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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.