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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In addition to contract negotiation and delivering the group, Empire managed each aspect of Il Divo's participation for the press conference, performance, and all other logistics throughout their visit in Vietnam. Empire coordinated with the local audio vendors, television and stage directors, lighting, and graphics using Vietnamese translators when needed to ensure that all production aspects were in order. Empire also arranged for the rights clearance of t he songs for live broadcast, assisted with press inquiries and press releases, as well as the booking of Il Divo's air transportation, hotel accommodations, and visa / work permit acquisition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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