Flawless Upfront Presentation and After Party
February 2007. New York City, NY, The Hudson Theatre, Millennium Hotel
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.