talented artists: "Welcome to Jamrock" and "Road to Zion," with Damian Marley, and "Africa," with African Queen, Angelique Kidjo. A high point of the show was when David Bowie took the stage to sing "Fantastic Voyage," and performed an incredible duet with Alicia Keys on "Changes". Following the concert, the guests danced the night away during an afterparty with old school hits spun by DJ Cassidy.

Empire 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 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.

FilmAid International is an extraordinary not for profit organization founded by producer Caroline Baron that partners with Hollywood studio and sponsors to provide motion picture entertainment in refugee camps around the world. For their first ever gala event, FilmAid selected Empire Entertainment to serve as production company. The gala event was held at the Time Warner Cafe in New York City and was attended by over 600 guests. The event commenced a VIP Screening of "God Grew Tired of Us" followed by a panel discussion with Dan Harris. Afterwards guests moved into a cocktails / hors d'oeuvres reception for which Perrier Jouet and Dewars were champagne and liquor sponsors.

Up next was a brief speaking program with remarks by Caroline Baron and the evening's two honorees, Tribeca Films founder Jane Rosenthal and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.The high-point of the evening was a 20-minute, solo acoustic concert performance by legendary musician Elvis Costello who performed hits including "Allison" and "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding?" The event was attended by many celebrities including Ed Burns & Christy Turlington, Danny Glover, Julia Ormond, Matt Dillon and more.For this highly successful, first-time fundraiser Empire provided all production including the Elvis Costello concert, stage management, logistics and coordination and goody bags / in kind andsponsorship solicitation, arranging for sponsorship / donations from HBO, Dewars, Perrier Jouet, Dylan's Candy Bar, Time Out Magazine, Shu Uemura, Judith Ripka, Leading Hotels of the World and others.

Empire is proud to support the efforts of FilmAid International. More information about the charity and information on how to make donations is available at http://www.filmaid.org/

When an important, international charitable organization focused on raising money for education in India needed help, they turned to Empire Entertainment. Pratham USA's Tri State chapter raised over $750,000 during their Annual Gala event attended by over 700 people at New York's Marriott Marquis, Times Square. Pratham is a grassroots non-profit organization that serves over 200,000 children daily in nearly 5,000 underprivileged areas in over 50 cities and 14 states throughout India. The Gala began with a cocktail hour where guests mingled with each other, sipped drinks and indulged in savory Indian appetizers while sizing up the fabulous silent auction items ranging from original Indian artwork to jewelry and even professional photography and spa packages.

Pratham Leadership Sameer Mittal , Sheila Hooda and Anil Shah welcomed the guests followed by the Gala Chairs Drs Leena and Nitin Doshi of Diagnostic Imaging Group who lit the lamp to begin the event in an auspicious Diwali flavor. Emceed by Sreenath Srinivasan, Dean of Students at Columbia Journalism School, the attendees were treated to an electrifying East-West fusion musical performance by the known band Aakruti. The festive event of Diwali added the perfect touch of celebrations to the mood of the attendees. While many got the opportunity to meet their favorite Indian personalities including actor Kal Penn, actress Sarita Choudhury, supermodel Ujwala Raut singer Asha Puthli, socialite Meera Gandhi, Olympian Chetan Baboor, and UN Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor - all sympathetic to organization's goal— to have all the nation's children in school and learning well by 2010.The celebrities demonstrated their commitment to the cause by driving the pledge drive. Socialite Meera Gandhi touched the minds of many with her captivating words as she stressed on the importance of education, "When you educate a child, you're transforming not just one person, but generations to come". Choudhury and Raut, both mothers themselves, expressed how lucky they felt that their children have access to stellar New York City educations and said they wished that the children of their homeland would have the same.

For this major fund-raising event within the New York Indian business and social community, Empire provided all celebrity solicitation, consulting on the overall design and flow of the event and onsite stage management of the program and performances.

Empire is a leading producer of international fundraising events and is an important service provider to India-based businesses and organizations both in the United States and in India.

When a newly-formed charitable organization, led by 17 year old founder Max Cohen, faced the daunting challenges of making a splash in New York City on it's first ever event, they turned to Empire Entertainment and event designer Colin Cowie to make dreams come true. The event would be even more challenging than most on account of the necessity to appeal adult-age donors and sponsors, while remaining cool and relevant to the largely teen audience from all of New York City's elite private and public schools. Empire Entertainment, Colin Cowie and Teens Against Cancer Founder Max Cohen and his committee of friends worked hard to deliver success.

Teens Against Cancer held it's first fundraising event on October 12, 2006 at Gotham Hall in New York City with the goal of raising money for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The benefit featured musical performances by SONY Music artist, Teddy Geiger, a concert by The Roots and dance music by DJ Cassidy as well as a fashion show choreographed by Thrash Creatir Sheryl Murakami for Seven Jeans and LeRock. The event also featured a live auction for items such as a weekend at the Atlantis Resort and a Monday night dinner table at Rao's restaurant. For the teenage guests the event offered a raffle for dinner at Ciprianis, sport jerseys and sports tickets.

TAC was founded in 2005 by then 17 year-old New York City student Max Cohen after his mother overcame a terminally ill case of Cancer. Cohen started the organization in hopes to raise awareness in teenagers about the disease and to show them that they also can make a difference. "After my mother became ill with Cancer her endless display of courage and the pain that my family and I fought through inspired me to begin Teens Against Cancer," Cohen said. "I want teenagers to be aware of what Cancer is and to provide support to anyone who has to cope with it in their life."

The event was designed and decorated by renowned event designer Colin Cowie. Entertainment and production were handled by Empire Entertainment. Robbins Wolfe Caterers graciously donated the catering and Lizzie Grubman handled all Public Relations. The benefit was sponsored by Seven Jeans, LaRock and One Step-up.In the end, the event was a huge success, drawing over 500 attendees and raising substantial funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Empire is a leading producer of not for profit events and has the creative flexibility to produce events targeted to any demographic including teen /youth audiences.

Competitive video gaming is poised to become the newest sensation in televised professional sports with the launch of DIRECTV's Championship Gaming Series, a video gaming competition that treats games in the same manner as traditional sports and the players as professional athletes. When DIRECTV sought to premiere its new program with simultaneous press events in New York City and Los Angeles, Empire was called to produce both events. Empire worked closely with DIRECTV's events team to identify and select key event venues that had a buzz factor, a design that fit with the video gaming theme, and a central location. The 40/40 Club, owned by rap mogul Jay-Z, was chosen to host the New York City event because its existing projection, LCD screens and monitors were perfect for client and sponsor branding, video gaming demos, and most importantly, the main presentation.

Since the program will be broadcast in high definition, Empire brought in HD Cam decks and compatible video switchers to upgrade the in-house projection, in addition to bringing in two 63" HD plasmas to air loops of the show after the presentation. Guests munched on a menu of video gamer staples that included miniature cheeseburgers and beef tacos, teriyaki chicken skewers and sweets such as fried Snickers and fried Twinkies. DJ Mighty Mi spun the perfect mix of old school and new hip hop while guests played video games on XBOX 360 consoles hooked up to individual LCD screens around the club.

In Los Angeles, Hollywood nightclub The Ivar, which has been featured on HBO's Entourage and CW's America's Next Top Model, was selected for the West Coast premiere event. To ensure that the presentation looked sharp, the existing projectors were swapped out for more powerful, brighter projectors and Digi-Beta decks were used instead of DVD. Catering was provided by Gourmet Celebrations and featured tasty items such as Chinese chicken salad in mini takeout boxes, mini crab cakes, and mac ‘n cheese bites. Attendees played games including Dead or Alive 4, Project Gotham Racing and Halo 2 on freestanding mobile XBOX 360 gaming kiosks. Hollywood favorite DJ Pesce kept the party going with contemporary hip hop. Empire was responsible for managing multiple elements of both events, including venue, RSVP tracking, guest registration, audio/visual, DJ, catering, XBOX gaming & security.

Many corporations choose Empire Entertainment to produce their high-tech events.

When one of the world's most sophisticated corporations wanted a keynote speaker who could deliver the right closing message for their important, company-wide marketing symposium, they turned to Empire to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen speaker would need to be able to hold the attention of an audience at the end of a long day of meetings, entertain and inspire them, and also deliver some important messages that would reinforce and underscore the content delivered by speakers earlier in the program. Empire was able to recommend and ultimately deliver best-selling author and one of the world's leading contemporary voices in marketing theory, Malcolm Gladwell, to deliver the keynote address. Gladwell's insightful best-seller, The Tipping Point, talked about the factors that turn small developments into full-blown cultural phenomena - the holy grail of marketing.

Gladwell's newest book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, is about the power of intuition and the decisions we make based on our first impressions. Understanding of the messages of this book are also essential to understanding the minds of the today's consumers. Gladwell's entertaining speech and question & answer session were able to meet the client's objectives perfectly. Gladwell's anecdotal and often humorous presentations keep everyone engaged until the very end of the marketing meeting and the substance of his remarks complemented the overall meeting content perfectly.

Lift Up America is a collaborative effort of companies including Tyson Foods, Give the Gift of Sight (a Luxottica Group foundation), Starkey Hearing Foundation and Interstate Batteries working with professional and college sports teams and local nonprofit agencies to provide the gifts of food, sight, hearing, hope and comfort to our nation's less fortunate.The objective of the Sept. 12 event in New York City was to encourage individuals and corporations to be "heroes" by reaching out to the less fortunate.

Corporations provided goods and services to Lift Up America that were distributed to the less fortunate at a large, one-day distribution event. These corporations included Tyson Foods (protein), Luxottica (vision care) and Starkey Hearing Foundation (hearing aids) and Interstate Batteries (batteries). Added to this were "hero celebrities", Navy seamen and sport celebrities from the New York Giants and the New York Yankees who helped to load humanitarian aid onto the trucks of 100 "hero agencies" of New York City. These "Hero Agencies" distributed the aid to those in need throughout New York City.

On a sunny, Tuesday morning on the day after the 5th anniversary of 9/11, Empire helped Lift Up America organize a singular aid distribution event at Pier 92. Approximately Seven trailer loads of food and other goods were distributed with the help of volunteers, the US Navy and US Marines who arrived on the USS San Antonio.The distribution event also featured a press conference on the waterfront highlighting representatives from each corporation and partner.The successsful event distributed a great deal of aid in many forms to over 100 local relief agencies.Empire was delighted to be a part of the Lift Up America team and provided staging, sound, lighting, electrical power distribution, rigging, onsite management and stage management.

When Joe Rigotti, Creative Director of Accent on Cincinnati, the biggest meeting planner and special events company in Ohio, needed a headline concert act to top last year's Hall and Oates performance, he once again turned to Empire Entertainment to secure, book, and produce the talent.There were whispers among the 2300 attendees of the premier insurance company's annual conference that topping last year's entertainment - Hall and Oates, would be impossible. But when the curtain rose and the surprise musical guest was revealed, the crowd roared in excitement and applause as Glenn Frey and his band hit the first notes of the Eagles classic, "Take It Easy," which Frey co-wrote with Don Henley and Jackson Browne.Frey, a member of both the songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, played a greatest hits show that brought the audience to its feet, waving company branded glow balls that were distributed to the entire crowd.

The set list included "Lying Eyes," "Tequila Sunrise," "Take it to the Limit," "Heartache Tonight, " "Peaceful Easy Feeling," as well as several of Frey's solo original hits such as "The Heat is On," "You Belong to the City" and "Smugglers Blues," which is best known for being turned into the smash 80's TV show, Miami Vice.Frey's music, which evokes an endless California desert road trip, was a perfect match for the executive crowd and spouses on hand at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for The Arts. After receiving a standing ovation, The Glenn Frey Band returned for a rousing encore of "Desperado" and the entire crowd sang in unison for the seventh time.The following evening at the same conference, Empire Entertainment showcased the talents of Greg Fitzsimmons, a stand-up comedian who won four Emmy Awards writing for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and who has appeared on David Letterman 5 times. Fitzsimmons' stories about his family was a huge hit with the family-oriented demographic.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians, and speakers for corporate meeting and events the world over.

When the Jane Goodall Foundation held a fundraising event on the grounds of the Hampton's home of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and his wife, Empire was delighted to be a part of the all star event team. Overall event management for the event was handled by HWPR's Virginia Coleman while Publicity was handled by HWPR's Paul Lerner. Charles Attal Presents handled overall production management, catering was provided by Robbins Wolfe / Eventeur and the event was photographed by Patrick McMullan. The event took place on a spectacular evening in the Hamptons and featured poolside cocktails, a dinner, program and performance in a large tent on the grounds provided by Stamford Tents. The program included welcoming remarks by Howard & Sheri Schultz, a video on the work of the Jane Goodall Foundation, a rare keynote address by the iconic Chimpanzee researcher, Dr. Jane Goodall, a live auction led by Jamie Niven, a headline acoustic performance by Sarah McLachlan, and dancing with DJ Tom Finn. The celebrity attendees included Candice Bergen, Dina Merrill and Katie Couric. Among the highlights of the evening were the performance by Sarah McLachlan who performed at the piano and on guitar with accompaniment of two vocalists and a guitarist. Sarah's mellow set included several of her hits and covers such as the Beatles' "Blackbird." Sarah's incredible, soothing voice set the perfect tone for the evening.

For this event, Empire Entertainment handled all sound, lighting, video projection, electrical power and concert production management. Empire is a leading producer of high-end not-for-profit events.

For a three day global technology conference in Boston, the client's production company sought to open the each day's general session with an entertaining opening segment that emphasized different aspects of the client's business, all presented with the same general theme. The same musical theme would be used but to have to adapt on each day to reflect the themese of 1) the promise of developing markets, 2) the global nature of urban culture, and 3) the harmony between precision and power. To meet this challenge, Empire and original entertainment solution developer Live Lab worked closely with the creative production company to design, score, cast, costume, rehearse and deliver three different ensembles to former high-impact theatrical openers for each day's sessions.

To add to the challenge, the audiences would be in the several thousands each morning and would have to be highly visual and colorful to have an impact. The first day's general session message was emerging markets. For this, Empire provided the African Children's Choir, a 24 child ensemble made up almost entirely of orphans from the nation of Uganda, ages 9 - 13. This incredible group of singers and dancers led by an adult female vocalist and performin in vibrant colorful costumes, managed to bring the audience to their feet on the opening day with their powerful and inspirational performance of the song entitled "You and Me." On the second day global urban culture was represented in the form of a duet by New York City rap artist Adesola Osakalumi with Indian singer Manjit Devgun. They were in turn backed up by Chinese-American DJ David Chang and Donna D'Cruz, an extraordinary world music DJ whose background weaves together many cultures. Together the four performed a live hip hop / bhangra-crossover version of "You and Me" that took on an entirely different feel than the first day but still maintained the continuity and message.

On the third and final day, the piece began with an elegant string ensemble of 6 violins, viola and cello led by Juilliard graduate Lisa Liu. Midway through the piece E.B. Fraley's four piece rock band joined the number and Lisa Liu removed a tear-away gown to reveal a heavy metal wardobe and a flying-V viper-style electric violin. The piece built in energy and dynamism to an exciting finalé as Lisa and EB Fraley traded solos and brought down the house. Empire, Live Lab and the creative production company worked closely to deliver these original ensembles that met the client's objectives, exceeded the client's expectations and thrilled the audiences on each morning.

On the final night of the three day concert Empire delivered an outdoor concert with Train.

Empire and Live Lab are well-established leaders in the conception, design and production of original entertainment solutions.

The World Education & Development Fund is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to transform lives and reduce poverty by supporting high-quality education for poor children throughout Central and Latin America. To accomplish this, The World Education & Development Fund partners with efficiently run religious and secular private schools, as well as with education projects serving public schools, operating in poor communities.When World Education & Development Fund needed a new video to premiere at its 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, it turned to Empire Entertainment's Film & Video department to produce a five-minute piece.

The video would communicate that the most effective tool to help people help themselves out of poverty is a high-quality K-12 education.The video premiered at the 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, which took place in the Ballroom on the 36th floor ballroom of New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, overlooking central park. Founder and Executive Director, Luanne Zurlo kicked off the evening by thanking the attendees for raising over $1.6 million and then introduced the video that played to 400 black-tie attendees who were there to honor Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte - Chairman & CEO of Kimberly-Clark de México with the 2006 Education and Leadership Award.The video opened with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then intercut images of abject poverty with images of children, and startling statistics about Latin American education such as the fact that "Nearly half of Latin American children do not make it past the 5th grade" and "50% of Brazilian 15-year olds are functionally illiterate." A haunting music bed reinforced the stark images of the children, who are the future of Latin America.With the introduction of the World Education & Development fund's Logo and a voiceover discussing World Fund's mission, the mood of the music and images transitioned to an upbeat and hopeful theme to illustrate the success of World Fund's partner education programs.

Poignant on-camera sound bytes by Claudio X Gonzalez Laporte, and his son Claudio X Gonzalez Guajardo reinforced the evening's message that raising the quality of K-12 education in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru, and Brazil will make for a very different, and better future for these children, and their countries.The crowd silently listened while the images played across the multiple screens. With the final call to action, and the fade-up of the World Fund website, there was a rousing and inspired round of applause. Next up was Francisco Rivera, a graduate of Mano Amiga Chalco in Mexico. Francisco told a heartfelt story about his mother's inspiration, and how he overcame his difficulties and fears of learning at Mano Amiga Chalco. Although Francisco admitted some nervousness reading his words to the dignitaries, he overcame all obstacles and demonstrated the set of values he had learned: Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Generosity, Gratitude, Family Values, and Civic participation - all hallmarks of the World Fund's Educational programs. Francisco's speech resulted a standing ovation, and Luanne Zurlo took the podium to award Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte the 2006 Education and Leadership Award. Keith Sherin, Chief Financial Officer, of General Electric presented Mr. Gonzalez with the honor.Other notables in the audience included Carlos Slim, the Honorary Chairman of Telefonos de Mexico, and Shelly Lazarus, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Empire Entertainment is a full-service film & video production house capable of handling virtually any form of film & video project from conception to delivery.

Wynton Marsalis is an icon in the American jazz scene. Having earned eight Grammy awards, a Peabody Award, and a Pulitzer Prize in music before the age of 40, Wynton Marsalis is well on his way to becoming a true musical legend. When an elite international financial services institution sought to present an entertainer whose stature and accomplishments would add luster to the celebration, Empire Entertainment delivered this legendary performer for the closing performance. After enjoying the enchanting melodies of Juilliard's finest instrumentalists during cocktails and dinner at The Museum of Modern Art's exclusive event space, the 300 distinguished guests watched with anticipation as Wynton finally took the stage.

Wynton and his talented quartet hypnotized the audience with their elaborate improvised solos. Wynton's unparalleled trumpeting skills left everyone in awe. Even his improvised whistling led to great applause and a final standing ovation at the end of the night. Empire Entertainment coordinated all talent and production for this prestigious event, working within the demanding production environment of a world class museum that is open to the public until hours before the event began. Empire was also able to arrange onsite for Wynton to be interviewed for the client's commemorative video.

From Jazz and Classical to World Music and Rock, Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for prestigious corporate functions.

In 2005, Empire Entertainment produced the 9th Annual Webby Awards - - the first time the event was held in New York City. The event was a great success, and Recognition Media, LLC called on Empire the very next week to begin brainstorming how to make the gala even bigger and better yet again for it's 10th Anniversary. That mission was accomplished on Monday, June 12, 2006 at majestic Cipriani Wall Street in New York City's Financial District.The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, and "the Online Oscars" by Time Magazine.

On the night of the event, more than 750 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway. Empire created a stage set and lighting design that wowed attendees as they entered the space. A lush, dramatic Austrian drape in a beautiful muted shade of dusty rose created the backdrop for the stage, with a dazzling silver "10th Annual Webby Awards" logo set in the center. Three large video screens were flown, adding to the sleek, high-tech feel of the event. Palm trees set around the room were uplit with rose and amber colored lighting, as were the impressive pillars and columns in the space. Centerpieces of gorgeous white Calla Lillies surrounded by votives, as well as other deco-styled floral arrangements strategically set by the bars, added to the elegance of the event.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour in Cipriani's spacious mezzanine. Hors d'ouvres and cocktails were passed while pink cosmopolitans flowed through an elaborate spiral ice sculpture designed to resemble the Webby Awards trophy at the generously stocked bar. Then it was time to commence the show."The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" correspondent Rob Corddry returned to host the event for the second consecutive year. After a fantastic comedy set, Rob laid the ground rules, including a reminder of the time-honored Webby tradition that winners' acceptance speeches would be limited to just five words (a rule that remains unchanged since the inception of the Award in 1996). Arianna Huffington's speech "darlings, make blogs, not war" was among the best received of the evening.

The program was packed with memorable moments, including a hilarious performance by "Avenue Q", the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Broadway Musical, as well as an appearance by the characters from the virtual band "Gorillaz" whose puppets accepted their "Artist of the Year" award with their 5-words "the future's only just begun" before debating the merits of the internet in hilarious fashion. Other special achievement distinctions presented included "Entrepreneur of the Year" to Mark Cuban whose Dallas Mavericks were in the midst of the NBA finals, "Breakout of the Year" to MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Thomas Anderson, and "Person of the Year" to New York Times journalist and author Thomas Friedman. Dr. Robert Kahn who is credited with co-inventing the modern Internet was met with a standing ovation as he accepted a Webby "Lifetime Achievement Award".

But the highlight of the evening came when musical legend Prince took the stage to accept the second "Lifetime Achievement" award of the evening. The crowd response was so tremendous that he could barely get his 5-word acceptance speech heard, but he eventually told the crowd "everything you think…..is true". He then proceeded to perform an incredible number solo on acoustic guitar, bringing down the house, perhaps an answer to one savvy winner's speech earlier in the evening "Prince, play us some songs".To see video of this extraordinary event, please visit http//:www.cnn.com and search the term "webby awards". There you will find a link for "5-word speeches" that will give you a glimpse of the evening.

When Liberty Event Management, best known as producer of the New York / New Jersey International Boat Show, received permission to hold a public concert at Liberty State Park, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them develop and present an outdoor, concert festival event.The inaugural LibertyJAM concert was conceived and developed to raise money for The Friends of Liberty State Park, a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit charged with the mission to improve Liberty State Park and bring meaningful attention to New Jersey's beloved urban waterfront state park. The Friends of Liberty State Park plan to fund tree plantings and other major developments in the Park, such as a picnic pavilion, and the renovation of a historic rail station where immigrants once disembarked to start their new lives here in America.

Empire Entertainment and Liberty assembled an amazing line-up of talent with a very broad appeal, in only eight weeks. Bands on the bill included homegrown Jersey favorites like John Eddie, Patti Smith and up-and-comer, Exit 105. The bill also featured The Fab Faux, The Smithereens, Los Lobos, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, and Cheap Trick.Leading up to the show date, Empire Entertainment provided production consulting to the promoters and staffed key positions such as Production Managers, Stage Managers, Talent Logistics and credentials personnel.Although the weekend was dampened by some rainy weather, all of the concert performances went off without a hitch, and the promoters are already planning next years LibertyJAM with the goal of creating the NYC/NJ Metro area version of Bonnaroo or the Coachella Music Festival.

Empire is a leading producer and consulting producer of public events and festivals, providing talent booking, production & logistics management, sponsorship activation and onsite event management. All images for this story were photographed by Richard Lynch.

For nearly a decade, Empire Entertainment has been privileged to enjoy a strategic partnership with the world-renowned event designer, Colin Cowie. Empire serves Colin Cowie Lifestyle with industry-leading talent acquisition, entertainment production and stage management services and has worked as a part of the Colin Cowie team on extraordinary special events from the Middle East and the Caribbean to Europe and Mexico. Thus it was natural that Colin Cowie would select Empire to assist with the entertainment components for the 50th Birthday party for Island / Def Jam Records Chairman and music impresario L. A. Reid.

The party was held at the tony New York City Japanese eatery, Nobu57, and was attended by a Who's Who of the music world's A-listers.Guests for the fete included Jay-Z, John Legend, Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Kenneth "Babyface" Williams, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and fiancé Deryck Whibley, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Serena Williams, Spike Lee, Rihanna, Clive Davis, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri, and Sean, 'P. Diddy' Combs among others. The party began with a red carpet arrival area that led from the string of parked Bentleys and Chevy Escalades right up into one of the most sumptuous lounge environments ever created. Colin Cowie's team transformed the interior of the restaurant into a sexy and sleek nightclub complete with orange mirror dance floor, main stage and Cuban cigar lounge. The center point of the event was a series of performances by up-and-coming R&B superstar Chrisette Michelle, followed by superstar Lionel Richie who performed classic hits such as Easy, Zoom and Brick house.

After everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' Empire reset the stage and the crowd of 250 guests danced to music by DJ Cassidy until nearly 4:00AM.For this extremely high profile event, Empire Entertainment coordinated all technical elements of the entertainment, managing all entertainment production seamlessly.

When the most powerful names in entertainment want to be entertained themselves, Empire Entertainment is the producer they call.

Matt's Promise is a charitable organization that seeks to make a difference in the lives of young people with cancer and terminal illnessses, both through the funding of treatments and through support & education programs. Matt's Promise was founded by one of Google's earliest employees, Matt Wiederkehr, who pased away at age 33 of colon cancer. When the foundation wanted to create their first-ever benefit event, they turned to Empire Entertainment's innovative not-for-profit division to guide them through the process and to deliver a resoundingly successful first event. Many not-for-pronfit clients turn to Empire not just for world class event planning and execution, but also because we are able to raise money directly through sponosrships, table sales, development and through the creation of auctions and other revenue producing programs. For this benefit, Empire handled all aspects of the event including decor, photography, auction solicitation & production (for both a live and silent auction), invitation / program design, goody bag solicitation & production, sponsorship solicitation / table sales, RSVP tracking, mailing lkist development and updating, seating assignments, registration as well as talent booking and event production.

The event was hosted by Maria Milito, an on-air personality from Q104.3 and honored Tim Armstrong, Vice President of Ad Sales for Google. The event featured cocktails, a dinner, a vcideo / slide show and then an amazing headline performance by platinum-selling artist Seal that had the entire audience on their feet and dancing. Seal's wife, Heidi Klum also attended. Julie Chang of WB 11 News Reporter covered the event as did the Daily News.Empire and Matt's Promise delived sponsors that included The Corporate Edge, HBO, Vitamin Water,MSG and Google as well as donations from The New York Knicks, Kerzner International, Miraval, DKNY, Calypso, Freeze 24/7, Laura Mercier, Equinox, Relais and Chateau, New York Magazine, Best Life magazine, The New Jersey Nets, Superbowl Champion - Roland Williams and The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.By the time the sold out audience left the building, Matt's Promise had raised over $600,000.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of not-for-profit events and programs.

For the fourth year in a row, Empire Entertainment provided headline talent for a major Louisville, KY-based corporations' Kentucky Derby celebration. In the 132 years of the Kentucky Derby there had never been an official sponsor; however, this year Empire's client boasted this prestigious honor. A week of events and activities was was capped off with an inspired performance by Hootie And The Blowfish at a major party on the night before the running of the race. Well known in the corporate concert circuit, Hootie and The Blowfish are a nationally and internationally known concert act who deliver a high energy show of hits and coveers that is perfectly suited for many corporate events. For this engagement, the band added to its already formidable lineup by adding percussion player and a third guitar. The result was a 75 minute, full throttle carnival of dancing and singing along to well known hits by the band like "I Only Want to Be With You" and other surprising contemporary standards like Kool & The Gang's "Lady's Night."

Empire had to overcome the challenge of tight logisitical management for this engagement as Hootie and the Blowfish's lead singer, Darius Rucker, was asked by Tiger Woods to perform at his father's funeral that same morning in California. Ordinarily, this would have been an easy solution with the use of a private aircraft however, in this case because so many private aircraft visit Louisville for this event, special arrangements had to be made to accommodate the landing. This done, Darius arrived in Louisville in plenty of time for the pre-show meet & greet and concert. "Each year we up the ante" remarked their Master of Ceremonies before the concert. When it was over, the client's respose to the evening: "What will we do next year to top it, I don't know".

Empire is a leading producer of major entertainment and hospitality events at sporting events and have delivered major programs at such sporting events as the Kentucky Derby, The Winter & Summer Olympics, the Super Bowl and World Series and World Cup among others.

It is hard to believe that multi-Grammy winners Los Lobos have been performing consistently for over 30 years. However, this hard-rocking band from East L. A. has earned a reputation as one of America's most highly-acclaimed and successsful Latin / Rock crossover acts. Moreover, they are an amazing party band. When a technology client wanted to hold a major customer event at the Orlando House of Blues, they and their event logisitics team turned to Empire to sscure a nationally-known headline act that would suit the venue.

Empire, in turn, delivered Los Lobos who performed a concert that was nothing short of magical. Los Lobos jumped right into their massive song list that features songs from the La Bamba soundtrack, however, as soon as they launched into The Grateful Dead's "Bertha" the crowd exploded in dance. David and Cesar, two of Los Lobos' principal performers, invited as many attendees as possible to join them on stage for this "classic" and the party kicked into a high gear that lasted the rest of the evening, even after bars closed. After the show Empire Entertainment organized a loose meet and greet without the customary, stiff photo reception line, and instead guided the large gathering of guests to meet the band in an informal reception as the group signed as many set-lists, CDs, T-shirts and jackets as they could before leaving the venue. The band even took their bows on stage with attendees arm in arm and finished their double encore set with Neil Young's classic "Cinnamon Girl". Their triple guitar rendition was a powerful climax indeed.

Empire is a leading producer of sponsored trade events and event marketing parties that take place surrounding major trade shows such as The Consumer Electronics Show, The North American International Auto Show, the Magic Show, etc.

Homes for the Homeless is a charitable organization that aims to educate and provide housing to those who can not do this for themselves. HFH creates living situations to housethose indiviuals while providing child care and a safe environment for families in need!For their May 2006 gala, Homes for the Homeless selected Candace Sands and Empire's Not for Profit division to producing their important fundraising event.The evebt was chaired by Andrea Stern and honored New York Real Estate and media entrepreneur and well known philanthropist, Leonard Stern. The audience of approximately 500 guests consisted of New Yorkers from the workds of real estate, finance, etc.

The event featured a video, a performance by the Paul Hemmings Jazz Trio, minimalist decor by Wolfgang design and a house of Legos by Nathan Sawaya built to symbolize what the charity does...Among other roles, Empire put together a silent auction consisting of several one-of-a-kind packages including:1. An HBO Heavyweight fight - including 2 tix to a fight in Atlantic City or Las Vegas with stays at the Borgata or hard Rock hotel with airfare2. An HBO Entourage Premiere and after party VIP package3. A New Jersey Nets package that included an opportunity to meet the players during practice and receive signed jerseys4. A New York Rangers Package including 4 premium seats to a 2007 Rangers game - a $100 food per diem and signed hockey stick5. A 2 day stay at the Miraval Resort including food and 2 treatments for 2 people6. A Golf package Twosome @ Atlantic (Hamptons) and Old Oaks including tee times, green fees, caddies, golf carts, etc. and7. The chance to be the New York Knick's ball Boy for one game!!!Empire also arranged for an event gift bag for 500 including donated products such as Home Depot Tool Kits valued @ $26 each, Vitamin Water, Burts bees Lipwax, Black Book Restaurant Guides, etc. The event was a resounding success and raised significant funds for this important cause.

In the world of television advertising, nothing is more important to the networks than the annual "Upfront" Presentations which take place in New York City each Spring. On May 18th in New York City, it was Fox Broadcasting's turn to deliver a knockout performance to impress the most important advertisers. The decision was made to create an opening sequence based on FOX's hit animated series "Family Guy."

Fox producers needed an opening entertainment segment that would start the show in a witty and playful fashion and make use of the show's creator and co-star. FOX needed a creative team with the ability to develop a theatrical concept, cast, choreograph and handle all aspects of a live performance piece, and thus, FOX turned to Empire Entertainment and LIVE LAB. LIVE LAB worked in conjunction with the Fox Creative Services team to produce a Las Vegas-style production number that paralleled the opening sequence of Family Guy, complete with Broadway / Showgirl style dancers! Seth MacFarlane, the creator and star of "Family Guy", along with Alex Borstein, the voice of Lois Griffin, had the lead roles while the dancers turned the performance into a stunning spectacle complete with a Rockettes-style kickline.

LIVE LAB once again proved that they are the premier choice for building and designing innovative and customized performances. FOX Broadcasting relied on the skills of LIVE LAB's team of creative professionals to set the tone for the Upfront event, and LIVE LAB delivered with a piece that started the event in style and with laughs and applause!LIVE LAB: If you can dream it, we can build it.

When a private client wanted to celebrate his 50th birthday party in style, he called Empire Entertainment to produce the event. The party would take place in his backyard in Ho-Ho-Kus New Jersey and would include cocktails, a dinner and concert by Blondie. Empire scouted the location and determined that the best setting for the event would be a tented site built on the hard surface of a tennis court on the clients property. Empire created a 50' X 80' tent and built staging, sound and lighting suitable for the setting. Empire also created a catering menu of backyard barbecue and created seating and lounge vignettes before a large dance floor in front of the stage.

On the evening of the event, DJ Jordan Kessler spun a mix of 1970s and 1980s rock & roll, new wave and punk consistent with the clients taste. After the dinner, Debbie Harry took the stage and performed an amazing 75 minute set that included all of her hits like "Call Me," "Dreaming," "One Way or Another," "Heart of Glass," "The Tie is High," "Hanging on the Telephone," "Rapture" and more. After the concert the audience stayed around late into the evening drinking and dancing to the DJ. The client was thrilled with the event. Empire was responsible for details including tenting, talent coordination, production, catering, decor, security and logistics.

Empire is a leading producer of private, tented events at private homes.

A 50th birthday party only comes once in a lifetime, so when a highly accomplished investment banker and New York socialite threw his half-century soiree, Empire was called upon to make it an unforgettable night. Empire's task was to deliver a concert act that would get the Boomer-age crowd dancing with a string of upbeat and recognizable hits. Seeking something fresh, Empire secured The New Cars featuring Todd Rundgren -- before the act had even played their first public/ticketed show! The band performed on a dazzling stage designed by Empire to seamlessly blend with the exquisite, existing decor of Four Seasons restaurant, which is not designed for live performances.

As is often the case, Empire worked with the venue to find solutions to the many challenges of presenting a major headliner in a small space including power, lighting, audio considerations, etc. The New Cars, which features members of the original Cars, played the hits one after the other including "Just What I Needed," "You Might Think," "Drive" and many others and the high-spirited crowd danced the night away.

Empire is a leading producer of social and personal events for discernng clients worldwide.

When one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics wanted some "different and exciting" entertainment to energize their sales team in order to launch their new portable global positioning device, they turned to Empire for help. The chosen talent would not only have to appeal to a predominantly young and male audience, but they would also need to be affiliated with the company's interests in the recording industry.

Working carefully through both corporate channels and the band's representation, Empire was able to negotiate and secure a performance by legendary southern rock and rollers, The Black Crowes. From the moment the Black Crowes exploded onto the stage, it was clear that this would not be your standard corporate show. The band played, loud and loose, like it was a sold-out, 1991 show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, and their lives depended on delivering a memorable performance. The 2500 strong crowd rocked to Chris Robinson and company's long, winding jams and uplifting hits, including "Hard To Handle," "Jealous Again," "Twice As Hard," "She Talks To Angels" and Remedy among others. As the adrenaline-pumped audience exited the ballroom of the posh Westin Kierland Resort, the client quickly declared the concert "A home run!" A casual meet and greet followed the concert, with the gracious band members joking with guests and posing for pictures.

Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for events around the globe.

When the world-renowned Schatz-Ornstein photographic studio wanted to throw a party to celebrate Howard Schatz' 16th book of photographs, they called on Empire Entertainment to produce the smash opening party for 150 select VIPs and members of the media. For "In Character : Actors Acting", Schatz photographed 100 actors of stage, screen and television, directing them in one-on-one improvisation, as he snapped beautiful and poignant photographs that captured the actor's portrayal of Schatz' direction. Beverly Ornstein, Schatz' partner and a former documentary producer, created a behind the scenes mini-movie featuring Robert Klein to illuminate how Schatz directed the actors to get his shots.

To represent the photographic work at the event, Empire Entertainment flew a projector system from the ceiling of the studio, and used the hard cyclorama as the screen, creating a visual centerpiece to the party. Empire also strategically placed three other 50" plasma screens in the studio, each featuring different actors being put through their paces by Schatz with his subtle voiceover describing the motivation of each shot.One specific request made by the studio was to create passed hor d'oeuvres that were as visually unique as Schatz' photographs. The tasty and visual treats included a six-hour braised bacon and quail egg with a Guinness beer chaser presented inside the quail shell; tomato fondue with basil sorbet in a wafer cone; bruschetta, red wine mayonnaise and caramelized shallots; apple tart filled with foie gras terrine and caramel; Osetra caviar on smashed Yukon potatoes with lemon; all washed down with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and sparkling waters.

Some of the theatrical & cinematic luminaries in attendance included Robert Klein, Robert Vaughn, Robert Loggia, Bruce Altman, Dan Hedaya, PJ Barry, Christopher Lloyd, Mark Margolis, Giancarlo Esposito, Daniel Sunjata as well as VIPs, and the CBS Sunday morning Crew who are doing a feature on Schatz' work. The event was a complete success and Empire helped to design, plan and implement all aspects from security and décor to catering, production, and room layout.

There are great rewards and great challenges to producing the same corporate meeting for a group year after year. Such is the case with Empire Entertainment's long standing relationship with one of the world's largest investment banks. For many years, Empire has delivered top name talent and attractions at the annual client conference of this client, to a highly educated and sophisticated group. Over the past several years, Empire has delivered for this meeting intimate performances by Ray Charles and his 44 Piece Orchestra, The Beach Boys, Latin sensation Albita, comedian Al Franken and Glenn Frey to name a few. This year, the client wanted something completely different - something interactive.

Empire Entertainment suggested and delivered "Who's Line Is It Anyway" star Wayne Brady. The result was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Best known for his role on ABC's television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and for a memorable sketch on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, Brady astounds his audience with dead-on impressions of various singers and sense of humor. However, the highlights in his 60 minute shows are they ways he incorporates audience suggestions and uses the audience members to create spontaneous comedy. It is not only challenging to make songs and movie sketches "on-the-fly", but to make them personalized to the client and attendee without humiliating the audience or the client, is the mark of a truly talented artist. Wayne Brady achieved this and more and delivered a hysterical and appropriate show that had many in the audience wiping away tears of laughter as they exited the ballroom.

From Wayne Brady and Gotham City Improv to the Second City National Touring Company, Empire Entertainment is a leader in presenting improv comedy for corporate events.

When one of the world's largest technology companies sought to recognize, reward and inspire its top technical employees and scientists, it chose to conduct a weekend retreat with spouses at the Fairmont Hotel in picturesque Vancouver, British Columbia. The 3 day program for more than 400 guests would include several meal functions, inspiring speakers, activities, entertainment, a gala dinner and a disco after-party. Based on a multi-year working relationship, this global corporation turned to Empire Entertainment to serve as production company for the entire program.

Over the course of many months, Empire worked closely with the clients to develop an agenda and theme that would resonate throughout the weekend and leave a lasting impression long after the guests returned home. The example of the Apollo space program that ultimately sent the first men to the moon was chosen as a source of inspiration and appropriate imagery and content were adopted to theme the entire weekend.

The program began with an arrival night reception and dinner where the company's most senior technical executive delivered a keynote address, followed by an inspiring speech by Dr. Jerry Linenger, an American astronaut who served aboard the Space Station MIR. Dr. Linenger's speech was met with a standing ovation and guests lined up to meet Dr. Linenger after his remarks. The next morning following breakfast, guests were treated to a keynote address by BBC broadcaster and author, James Burke, who shared his perspectives on the history and future of knowledge and technological change. The breakfast was followed by an interactive scavenger hunt game that took place throughout the day.

That evening, guests arrived dressed in ‘Geek Chic' attire for the recognition dinner. Following a cocktail hour, guests entered a ballroom that Empire had transformed into a space-aged fantasy. Square tables set with dark grey linens, silver chargers and square glass centerpieces sat arrayed in lines below a light ceiling in blue chase lights. Each centerpiece glowed with white pin-spotting. Looping footage of high resolution space animations ran on dual projection screens while beams of cobalt blue lighting slowly tracked the room. The evening featured a keynote address and Q&A by the company's chairman followed by a set of side-splitting humor by former Saturday Night Live player and Wayne's World star, Dana Carvey.

Following the dinner, guests adjourned to the rooftop ballroom for a night of dancing to 1980's hits in a mini-disco designed and decorated by Empire and DJ'd by Los Angeles turntablist DJ Crash.On the final morning, Empire set up a farewell brunch which featured bright florals, baskets of hangover cures on each table, and a performance of soft blues, gospel and R&B music by Vancouver's own Kenny Wayne.The results speak for themselves. In the client's post-program analysis, the attendee surveys were returned with 95% of the attendees indicating that they were satisfied and 70% of those indicating that they were very satisfied (the highest ranking).

For this program Empire served as the one-stop production company, developed and designed every aspect of the program in collaboration with the client and supplied all speaker and entertainment booking, staging, sound, lighting and audio visual services, décor, production management and onsite staffing.

Many of the world's most successful corporations choose Empire Entertainment as their one-stop production company to produce their most important programs.

When National Geographic Channel wanted to present an extraordinary client event for their New York City Upfront, they again selected Empire Entertainment as their event producer. The direction from management was that this year's event would have to relate to NGC's programming and would also have to challenge guests with an authentic adventure and learning experience that they would not soon forget. Empire worked closely with NGC's marketing and events team, considered all of NGC's upcoming programming carefully, and ultimately chose a space / astronaut-themed event. The theme would provide a solid basis for the intelligent, experiential, and forward-looking event that would best promote the world's fastest-growing cable network to its most important customers. The event would feature real astronaut training exercises for the attendees as well as authentic exhibits, simulations and access to top, current astronauts and space scientists. But creating an authentic space / astronaut-themed event from scratch would be no easy matter, especially because NASA would not be able to support a commercial event. Empire and NGC would have to create a space program from scratch.

The event was held at Skylight NYC - a spacious, modern former gallery space in lower Manhattan that perfectly resembled what one would expect to be the interior of a NASA astronaut training facility. The décor featured a large entrance statement in the form of a yellow border lit from within through which guests entered the event. The registration area was bathed in red light and resembled a rocket gantry through which astronauts enter a shuttle or capsule. Guests then walked through a chain curtain and into rolling fog like a rocket ready to blast off and entered another world. Guests stepped into a tunnel made of black drape and fiber optic star drop that led into the main room of the event. Before them stood a giant 60' wall of star drop on which was mounted a giant, high definition projection screen looping NGC's high definition footage. Images of the blue earth below, taken from the International Space Station, passed by the giant portal-style window. A vignette featuring the a full size Apollo 13 space capsule (that was used in the motion picture Apollo 13), along with a full scale model of a lunar rover and a current EVA (extra-vehicular activity) space suit, were lit in blue light. Before this, a series of white ottomans were placed for seating with a pillar at the center of each, topped with a Lucite dome containing hydroponic arrangements of beautiful specimen orchids. Guests were served specialty ‘Galaxy' cocktails from two large bars - one a ‘Mars Bar' lit in red and another a ‘Moon bar' lit in blue. Abigail Kirsch provided space aged catering served on Lucite trays by waitstaff and bartenders all dressed in blue NASA flight jumpsuits.

Surrounding the bars were a series of astronaut training activities and guest speaker stations including: Do You Have What it Takes to Become an Astronaut?• This multi-station area featured staff in lab coats administering timed aptitude tests and challenges similar to the exams taken to become an astronaut. These interactive stations were themed to the NGC series "Crash Test Humans" and included:Orbitron • This was a stationary G-force space simulated activity. The user stepped into the innermost of three concentric rings that move and roll the participant along the tilt, roll and yaw access and are used to help train individuals for the disorientation of space flight. As soon as guests completed their time on the Orbitron, they were asked to participate in a timed manual dexterity exercise where they stacked blocks. Space Walk Simulator • This activity consisted of a large, ground supported truss structure and harness rig in which guests were suspended in space and asked to conduct a series of activities similar to those that an astronaut might have to perform onActivities were led by a variety of experts and real astronauts. Dr. Leroy Chiaho, commander of the International Space Station and several Space Shuttle Missions led the Space Shuttle landing simulation, talking guests throuh an authentic landing on headsets while Dr. Max Bernstein, Astrobiophysicist of NASA's SETI program (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) taught guests about how we search the stars for signs of life.

When one of the world's largest global software firms suffered an event-disrupting blow, it called on Empire Entertainment to turn a negative into a positive. Hurricane Katrina ended the client's plans to hold their annual "kick off" meeting in New Orleans. Both date and venue had to change in the wake of the catastrophic storm. But in planning for the new event in San Antonio's Conventiuon Center Arena, Empire acted quickly to secure an act that would not only blow the audience away, but that would also connect to New Orleans and speak to the upheaval in the Big Not-So-Easy-Anymore.

Empire landed the bayou's own, John Fogerty, best known as the voice of Creedence Clearwater Revival to perform a headline concert. The result was an ecstatic audience who swayed and danced to a stream of smash radio hits including "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Fortunate Son," "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?", and "Centerfield," to name but a few.The spectacular evening ended with a lengthy meet and greet, where the very affable John Fogerty chatted with guests and posed for pictures.

Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for events around the globe.

Since the New York launch of their channel in 2003, the National Geographic Channel has partnered with Empire to produce and manage numerous unique events including the New York and Chicago Upfronts, public press events at Chelsea Piers and the Central Park Zoo, and the multi-character "Adventure Squad" street marketing team. Therefore, it was no coincidence that they called on Empire to produce an elegant reception to celebrate the National Geographic Channel's launch on high definition television and to mark the 5th Anniversary of the channel's inception. The reception was held at the Explorers Club, renowned for its century-old tradition of being the meeting point for a professional society of select explorers and scientists worldwide, most notably, astronaut Neil Armstrong and Sir Edmund Hillary – the first mountaineer to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

Amidst the club's stately features of dark varnished wood, imported stone fireplaces, polar bear taxidermy and oil paintings depicting explorations to the North Pole, Empire delicately integrated technical production elements and a décor scheme that enhanced the National Geographic Channel brand without overwhelming the space. Upon arrival at the club, guests entered through an 8-foot-high doorway recreation of National Geographic's signature yellow border, consisting of yellow gerbera daisies and green foliage. Once inside, a Eurasian hawk and a pair of Blackfoot penguins greeted guests as they nibbled on passed hors d'oeuvres and sipped cocktails. On the terrace, which was tented and draped with flowing red & yellow silk, guests shot photos of themselves on a green screen with NGC-themed backgrounds and interacted with a mix of exotic creatures including a Lemur, young Alligator, Siberian Lynx, Armadillo, and a Slow Loris.

The event was co-hosted by ADWEEK Magazine, featured remarks by President Laureen Ong and looping high definition video footage of NGC programming, and attracted NGC talent including Explorer host Lisa Ling, Explorer-in-Residence Bob Ballard and the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. Empire coordinated and managed every aspect of the event including venue, catering, décor, live animals, lighting, video plasmas, audio, staging & security.In the words of the client, the party was "A fun, classy event which once again drove home to key constituencies that NGC is a young powerhouse on the move."

When legendary performers look to market their own latest releases, they turn to Empire Entertainment to help present them in their best light. Such was the case when Barry Manilow and BMG released Barry's newest album, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," and sought to perform selections of this material for an exclusive audience of influential New Yorkers and music industry executives. The event was held at the spectacular Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center and featured a cocktail hour, an introduction speech by legendary label executive Clive Davis and a fifty minute concert during which Barry performed both Fifties classics and his greatest hits. Performing high above Columbus Circle with the lights of Central Park as a backdrop, Barry performed such great classics as "Mandy," "Made it Through the Rain," "Copacabana," and "I Write the Songs" as well as selections from this new album such as "Unchained Melody," "It's Not For Me to Say," "Moments to Remember" and "Venus." Onstage Barry performed with a large orchestra including a horn section, background vocalists, and dancers. Barry performed both at the vocal microphone and at the piano. The evening ended with a streamer burst and a standing ovation as Barry concluded this rare New York concert appearance to thunderous applause. For this program Empire helped to coordinate all logistics and supervised production, interfacing among Barry Manilow's camp, Jazz at Lincoln Center and various outside resources to provide the highest caliber production quality.

When the stars present themselves, they turn to Empire to help them produce the show.

When one of Russia's largest energy companies wanted to throw a spectacular year-end event, their Netherlands-based producers contacted Empire Entertainment to deliver the appropriate host.The event took place at the historic Rossia Concert Hall, just steps away from Moscow's Red Square. The dinner and performance, held for an audience of approximately 650 of Russia's wealthiest and most powerful people, featured performances by Sarah Brightman, Jem, Fuego!, and Pink along with her laser effects, video and a spectacular fireworks display in a very snowy Red Square.

With so many program features and so much talent, it was important to find the right host who could keep the evening's flow moving, deliver physical humor that would transcend the language barrier and be recognized by the audience. Actor Jim Belushi fit the bill in every respect. His legendary physical comedy abilities, his willingness to perform Blues Brothers songs to track, and the fact that he is highly recognized in Russia due to some of his motion pictures like "K-9" and "Red Heat", made him the ideal candidate. Jim Belushi worked with co-host Yelena Hanga, a Russian-American who is also a television personality in Russia, and together they were able to set-up the jokes and translate all of Jim's humor to the appreciative audience.

The spectacular evening, whose attendees included entrepreneurs, politicians and notable Russian business figures, ended with Jim Belushi getting everyone on their feet and dancing as he performed "Sweet Home Chicago" and led them in a final champagne toast before guests went outside for an amazing fireworks show in Red Square. For this program, Empire contracted Jim Belushi, handled all logistics and visa needs, facilitated the development of creative and script, and stage managed the hosting segments.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for events around the globe.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of New York's most notable weekly magazines, TIME OUT NEW YORK came to Empire Entertainment to coordinate a 7 month series of street marketing stunts in partnership with their advertising client, city specific American Express card IN:NYC. The concept was simple. On every tenth day of the month, TONY and IN:NYC would surprise New Yorkers by giving them a birthday present at some of New York's more frequented venues. Each month's location and stunt would relate to a different element of TONY's editorial content such as music, film, etc. To develop and execute this 7 month series of events, Empire worked closely with TONY's marketing department and IN:NYC's agency - Momentum Worldwide to craft, coordinate and manage all logistics of each promotion and help bring visibility to both brands.Every promotion involved a street team of six actors/models, who served as brand ambassadors and who were nicknamed 'Team TONY.' Empire cast, contracted, and attired the ethnically diverse team in specially styled TONY and IN:NYC-branded clothing.

We trained the team so that they would be well-versed about the product in order to introduce guests to the newly born IN:NYC card and rewards program and create buzz and awareness surrounding TONY's 10th Birthday. Team TONY interacted with members of the public and handed out custom made TONY birthday cards which offered opportunities to win a free subscription to the magazine.The seven months of promotions began in June 2005, where free single-pass subway Metrocards were given to commuters entering subway stations in three neighborhoods. In July, TONY and a team of stylists gave free manicure / color changes at Hudson River Park. In August, TONY and IN:NYC surprised guests at 9 IN:NYC participating restaurant & bar hot spots with free Grey Goose Vodka "MAR-TONY'S". These restaurants included Brasserio: Caviar and Banana, Kitchen 22, 66, Underbar in the W Hotel, Callo Ocho, Ono in the Hotel Gansevoort, Django, Kitchen 82, and NY favorite, SushiSamba 7. In September, guests were given a free night at the movies - with free movie passes, free popcorn and soda. In October, TONY and the IN:NYC Card gave jazz fans free $10 iTunes certificates at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in honor of TONY's 10 years as New York's go to guide for the best music and music happenings across the city.

In November, free "MAR-TONYS" were given to those attending one of the many great Off Broadway shows at Dodger Stages. To celebrate the last birthday event, TONY and IN:NYC gave free coffee at 3 Upper east side and 3 Upper West side locations to morning pedestrian commuters.Empire also coordinated the logistics for an onsite IN:NYC acquisition team who informed guests about the cards benefits and provided an opportunity to sign up those who were interested in the IN:NYC rewards program. Those who did sign up received a gift bag with multiple gifts particular to each promotion, such as gift certificates to various IN:NYC restaurants, IN:NYC branded martini glasses, gift certificates to J&R Music and Oasis Day Spa, as well as Godiva hot chocolate, and a free night at the movies to name a few.At every promotion, Team TONY managed to surprise New Yorkers and build good will and brand awareness for both TONY and IN:NYC. On the whole, thousands of birthday cards were distributed leading to strong subscriptions and far more people than had been expected signed up for the IN:NYC card.

Empire is a leading producer of attention-getting and results-achieving street marketing and brand awareness events.

When ShopRite LPGA sought to create an innovative and large-scale fundraising event to benefit a series of New Jersey charities, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them achieve their goal. Their objective was to create a novel, hybrid concert event which would be publicly promoted with public advertising and tickets sold to the general public, but for which all of the proceeds would to benefit four charities: AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Shore Memorial Hospital, Gilda's Club of New Jersey and the Ruth Newman Shapiro Cancer & Heart Fund. The concert event would have to be on a large scale - with a gross potential at or above $1 million dollars. The concert would also need to be held in Atlantic City and, because the client was looking for an activity that would take place approximately six months from their huge LPGA Golf Tournament event at the end of May, the concert would need to take place at the end of the year and feature an artist who was in a sense 'Christmas-proof ' and would be able to deliver the large scale crowd an event like this would demand.

Working closely with the client over almost an entire year, Empire steadily negotiated with and ultimately secured superstar recording artist and 2005 MusiCares Man of the Year, James Taylor.The concert was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, an historic renovated venue that seats more than 12,000 people. Empire worked closely with the client, James Taylor's management and Boardwalk Hall to oversee every element of the production including ticket scaling, seating kills, on-sale strategy, marketing & promotion, concert production, logistics, signed James Taylor memorabilia, merchandising, music licensing royalties and budget management. In conjunction with the concert a cocktail reception and a post-show meet & greet with James Taylor and high roller sponsors and guests were held.The concert drew almost 8,000 attendees. James Taylor performed nearly a two hour show comprised of holiday songs and his hits including "Fire & Rain," "Handyman," "Sweet Baby James," "How Sweet It Is," and "You've Got a Friend" among many others. The concert was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the attendees and represents an innovation in fund raising events by ShopRite LPGA where a purely commercial entertainment served several charitable organizations.

Empire Entertainment is proud to have served as producer for this successful and innovative charitable concert event.

On December 6, 2005, a dinner was hosted at the home of Roger Waters (founder of Pink Floyd) and Laura Durning to promote awareness and funding of the Millennium Promise organization (www.millenniumpromise.org) whose objective is to fight extreme poverty, especially in Africa. The evening's event was co-hosted by Tracey Durning and Jon Ein and was produced by J. B. Miller and Empire Entertainment.

The evening began with a cocktail hour in Roger Water's Library, with magnificent views overlooking New York in 3 directions from 51st & Fifth Avenue. At the cocktail hour guests arrived and were treated to floral creations designed by Michael Kowalski using predominantly African flowers & greens, catering provided by Great Performances and Veuve Cliquot champagne generously supplied by Moet Hennessey U.S.Guests included guest of honor and director of both the UN Millennium Project and The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, as well as Angelina Jolie, Philip Seymour Hoffman, MOBY, Roger Waters, Patti Smith and a variety of key donors and representatives of private foundations. Guests were then seated for dinner in the dining room at eight 5' square tables, each sset for 8 guests where they enjoyed a three course meal, a showing of a video on Millennium Promise produced by Tracey Durning, an acoustic performance by Patti Smith and remarks and Q&A with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. Following the dinner guests returned to the library for Hennessey cognac and further discussion which a soundtrack of African music created by Empire Entertainment played.

The event was a success on every level with the guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. Dr. Sachs was "Over the moon" and significant interest in the Millennium Promise initiatives were generated.

On November 10, 2005, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment engaged Empire Entertainment to bring to life and produce an elegant cocktail reception and press event celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the legendary motion picture, "The Sound of Music." Attended by Dame Julie Andrews and all seven actors and actresses who portrayed the Von Trapp children in the film, this milestone event garnered wide press coverage throughout television and print, including The Today Show, which taped one-on-one interviews with each actor at the event.

The reception was held in the Chestnut Room at New York's famed Tavern on the Green. Guests dined on a traditional Austrian buffet including weiner schnitzel, bratwurst, and traditional Viennese desserts such as apple strudel and sacher torte. Empire provided pianist Julie McBride who performed Rodgers & Hammerstein classics as background music for the affair. The highlight of the party was a 16' x 8' custom-made replica of the marionette theatre featured in the film's much-loved "Lonely Goat Herd" scene. Within the theater's proscenium were displayed six of the original marionettes featured in the film, which Empire acquired on a special loan from the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa. Inside Tavern's Crystal Garden, Empire installed a 20' x 40' press tent and draped it with gold and white silk. To create an environment similar to an Austrian field, the interior was carpeted in green and filled with clusters of birch trees and fresh flower arrangements. Working under the direction of Twentieth Century FOX, Empire Entertainment managed all details for the event, coordinated all logistics with the venue, catering and tenting, and provided all décor, scenic, lighting and audio.

Empire is a leading producer of high-end publicity events and has established a strong track record of delivering high quality events that are uniquely customized to the products and services they promote.

When a major technology company wanted to provide an exciting opening number and evening celebration for their product launch they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure headline entertainment that would lend itself to a 'Rock & Roll' launch theme. Empire presented the client with a variety of band recommendations and worked with them to ultimately secure 1970's and 1980's rock icons, Cheap Trick, to headline the launch event and party. Cheap Trick, with their many hard rock hits and reputation as a fun and boisterous band, lent themselves perfectly to the launch theme of "Ready to Rock / Ready to Launch" and were the ideal partners for realizing the client's creative vision. Set in front of a unique stage set of VersaTile LED surfaces at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Cheap Trick kicked off the morning session with an electrifying, high energy rendition of their hit "Hello There" promptly at 9:00AM.

Just as the opening video ended, the band counted off and tore into the song as a wall of vertical banners suddenly dropped to reveal the band onstage. Lead singer Robin Zander greeted the amazed audience with the lyrics "Hello there. Ladies and gents, are you ready to rock?" Cheap Trick returned later that same evening for the finale of the Product Launch, a final party. The party featured various rock and roll-themed activities, a performance by the all-female AC/DC cover-group, AC/Dshe and also featured live airbrush artists painting 80's rock icons. The concert portion of the party was kicked off by Paul Sr. of Orange County Choppers featured on the television show American Choppers, who rode a custom motorcycle onto the stage to introduce the band. Cheap Trick then played a full set of their hits that included "I Want You to Want Me," "The Flame," "Surrender," and "Dream Police" among others. Original band members Robin Zander, Rick Neilsen, Bun E. Carlson and Tom Peterson kept the crowd rocking as they threw guitar picks to lucky guests in the crowd.

The show was a great success with the audience calling out for more as the band left the stage, which they happily obliged with a two song encore, concluding with the client's recommendation of "Goodnight" which made the event come full circle.Cheap Trick were the ideal partner for this launch. Their great, collaborative attitude showed itself in many ways as the band cooperated on issues ranging from set design, lighting and branding to the selection of material and show flow.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of headline entertainment for major business events worldwide.

When Arista Records and Clive Davis wanted to throw a party to celebrate the release of Carlos Santana's latest album, "All That I Am," they turned to Empire Entertainment to pull together a terrific event on short notice. The event took place in the ornate Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center, located directly above the Hammerstein Ballroom. The party immediately followed Santana's concert downstairs. The late night lounge-style event was presented by Carlos Santana's recording label, Arista Records and was also sponsored by Real Networks music download service, Rhapsody.

The event featured a press room for interviews and photographs with Carlos Santana, Clive Davis, Anthony Hamilton and other Arista recording artists, a giant central bar surrounding towering palm trees, ottoman seating, square cocktail hi-tops, video projection of collected footage from Santana's career and lighting design by Empire's client that perfectly complemented the hundreds of red, yellow and white candles that glowed on every surface. The soundtrack of assorted work from Santana's career set the right mood for the event as guests chatted and mingled to the sounds of "Oye Como Va", "Black Magic Woman" and other Santana hits.The event was a complete success and Empire helped to design, plan and implement all aspects from security and decor to catering, production and room layout with less than one week's notice.

When the biggest names in entertainment choose to entertain themselves, they call Empire Entertainment.

Keep a Child Alive is an innovative, fast-growing charitable organization that raises money and awareness to provide anti-retroviral drugs and programs to children with HIV/AIDS in Africa. Keep a Child Alive takes a powerful, activist approach to its mission: To provide funding for ARV treatment and surrounding services for children and families To fund nutritional projects where necessary in clinic sites, To provide funding for the training or employment of health care workers, To build and scale up sites where ARV treatment can be made available, To fund sites where AIDS orphans can be cared for and to engage the public directly in the fight against global HIV/AIDS. Keep a Child Alive has raised considerable program funds and awareness though various media programs to combat this catastrophic health crisis in Africa.

Empire Entertainment was honored to again have the opportunity to produce Keep A Child Alive's annual fundraising event, "The Black Ball" in 2005.This year's event was scheduled as the closing event for the Time Magazine Healthcare Summit at the Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Time Warner Building. This is a prestigious program that included speeches and workshops with speakers such as Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Bono and Paul Farmer among many others. For this extraordinary event, Empire served as overall event producer and was responsible for all program aspects working alongside Keep a Child Alive and in collaboration with many wonderful event partners and donors.

The event began with a stunning cocktail reception in the Rose Hall Atrium. The cocktail reception featured projections of image campaigns, elegantly lit collections of African art, floral designs using all native African flowers and plants featuring King Proteas, and a soundtrack of African music. Great Performances handled the catering and featured a custom "Triple Drug Cocktail" utilizing sponsored Belvedere vodka.Following the cocktail reception, 380 guests entered the spectacular Allen Room for an elegant, seated dinner. The tables for this dinner were designed by Helena Lehane and featured smoked glassware, black silverware, textured African-style linens and hurricane candle groupings.

A diverse group of celebrities attended the dinner including Clive Davis, Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Rosie Perez, and many others. Following the dinner and a 2nd cocktail seating, approximately 1,000 guests entered the Rose Theater for an extraordinary program and concert. Whoopi Goldberg emceed the program, which included speeches by Eileen Naughton (President of Time Magazine) and Leigh Blake (Founder of Keep a Child Alive). Natasha Richardson, Cynthia Nixon (Sex in the City), and Jeffrey Wright presented awards to Michael Weinstein (President of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation), HBO (to Executive Vice President Richard Plepler) and Kim Nichols (Executive Director of the African Services Committee.) The program also included a poetry reading by 18-year-old poet Shacoya V. Harts, and a dance & song performance by Erika Rose.After the speaking program, Alicia Keys and her band took the stage and began an incredible concert program.

The 90 minute concert, supported by visual projections by Earle Sebastian, included solos by Alicia Keys and duets with other amazing artists. Some highlights were Alicia Keys and John Mayer dueting on "A Little Help From My Friends," the song "Sorrow Tears and Blood" with Femi Kuti and Common, "Ain't Got You" and "Can't Help It" duets between Alicia Keys and Usher, an incredible performance of "Homeless" by Paul Simon with the Agape Children's Choir, a choir of AIDS orphans from South Africa, and additional duets between Alicia Keys and Baaba Maal on "African Woman" and a final duet with Angelique Kidjo on "Afrika" to close out the show.The high point of this incredible show was a duet between U2's Bono and Alicia Keys on the Peter Gabriel / Kate Bush song "Don't Give Up (Africa)" For more information on the 2005 Black Ball visit: http://keepachildalive.org/kcaAtWork/index.php?p=BlackBall2005

When Real Estate Developer Donald Trump wished to thank the Phoenix City Council for approving his plans to build a 40-story luxury condo-hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, he turned to Empire Entertainment's Film & Video Division to produce the 00:30 second commercial spots for television and radio. Working closely with Bayrock Group's marketing department, Empire presented the Bayrock marketing department with a number of ideas, and chose to go with a straight forward, and simple approach to the commercial spot.Mr. Trump sits in his office saying thank you for the city council's approval that allows him, and another company, Phoenix-based Westcor, to build taller buildings than the present city ordinances allow.

As Mr. Trump speaks about the economic benefits his Trump Phoenix will create, beautiful renderings of the proposed multi-use, luxury destination are shown on-screen.The Phonecians for Smart Growth support Mr. Trump and the Bayrock group, pointing to the economic benefits a project like Trump Phoenix provides the city of Phoenix, including 1.4 million dollars of tax revenue annually, over $900,000 generated annually for phoenix schools, and jobs.An opposition group called "People Organized, Exercising Democracy" contends that tall building projects inhibit the enjoyment of Camelback Mountain, and they have collected petitions to force a citywide referendum on the issue.

Empire Entertainment's Film & Video Division creates Film, Video, and DVDs to assist companies with their marketing and communications messages.Empire's Film & Video unit have produced many industrial and private projects and were involved in the production of the 2006 Oscar Nominated film, "Capote," and Empire's two principals won the Emmy award for outstanding achievement in News & documentary programming for their first long-form project, a documentary motion picture entitled "The Cruise," directed by Bennett Miller. The Cruise tied with ABC News' Millennium coverage for this prestigious award. Empire's Film and Video division can produce any kind of film & video required by corporate clients including commercials, music videos, television pilots, long form projects, and corporate industrials for training, sales & motivation.

On Saturday, September 10th, Marco Tempest gave Apple consumers something that they did not expect! Performing his unique brand of hi-tech magic and illusions, Marco filled the audience with wonder, laughter, and awe. Entitled "Multimedia Magic Made on a Mac", Marco's performance not only showcased is world-renowned and innovative routines, it also demonstrated his abilities to use MAC products to produce his magic. Using Wi Fi technology, integration between various products ranging from cell phones and cameras to computers and plasma screens, Marco proved once again that he is the most ground-breaking magician of the 21st century. Marco and a team of eight assistants attracted so many viewers, that the 2nd floor theater was at maximum capacity!

Performing in the heart of trendy Soho, Marco's audience was entirely diverse. Ranging from computer geeks to families to tourists to supermodels in town for fashion week, the result was unanimous: Marco Tempest had single-handedly made people believe in magic again! Marco was able to solve one of the most popular (and difficult) puzzles in the world; The Rubik's Cube! To the audience's bewilderment, Marco mysteriously pulled a cube right out of the TV monitor. As excited participants would jumble up the cube as much as possible, Marco would foil them all by solving the puzzle in less than 5 seconds. Marco then asked seven random audience members to punch their favorite number into a spectator's cell phone, which magically ended up dialing Marco's personal phone!

Marco continues to be a master at walking the line between the actual world in which we live, and the virtual reality that exists in our amazing technology and our imaginations. As the creative force and production designer behind all of his work, Marco is an event planner and producer's dream!

When one of the world's most respected and established publications, Fortune Magazine, celebrated its 75th Anniversary for its major advertisers in New York City, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help design, produce and execute a signature event for this very special occasion.Empire collaborated with Fortune's event marketing team to create an event that would reflect the values and traditions of the 75 year old brand and utilize imagery from the period of it's launch in 1930. The event would also need to provide a contemporary, relevant and entertaining experience for the guests that would project Fortune Magazine's contining vitality.The Mandarin Oriental Ballroom served as the perfect location for the party with it's art deco design and incredible views of Central Park and the New York City skyline.

In addition, Empire installed and lit a series of standing displays depicting classic Fortune Magazine cover artwork and bountiful arrangements of calla lillies. The party featured music by the Stingers, a 10 piece R&B Motown band, and a series of performances by acrobatic / aerial troupe Antigravity®. Guests were amazed by their skill and flawless performances. The final Antigravity® performance segment led by the "famous jumping boots," segued into remarks from the evening's host to a dance set by the Stingers who kept the crowd on their feet.Towards the end of the party, Empire opened the doors to yet another section of the ballroom to reveal a Diamond décor themed lounge. All white lounge furniture, glowing cocktail tables, diamond inspired decorations and Fortune Magazine branded pillows were all draped in blue lighting to create a cool and modern ambience. To top it off, sexy world music DJ Donna D'Cruz spun an incredible set of dance music for two hours on her customized diamond studded DJ façade. For this event Empire provided all decor and design, lighting, staging, sound, talent booking and coordination, onsite logistics and production management.

When the world's most respected brands celebrate their anniversaries, they turn to Empire Entertainment to do it right.Photos courtesy of Martin Nystrom Photography

One of the most critically-acclaimed motion pictures to debut in Fall of 2005 was the SONY Classics release "Capote" directed by filmmaker Bennett Miller, brother of Empire Entertainment Co-Founder and Co-President, J. B. Miller."Capote" is based on the life of acclaimed author Truman Capote and specifically on the period of his life when he wrote In Cold Blood, a groundbreaking work of American literature based on a series of shacking murders in the 1950's. The film stars an incredible ensemble cast of rising stars including Philip Seymour (Boogie Nights, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Big Lebowski), Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Adaptation, The Interpreter), Chris Cooper (American Beauty), Bob Balaban (A Mighty Wind, Gosford Park, Best In Show) and newcomer Clifton Collins Jr. "Capote" made it's New York debut as one of the centerpiece films of the 2005 New York Film Festival and garnered outstanding reviews including the following:"Not only does Mr. Hoffman achieve an impressive physical and vocal transformation. . . but he also conveys, with clarity and subtlety, the complexities of Capote's temperament. . . Ms. Keener performs the role of foil with particular grace.  Through her wary, witty performance, she becomes the bridge that connects Capote with the audience."-A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES"Philip Seymour Hoffman caps a decade of brilliant work on stage and screen with the lead role in Capote. . . he and the film are terrific."-Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE"A clear, steady gaze graces the smart biopic "Capote," which takes a mordant look at Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) at the time he was writing "In Cold Blood." It's an etched-in-acid portrait of a writer whose talent was as ruthless as it was brilliant."-David Ansen, NEWSWEEKEmpire Entertainment was thrilled to have the opportunity to produce, sponsor and co-host the premiere party for the film following it's screening to a sold-out house at Lincoln Center.

The party took place at Jean-Georges Restaurant and featured top shelf open bar and Jean-Georges famous food. The event was attended by the cast and crew of the film including all of the stars as well as a variety of individuaals including Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.Empire Entertainment is pleased to have played a role in the creation of "Capote" and to support an ever growing field of original ventures in film and television.

When CBS Television Network needed an exciting and creative way to promote the premiere of "Survivor: Guatemala", they partnered with Empire Entertainment to create and produce a unique street marketing program in the heart of New York City.As the Mayan Pyramids are one of the defining icons of Guatemala, Empire and CBS collaborated on the creation of a twenty-five foot high Mayan pyramid on Fence Island in Times Square within which members of the public would be invited to participate in a number of "Survivor" style challenges to win DVD sets and other promotional items.The Pyramid structure was open on three sides so that the activities could take place on a stage platform that would be highly visible to the public. Empire designed the stage to mimic the appearance of the famed "Tribal Councils" on the tremendously successful "Survivor" series.A stone-encircled working faux-fire pit was surrounded by actual tree-stumps that participants used as stools as well as tiki-torches, palm trees, and boulders. A ramp leading up to the stage and the surrounding area was covered with sod to give the area a more authentic Guatemalan appearance.

Hundreds of "Survivor" fans from around the country lined up to participate in the onstage challenges which included trivia contests based on previous seasons of the program, as well as other games inspired by the hit show. As on the show, participants were "voted off" of the councils based on theirperformance, until only one "Survivor" was left standing.The mock councils were hosted by Eddie Brill of "The Late Show With David Letterman" as well as a number of the most popular cast members from previous seasons of "Survivor" including "Boston" Rob Mariano and Ethan Zohn. "Survivor" host Jeff Probst was on-hand to sign autographs and mingle with fans, as were previous cast members including Rupert Boneham, Tom Westman, and Jenna Morasca.

It was an exciting day for Survivor fans, as is Thursday, September 15th when "Survivor: Guatemala" premieres on CBS at 8:00PM. Empire and CBS will partner together again on a speed-dating event at Vanderbilt Hall in New York City on September 29th to promote the new sitcom "How I Met Your Mother", which premiers on CBS on Monday, September 19th at 8:30PM.

Empire Entertainment is a leading street marketing / promotional / press event production company with unparalleled experience in designing and managing experiential marketing events worldwide.

Empire brought its automotive industry skills to bear this Fall in connection with booking talent for a National Announcement Show for one of the industry's leading firms. For this top-secret meeting, over 6000 dealers from around the country and executive management from all over the world gathered together to look at the forthcoming models and to prepare for the coming business year.The show was bookended with performances by alternative pop sensation Lifehouse, and hosted throughout by the incomparable Robin Williams, who tore the house down with his fast-paced, hyperkinetic comedy, zany impressions and event-customized material.

Empire worked with the client to enhance the reveal of their urban-oriented product line by arranging for a customized hip hop collaboration featuring Common and Mos Def, backed by the 60 piece Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra, outfitted in all white.Luma, one of the most versatile performance troupes available for corporate applications, enhancedthe reveal of another client product line, with a visually stunning custom application of their black light performance art.As if the forgoing was not enough for a 90 minute experience, the gathering also featured two product-oriented industrial films, one of which featured three of the Desperate Housewives, and the other featured Whose Line Is It Anyway star, Greg Proops.For this annual program, Empire secured and contracted all of the above talent, managed all logistical artrangements and provided support for the crerative and production integration.

From speakers to musical artists, from comedians to theatrical talent, Empire is the corporate events indutry's leading one-stop-shop for all types of talent and speakers.

When a major international electronics company wanted to celebrate their 50th Anniversary and kickoff an annual product expo in New York, their production company, MJM Creative Services, turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the right entertainment for their dinner event.Empire worked with MJM's producers to identify and select various candidates that would appeal to their large, international audience which encompassed salespersons, customers and the company's global CEO. In the end, it was decided that the Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Diana Krall held all of the right attributes to make her the ideal choice for the engagement.

Talented, young, attractive and the top of her craft, Diana Krall was the right candidate for the job. To open the dinner event with just the right walk-in dinner music Empire delivered New York based group Paul Tillotson & The Love Trio who kept the audience of over 1000 entertained with their lively jazz background standards.Following the dinner, Diana Krall and her jazz trio took the stage and were introduced by none other than musical legend and husband to Diana Krall, Elvis Costello.Foe the next 60 minutes Diana delivered a set up sultry ballads and jazz standards that slowly warmed up the guests and overcame the size of the room with the intimate charm of a jazz club. At the end of the performance with an upbeat rendition of "I'm Walkin'", guests gave Diana Krall a standing ovation.

Empire is a leading producer of headline talent in New York and around the world and works closely with world class production companies like MJM Creative Services to accommodate the entertainment needs of their clients.

When FOX Broadcasting sought to generate public awareness and media buzz for their new series Prison Break, touted by critics as Fall 2005's top new drama series, they teamed up with Empire Entertainment to produce and execute a promotional stunt with street marketing teams in three cities across the nation.On August 25, Empire created a prison yard set of metal fencing and barbed wire on the plaza of the News Corporation Building at 1211 Avenue of the Americas. Inside this faux prison yard, a professional tattoo artist tattooed the body of a young man for the public to view, while thousands of passersby were invited to receive free buzzcuts and temporary henna and airbrush tattoos. On nearby street corners, a team of 10 young and energetic male models in orange prison jumpsuits and chrome manacles handed out Prison Break-branded nail files and water-transfer tattoos.

In addition to the promotional stunt and street marketing team in New York, Empire managed similar street teams in both Chicago and Los Angeles on the same day. Outfitted in their orange jumpsuits stenciled in black paint with "FOX Prison Break" on the back and the "082505" show premiere date on the front, the Chicago team promoted the new drama series along downtown's popular Wacker Avenue and even made an appearance on FOX's morning news show. The Los Angeles team worked the high-traffic tourist destination in front of Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.At the end of the day, 75,000 branded giveaways were handed out and hundreds of thousands of impressions were made with the public both on the street and through media coverage on television and in print.

Empire Entertainment was responsible for staffing, costuming, set design, talent wrangling, logistics and onsite management for the promotional stunt and street marketing teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

When Accent on Cincinnati, a top meeting & special event management company, wanted headline talent for a premier insurance company's annual conference, it once again turned to Empire Entertainment to secure, book, and help produce the talent.Always the highlight of the client's conference, the headline concert is traditionally kept top secret until the the moment the curtain rises. This year the audience cheered loudly the moment the curtain rose to reveal Hall & Oates playing their hit "Maneater."Over the course of the next 90 minutes, Hall & Oates delivered a superior performance to the excited crowd.

The Twenty-two hundred excited employees that filled Cincinnati's Aronoff Center sang along to favorites like "She's Gone," "You've lost that Lovin' feeling," and "Sara Smile" among others. After receiving a standing ovation, Hall & Oates returned to the stage for an incredible three-song encore including "Rich Girl," "Kiss on my List," and closed the show with "So Close."With over 19 gold & platinum records to their credit, Hall & Oates used their vast repertoire of chart topping hits to bring the crowd to its feet, where they danced in the aisles throughout the performance.

On the following evening, Empire Entertainment showcased comedian Vic Henley for the closing party. Vic's slow Southern charm and smooth drawl had the crowd in stitches.The client was thrilled with both performances, proving once again that a little rock and roll and lots of laughter can be an inspiration to everyone.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians, and speakers for corporate meetings and events the world over.

When the rich and powerful celebrate, they do it in legendary style and in the most beautiful places on earth. So it was when one of the world's leading business leaders and entrepreneurs wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday with family and friends in the fairy tale Kingdom of Monaco, located between the French and Italian Rivieras. For this anything-but-ordinary birthday party, the client chose superstar event designer Colin Cowie to create a legendary event in the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. Colin Cowie, turned to Empire Entertainment to help coordinate and produce the massive entertainment components of the evening.The event began with cocktails in the luxurious gardens of the Sporting Club, overlooking the beach and Mediterranean. The 350 guests were serenaded by Los Paraguayos, a France-based ensemble whose music is reminiscent of that of the Gipsy Kings.

The guests then entered the stunning Sporting Club venue for dinner in which Colin Cowie had designed and installed sumptuous table settings, ringed by a series of five giant, floor-to-ceiling rear-projection video screens on which graphics and animation shifted and moved to enhance the setting. A jazz ensemble played from the stage.After the appetizer course and a speech, the curtains opened to reveal a cast of 14 stunning French showgirls in specially-made feather costumes and headdresses, who performed an original, high energy Moulin Rouge-style dance number to a track of 'Copacabana' for which Empire had recorded custom vocals written in collaboration by the birthday boy's wife and recording artist Corey Hart.

After dinner, toasts and speeches, a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance floor and Bebe Winans led the audience in a special rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' While this happened and the guests of honor prepared to cut the cake, the entire roof of the Sporting Club was opened and, just as the cake was cut, an incredible fireworks display began with fireworks embedded in table centerpieces, spreading to fireworks on architectural elements and then revealed to the guests directly overhead as a massive pyrotechnic display was launched from barges in the Monte Carlo harbor.No sooner did the last fireworks of the finalé fade then the guests turned around just in time to see Bebe Winans introduce the incomparable Dame Shirley Bassey who then performed her hits "Diamonds Are Forever," "Big Spender" and "Goldfinger" in front of an orchestra led by keyboard legend and musical director Greg Phillinganes. As Shirley Bassey performed, images of falling diamonds and gold were projected onto the screens surrounding the room.

Next Natalie Cole stepped into the spotlight to perform "This Will Be" and "Unforgettable" to the awestruck audience.Bebe Winans then performed two songs including "It All Comes Down to Love" and the "Legends Theme" which he had first performed for Oprah Winfrey's Legends Weekend in Santa Barbara 4 months earlier.Then pianist Billy Stritch began the telltale piano intro to "New York, New York" as a skyline images came up on the screens and the great Liza Minnelli stepped into the spotlight - bringing to their feet an audience that included U2's Bono and REM's Michael Stipe among many others. Liza looked and sounded fantastic as she performed "New York, New York" and "Cabaret" before turning over the mic to the host to address the audience.

As the host thanked his family and friends and reminisced about his extraordinary fortunate life, an army of workers scrambled behind the curtains to reset the stage for the the next phase of the event - moving an entire orchestra and band set offstage and setting up a huge new stage set for the next performers. Just as the host concluded his remarks, he introduced his musically-talented grandson who stood onstage as the curtains parted with Wyclef Jean and his band. They performed a reggae version of "Hotel California" as the guests took to the dance floor and then Wycl

For the 2nd consecutive year, Empire Entertainment booked and produced another stellar music lineup for the Rochester MusicFest. The MusicFest is a City of Rochester-sponsored event and thus has a limited budget. Each year it is an enormous challenge to bring national level talent to this festival within the budget that is allocated while also trying to position the festival as an important part of the Summer tours for these artists. Through Empire's relationships with artists and their agents, we were able to produce the best possible lineup for the best possible price across the board.

This year, under the direction of Empire, the bookings concentrated on the younger genre of R&B acts, which resulted in national media attention by MTV.com & Radio, Vibe Magazine and BET. This lineup put The Rochester MusicFest on the map as one of the 3 major R&B festivals in the US, representing the North East completely.

THE LINEUPSaturday July 17

Black August (local Rochester BOB winners)Nina SkyJagged Edge112CiaraJohn LegendBoyz II Men

Sunday July 18

Statiq (local Buffalo BOB winners)Fatty KooRaheem DevaughnLyfe JenningsCommonFaith EvansBrian McKnight

Empire is constantly looking for more ways to promote the festival and help in the overall effort of its success, so we conceptualized and spearheaded a Battle of the Bands competition in both Rochester and neighboring city Buffalo with local radio stations WDKX (Rochester) & WBLK (Buffalo). These competitions were held to determine the best possible local talent to open both days of the festival. This resulted in an enormous amount of local radio publicity and live performances by finalists that generated great audience interest and attendance in both cities.

This year Empire also booked BET reality series group Fatty Koo, who ensured presence from BET and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. This tour bus is a mobile recording studio where the band was discovered. With the addition of this group, the MusicFest was ensured great national press.

Empire made an additional effort in promotion and arrange for local ‘Step' winners and runner ups, perform between artists on both days. This allowed for cross-promotion at their annual Step Off competition which draws over 6,500 attendees just a few short week before the festival. These performances added to the color of the festival and served to bring additional thrills to the audience.

To add to the excitement, Empire arranged for the inclusion of a ringtone company that made music of all artists on the lineup available for attendees to purchase either prior to or during the festival at very reasonable prices. This added some hi-tech coolness to the festival and brought together companies that collaborated to help promote the festival.

Empire was also responsible to manage all talent logistics, dressing rooms and backstage design and management. Unfortunately on both days of the festival, we had to evacuate due to extremely dangerous lightening storms. On Saturday the concert was stopped midway during John Legend's set and also prevented the headliner, Boyz II Men from performing. On Sunday, the same thing happened and both Faith Evans and Brian McKnight were unable to perform. During both days, Empire was responsible for evacuating approximately 200 people (talent and crew) from the backstage area in flooded and pouring conditions. The evacuation was performed quickly, professionally and the job that Empire did was highly commended by the local officials and client.

Empire Entertainment pays attention to up-and-coming (pre-Grammy) R&B artists and leverages its relationships with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artists and their agents. Empire prides itself that we are quickly becoming one of the leaders in the industry of festival bookings in the US.

When Reader's Digest wanted to commemorate the publication of its 1,000th Issue, it called on Empire Entertainment to bring the landmark publication to life in a gala celebration. The order was tall: not only did Reader's Digest want the party to look as though it was torn from the very pages of the 1,000th Issue itself, they wanted the party to be an unforgettable excursion into the future.

Empire, well schooled in the art of magazine parties, quickly assembled its team of experts and designed a party that inspired this note from our client: "I just wanted to thank you for making my event so spectacular! It even surpassed my own imagination. You guys are amazing!"

The centerpiece of the party, thrown at Skylight Studios in downtown Manhattan, was an airy House of the Future delicately suggested by a stainless steel frame and windows that appeared to be floating in mid-air. The "house" looked out over a virtual backyard created w/video projection and suspended birch trees. Inside the house, caterers served bizarre and delicious "meals that heal". The outdoor Carport of the Future contained two Mercedes Benz concept cars/conversation pieces. In a special area deemed Life on an Asteroid, attendees subjected themselves to virtual reality rides, snorted oxygen, and swilled pomegranate juice-and-lavender martinis. State-of-the-art, humanoid robot "Millennia" greeted guests, sweeping many off their feet (literally!). Christian Slater, Alan Alda, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Reader's covergirl Alicia Keys all stopped in to sample the sights, sounds, and flavors of tomorrow.

Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge business events for media & communications clients the world over.

When a major technology company wanted to provide a party-oriented send-off to a large group of their business partners, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the right entertainment for their partner celebration event.

Empire presented the client with a variety of recommendations and options for party bands and worked with them to ultimately secure 1980's party super band The B-52's to headline the party.

The B-52's were the ideal choice for this audience because of their large catalog of dance-oriented hits, their irreverant and energetic stage show, and because their internationally-known music and demographic appeal perfectly matched this audience of 30 and 40-something technology employees. Moreover, Empire had worked with the B-52's on many past occasions and were confident in their abilities to ensure a successful event.

When the B-52's took the stage at the Minneapolis Convention Center, the audience immediately began dancing to hits that included "Love Shack," "Rock Lobster", "Roam," "Strobe Light," "Private Idaho" and "Planet Claire" among others. Original band members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland were supported by keyboards, bass, guitar and drums and performed in perfect form.

From the moment the band took the stage, the audience of almost 4000 people dancing caused the entire floor of the convention center to bounce gently, causing lighting trusses to sway and images of the band on a series of enormous screens flanking the stage to shake. The bouncing floor was felt by all including the band on stage who had fun with it.

The show was an amazing success with the audience calling wildly for encores as the band left the stage. This was one corporate event where the band and the audience truly rocked the house.

Empire is a leading producer of major business events and wild parties for audiences of just a few people to up to thousands of guests.