Our Work

The Cannes Film Festival is considered the most prestigious filmfestival in the world. Held annually in Cannes, France, it celebrates thefinest works of film and has been a catalyst in launching the careers of someof the greatest artists of our generation.

At the Cannes Film Festival 2015, movie fans saw Dheepan takehome the Palme d’Or, but attendees and those watchingat home also caught a glimpse of the Empire produced performance group enraperforming their new piece “FILMS” during the closing ceremony. The Japan-based group created the piece specifically forthe Cannes Film Festival and worked diligently crafting their performance for theevent, which became a muchtalked about attraction at the festival.

Empire was honored to be a part of the Cannes Film Festivalduring its 2015 closingceremony, producing enra’s new piece that was performed infront of some of film’s greatest talents including the Coenbrothers and Guillermo delToro.

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Every other year, the New Museum, Manhattan's museum solely dedicated to contemporary art, celebrates a meeting of the cultural and urban minds with their IDEAS CITY Festival. This year's theme, "The Invisible City", was inspired by the Italo Calvino novel Invisible Cities and included a series of thought-provoking talks, solutions, and unique ideas in the quest to bring light to the otherwise unseen.

On the first day of the festival, the IDEAS CITY Conference included world-renowned visionaries' takes on the theme through a series of keynotes, panels, in-depth discussions, and screenings at Cooper Union's Great Hall. Speakers included political activist Lawrence Lessig, Micah White of Occupy Wall Street fame, and a mayoral panel with Annise Parker (Houston), Carmen Yulín Cruz (San Juan), and Svante Myrick (Ithaca) to name a few. The Conference concluded with a keynote from Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Honorable Julián Castro.

Day two utilized NoLIta's Old St. Patrick's Cathedral Basilica and Aula (aka "the old gym"). In the Basilica, the Municipal Art Society, Architizer: Pitching the City presented five original projects representing the next big idea for cities, followed by a late-night screening of The Dent by Basim Magdy. In the Aula, a Performative Conference in Nine Acts ensued with an unforgettable opening by Jordi Enrich Jorba wherein guests entered through a repurposed hot-air balloon. The night commenced with Bob Holman emceeing an evening of spoken word by artists like Penny Arcade, dance battles by Battlefest, and immersive video and sound installations by Ursula Scherrer.

Empire was honored to partner in the Museum's third year of the Conference and first-ever Performative Conference. Empire's support included technical and stage management of both the Cooper Union's Great Hall and St. Patrick's Cathedral, oversight of set design and construction, sound, lighting, video playback and technical direction. Empire also managed talent logistics for Friday's event and creative support.

IDEAS CITY is a showcase example of Empire's capability to act as a partner on all types and sizes of programs, including multiple-day festivals.

For more information on IDEAS CITY, visit www.ideas-city.org.

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Empire produced the Architizer A+Awards at Highline Stages in NYC on Thursday, May 14, 2015. Now in its third year, The Architizer A+Awards are the definitive global architectural award program with more than 90 categories and over 300 judges. The gala event in New York City is the signature architectural event during the city’s design week, NYCxDesign, and right before the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Comprising diverse and innovative global projects from starchitects to emerging firms, this year’s winners represent the best new architecture, interiors, and products. A highly-esteemed jury of industry leaders including Yves Béhar, Paola Antonelli, Liz Diller, Joseph Altuzarra, David Rockwell, Rem D. Koolhaas, and Ian Schrager selected the five finalists in each category.

The ceremony was hosted with charisma and charm by John Gidding from HGTV's "Curb Appeal: The Block", and kicked off with a phenomenal and impassioned speech about the Architecture industry by Architizer CEO Marc Kushner. This year's biggest winner was Reiulf Ramstad Arkiitekter, which was named Firm of the Year, and other special achievement awards were presented to SsD, LEGO, 14+ Foundation, and August, among others. Guests entered the spectacular, industrial-style space to a red carpet and step & repeat welcome, where event sponsor Cadillac showed off one of its spectacular new models, the 2016 CT6. Once inside the main space, guests enjoyed cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres while enjoying the ambient music played by DJ Javier Peral. Prior to the awards ceremony, attendees also enjoyed watching an extraordinary demonstration of the superb artistry and technical mastery of a watchmaker from Audemars Piguet Luxury Watches.

Empire is a premier producer of some of the world's most prestigious award ceremonies, including The Webby Awards, The Gotham Awards, The Fragrance Foundation Awards, and was honored to be chosen as Architizer's production partner for the 2015 Architizer A+Awards.

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Empire produced 19th Annual Webby Awards on May 18, 2015. This marked the 11th consecutive year Empire has partnered with Recognition Media on the annual event, which celebrates excellence on the Internet and famously limits winners to acceptance speeches of just five words.

"This is the only awards show where the descriptions of the awards are longer than the speeches," said comedian and host Hannibal Buress.

As usual, the show included some funny and irreverent moments, such as when Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Ellie Kemper accepted for Best Actress and used her five words to say, "So excited. Live-streaming my pants." Or when Chelsea Peretti, accepting for Outsanding Comedic Performance quipped, "The Internet must be stopped."

The ceremony had its more serious touches as well. "Create change, like a girl," said account executive Shaina Holtz, accepting the Agency of the Year award on behalf of Leo Burnett Toronto. And in a heartfelt tribute to the late New York Times media columnist David Carr, CNN's Brian Stelter closed with: "David, thank you for the spice."

But the standing ovation on this evening was reserved for Pat Quinn, ALS patient and co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Quinn, who was introduced by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, accepted the Special Achievement Award and proved once again that five words can be enough to bring the house down when he said: "Every August until a cure."

Empire is honored to be the production partner for The Webby Awards for more than a decade running, and enjoys producing other award ceremonies including the Fragrance Foundation Awards and The Architizer A+ Awards.

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Empire had the honor of producing the 8th annual Internet Week New York Festival once again, which featured an array of events around New York City from May 18-21, 2015. Event headquarters was positioned at the Metropolitan Pavilion for the third consecutive year.

With more than 10,000 visitors over the week and dozens of companies represented, the space was organized to create separate, yet still cohesive, spaces in which to provide concurrent content. Two stages were sponsored by yp.com and USA Today / Gannett, a classroom was sponsored by The Trade Desk, and a lounge was furnished by official design partner, Design Within Reach.

Empire oversaw the Festival headquarters from conception to completion, coordinating registration for the thousands of guests, stage management and producing all of the presentations in the theater and on both HQ stages, and managing all event sponsors from the design of their spaces to all of their needs from load in to load out.

Empire is a leading producer of trade events, expos and event marketing / presence marketing installations with extensive experience in the technology industry.

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One recent Saturday evening, Empire produced what we've named “The Night of 3 Ls”: three separate events in one evening featuring Lenny Kravitz in Boca Raton, Lionel Richie in Miami, and Ludacris in New York City.

At the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Lenny Kravitz took the stage with his band in front of a corporate audience of more than 1,200 and performed an hour-long set that included hits such as “American Woman,” “Fly Away,” “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” and “Let Love Rule". The highlight of the show came when the entire audience, wearing RFID bracelets that lit up in time to the music, danced with their arms in the air.

At the same time at the Miami Epic Hotel, one of our clients was delivering a heartfelt toast to his wife on the occasion of her birthday in front of a gathered group of friends and family. At the end of his toast he turned to reveal the evening’s biggest surprise— a private concert by Lionel Richie and his trio with his hits including “Hello", “Easy”, ”Brick House”, “All Night Long” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.” The audience danced the entire set and joined Lionel for a meet & greet after the show.

Finally, back in NYC, Empire delivered an extremely special, private concert with Screen Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and Grammy Award winner, Ludacris. As soon as the kabuki curtain dropped, and the special guest was revealed and the birthday girl was treated to the concert of her life. As the show began, guests flocked to the front of the stage where Ludacris, performed a 45-minute greatest hits set including “Pimpin’ All Over the World,” “Move B*tch,” “What’s Your Fantasy,” “Get Back,” “Money Maker,” and “Stand Up.” At the end of the performance, Ludacris led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" as the cake was brought out. Following the show, Ludacris took part in a meet & greet with the family and the guest-of-honor’s closest friends.

Empire’s robust team of headline entertainment producers and global technical production capabilities made it possible to present all three of these demanding concert events flawlessly to very satisfied clients.

Empire is the world's leading producer of headline musical entertainment for private and corporate events.

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SONY Pictures’ digital entertainment network, Crackle, once again partnered with Empire to produce their 2015 TV Upfront— an annual presentation to advertisers and media. With an exciting lineup of both new, original programming and returning series, Crackle had much to talk about.

The Upfront took place at the beautiful Hudson Theater in the heart of Times Square, and opened with welcome remarks by SONY Pictures Television’s President of Worldwide Networks, Andy Kaplan.

Next up, an opening video featuring Michael Richards as Dick Corcoran, a fictitious Crackle executive, led to a surprise reveal of comedian Jerry Seinfeld who took the stage to talk about his Crackle series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee".With over 100 million streams on Crackle, the Emmy Award-nominated series’ sixth season will feature a star-studded cast including Bill Maher, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Steve Harvey, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah (the newly named “Daily Show” host) and Jim Carrey.

SONY Picture’s Television’s EVP of Digital Networks, Eric Berger, then took the stage, emphasizing that “Crackle is a smart complement to TV buying that offers you a valuable new audience, a groundbreaking TV-like experience and ad solutions you cannot find anywhere but here.”

Crackle Senior Vice President of Digital Media Sales, James Smith, also appeared on the program stating “With TV reimagined, we’ve overhauled

the old online metrics for engagement. The fact is, most people don’t click on ads, so why use this as the standard for streaming TV? We believe attention and viewbility are much better measures for TV advertising.”

Eric Berger then presented Crackle’s programming slate accompanied by many of Crackle’s biggest stars and show runners including Seth Green, Dennis Quaid and Kate Bosworth.

Among the many announcements of the day, Crackle also announced that it had produced the first ever made-for-digital sequel to a major motion picture and David Spade and Brittany Daniels came on stage to introduce “Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser.”

To close the star-studded event, country hip hop star ‘Colt Ford’ took the stage to perform the hit ‘Diggin’ which is featured on the Joe Dirt 2 soundtrack, in front of a giant projection screen running scenes from the film.

In addition to securing the venue, designing the spaces, managing event logistics, catering and stage managing the complex program, Empire provided all staging and technical production support.

Empire continues to set the industry standard for producing outstanding presentations for clients seeking to communicate their mission, motivations and value proposition to key customers. Empire is proud to have served SONY Pictures Television and Crackle for their Upfront.

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Founded in 1991 byJames Houghton, Signature Theatre is the first theater company to devote anentire season to the work of a single playwright. By championing in-depthexplorations of a living playwright’s body of work, the Company delivers anintimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision. Nownearly a quarter century old and housed in a spectacular Frank Gehry-designedtheatre on West 42nd Street, Signature is among the world’s mostinfluential theater organizations.

Signature onceagain called upon Empire to help produce their annual gala and create anext-level experience through elevated design, a compelling program andflawless execution, all while showcasing their beautiful venue.

This year’s gala paidtribute to playwright and director Tina Landau and philanthropists andlong-time donors John and Amy Griffin. The stage program’s presenters includedEdward Norton and Bill Irwin, ensuring that the presentation was not onlyimpactful and meaningful, but hilariously entertaining as well.

After guests checkedin at the theatre's main entrance on West 42nd Street and VIPs walked the redcarpet, they ascended the staircase to discover the lobby transformed into aformal affair.

Balancing the need topresent an elegant evening without challenging the existing design of thevenue, Empire used linens in a palate of mixed hues of blue and aubergine andcrisp white flowers, complementing the impressive woodpaneling abundant in the space. Thematic event lighting also helped transformthe space for this special night.

During twosimultaneous pre-dinner receptions, guests chatted and enjoyed an array ofcocktails and hors d’oeuvres, while live music provided by classical guitarist,Michael Sheridan, added to the experience. As dinner commenced, guests were guidedto their seats by an accordion performance and song, courtesy of Shaina Taub.

Executive DirectorErika Mallin and Founding Artistic Director James Houghton spoke, followed by amusical tribute in honor of Tina Landau, featuring a medley of compositions fromTina’s shows accompanied by composer Tom Kitt.

Edward Nortonintroduced John and Amy Griffin, citing their many philanthropic endeavors andcontributions to Signature Theatre. To demonstrate the impact of the Griffins’influence on children’s artistic development, child prodigy violinist ClaudiusAgrippa wowed the crowd with his performance of Vieuxtemps violin concerto No.5.

Empire is proud toserve Signature Theatre and to support a variety of leading arts organizationsas producers of their fundraising events.

For more informationon how to support the Signature Theatre, please visit: http://www.signaturetheatre.org/

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Social media has taken over the Internet, making it easierthan ever to share content with friends, family, fans and the general webuniverse. It has broken down the barriers to fame, leveling the playing fieldfor creative individuals to build remarkable audiences. The Shorty Awards honorthe best individuals and organizations on social media, recognizing thoseproducing remarkable content on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram,Vine, and the rest of the social web.

SNL’s Rachel Dratch hosted the 7^th Annual ShortyAwards this year when it returned to The TimesCenter on Monday, April 20. Theprogram kicked off with an opening video that followed Rachel’s pre-show preproutine culminating in a special visit to the master MC himself, Alec Baldwin.The Shortys uniquely gathers Hollywood and Internet celebrities alike withpresenters ranging from Bella Throne, Bill Nye, Emily Kinney and Lucy Devito,to Tyler Oakley, Thomas Sanders and Jimmy Tatro. Some of the night’s bigwinners included Taylor Swift, Hannibal Burress, Conan O’Brien, NASA, BrandonBowen, Jerome Jarre, Michelle Phan and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Following Wyclef Jean’s presentation of Best Band award to HAIM,he introduced a special performance by Panic! At The Disco. The band performedtheir hit “Miss Jackson” and debuted live their newest single “Hallelujah.”However, the best surprise of the night was the acceptance of Best Emoji of theYear by Poop himself! He even stuck around for selfies at the afterparty.

During the live-streamed ceremony, the program was simulcastto a separate viewing party downstairs where guests were able to network whileenjoying the delicious caterings of Cleaver and Co. Once again, Makers Mark andHeineken sponsored the bar and this year Baked by Melissa provided a unique andyummy Shorty branded cupcake whale tail installation. Throughout the event,brand and organization winners were welcome to accept their trophies on a speciallydesignated gallery stage where they were could record their acceptance speechesas well.

Following the event, all guests continued the celebrationheading to URBO for a wild after party. Congratulations to all the individualand industry winners this year!​

The quintessential backdrop of crystal blue waters and blond beaches of Aruba served as the backdrop to an incentive program rewarding an international top performing global sales team. The perfect headline entertainment for the island vibe: the 1.5 million album-selling, blockbuster movie-scoring, sold out worldwide-touring, White House performing, international sensation, Rodrigo y Gabriela.

On Saturday, April 18, a warm and breezy Caribbean night, attendees and their spouses mingled on the private lawn of Aruba’s Ritz Carlton to witness the dynamic duo. Once onstage, their music – an upbeat hybrid of rock, nuevo flamenco with a heavy metal flare – did not disappoint. While mostly original and instrumental, the dynamic performance included a few covers, like Radiohead’s Creep. Following the performance, Rodrigo y Gabriela graciously greeted and talked with VIPs, taking photos.

For this incentive program, Empire worked closely with SWIFT Smart Solutions. SWIFT is a leading producer of large-scale meetings, events and training development for it’s corporate clients and Empire has enjoyed a solid collaboration with SWIFT for over a decade. Empire identified the best possible talent candidates, negotiated the performance contract, and facilitated the production and logistics plan to support the concert while SWIFT handled all technical production, as well as the spectacular Aruba venue selection and design.

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

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Empire is often asked what band we think is the "next big thing". When one of the world's leading technology companies asked us just that in 2014, we delivered Jason Derulo before he was a household name. As the followup in March 2015, Empire recommended and contracted Neon Trees, who had the crowd on their feet throughout their high-energy set. Hits such as "Sleeping With a Friend", "Everybody Talks", and "Animal" had the attendees screaming for more. And we predict there will be much more from this band, indeed.

Empire is one of the world's leading provider of headline talent for special events. Whether our clients need a classic artist or a current cutting-edge performer, we pride ourselves on being able to quickly identify the artists who fit your budget as well as your audience demographics.

On March 9th, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton joined global and community leaders for the event entitled "Not There Yet: A Data Driven Analysis of Gender Equality," featuring the official release of the No Ceilings Full Participation Report and data visualization site NoCeilings.org. Empire acted as the overall event producer handling all technical, staging, scenic and signage aspects as well as the creative framing of the stage program. The event was also streamed live for viewers around the world.

Moderated by Chelsea Clinton, 20 years of global data from the report and NoCeilings.org were showcased through the compelling stories of leaders who are actively advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in their nations and communities. Storytellers, speakers and validators promoted gender equality, making the point that more must be done both at home and abroad.

The event included participation by women leaders across various industries, including Her Excellency Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia; Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia and Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund. For more information on the No Ceilings: Full Participation Project, please visit https://www.clintonfoundation.org/our-work/no-ceilings-full-participation-project.

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​The Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) is where technical experts from around the world, with Microsoft, come together to help educate, facilitate the exchange of ideas and give people a venue to share best practices and discuss future opportunities around Windows. Microsoft asked Empire to help with the production of this year’s Exposition and Reception Party.

WinHEC is a series of technical conferences and workshops that ran from 1992 to 2008, and was brought back in 2015 by Microsoft with the intention of holding multiple conferences throughout the year. For the recent kickoff event they looked to discuss advancements in the Windows platform as well as Microsoft’s growing investments in Shenzhen and China.

Working with the local agency Uniplan Guangzhou, Empire handled the secretariat duties for the Exposition partners which included a number of local Shenzhen IT companies. In all, 22 booths were created for the event, with Microsoft showcasing the latest in Cortana technology.

Empire also planned and produced the Reception Party held on the opening evening of the two day event. The restaurant at the Grand Hyatt was transformed into an amazing party venue featuring IROCO furniture. Wireless LED bracelets were given to guests, adding ambience to the event as they changed color in sync with the music. Beijing-based DJ Juliana entertained the crowd well into the evening.

Empire’s success in Shenzen showcases our ability to produce the highest quality events for the biggest brands anywhere in the world.

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Empire served as producer of a major event at New York's Manhattan Center to advance the global movement on women’s rights and gender equality.

Presented by UN Women and the United Nations Foundation, the evening was attended by over 2000 VIPs and featured participation by many global leaders including Secretary Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Melinda Gates, and many others.

The evening began with red carpet arrivals and a reception featuring installations by all female contemporary visual artists such as Swoon, Kara Walker, AM-NYC, Marilyn Minter, Olek and Ayana Jackson.

Once guests were seated, a powerhouse program of speakers galvanized the room. New York’s WABC news anchor Sade Baderinwa was the emcee for the evening and introduced a series of impactful appearances and speeches. Presenters included Mayor Bill De Blasio, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Melinda Gates, Transgender Rights Activist Geena Rocerro, and Academy Award winning Actress, Patricia Arquette who reinforced the importance of a gender equal society and immediate action.

“Twenty years ago, declaring that women’s rights are human rights was considered ground-breaking – thankfully it’s now routine,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “I see a future where we unlock the vast potential for women. To realize this vision we’ll have to step it up – step up our commitment to finishing this, the great unfinished business of the 21st century.”

After the program and call to action, followed a series of high-energy musical performances by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Farhan Aktar from India, Grammy nominated artists, Les Nubians, Melanie Fiona and Jill Scott. Musical performances were backed by an extraordinary live band led by Musical Director Onree Gill.

A confetti blast in United Nations colors of blue and white marked the finalé of the celebration as the women gathered onstage to sing “I’m Every Woman,” together in unity.​

Pink Ball bringstogether those in the community who share a commitment to fighting breastcancer in Japan, and Empire once again supported the "Run For The Cure" Foundation by producing this year's event.

Pink Ball is ablack-tie gala bringing together those in the community who share a commitmentto fighting breast cancer in Japan, and spearheading greater awareness,diagnosis and treatment among Japanese women of all ages.

The funds raisedthrough Pink Ball go toward the “Run For The Cure” Foundation’s communityoutreach programs that include the “Lemon Project” seminars and publicationof PiNK magazine, a vital media tool for bringing the latest informationabout breast cancer treatments and health-related topics to women living inJapan.

In recent years,Empire Entertainment has been responsible for the overall production of PinkBall, and we continued this worthy tradition for its 12th Anniversary event in 2015. This year's event, themed “The Fruits of Life” featured powerfulJapanese Taiko drumming from Tenrin, flash mob singing by Give 6 and cuisine created by internationally-renowned guest chef Kevin Paul Connell.

Over the courseof the evening, a raffle, silent auction and live auction all raised money for“Run For The Cure” and its important work. Empire is proud to be anintegral part of this event and its valuable contributions.

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On March 25, 2015, Empire presented The Fray for a private event at Tryst in Las Vegas. While the club is designed primarily for DJ performances, we were able to have the band work with far smaller stage dimensions than they usually require. The club atmosphere and the close-knit group on stage added to the incredible energy in the room as the band thrilled the crowd with their hits including "How To Save A Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)".

Empire presents headline concert artists for special events worldwide. We take pride in our ability to work with performers and tour managers to determine their flexibility in order to deliver shows like this one.

​AMC Networks recently called on Empire to produce an ultimate ‘fan boy’ experience in celebration of television’s highest rated series, The Walking Dead.

From the moment guests arrived they were wowed by Highline Ballroom’s electric and clubby décor, complete with the spectacle of themed arcade games, bite-sized snacks and made to order sushi. Nearly 400 ad sales execs partook in skee-ball, ping-pong, and air hockey, printed their very own The Walking Dead T-shirts and made social media photo booth GIFs, all curated by AMC and Empire.

Whilst noshing on truffle Mac & cheese eggs rolls and chicken & waffle bites, AMC presented an energetic stage program hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, with introductory remarks by AMC and SundanceTV President and General Manager Charlie Collier.

Throughout the stage program, AMC’s next generation programming was presented by show-runners and network stars, unveiling exclusive looks of the network’s forthcoming programs. These included Dave Erickson and Cliff Curtis of Fear The Walking Dead; Jonathan Brackley, Gemma Chan and Sam Vincent of Humans; Al Gough, Miles Millar and Daniel Wu of Into The Badlands; and Evan Goldberg of Preacher. The Preacher segment was accompanied by a pre-recorded video message by the show’s Co-Executive Producer, Seth Rogen.

To conclude the stage program, Pete Holmes introduced AMC fan favorites, The Walking Dead’s Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Norman Reedus. After some playful banter about their experiences on the show, the two stars introduced the teaser of the scintillating The Walking Dead Season 5-finale episode, leaving all the guests ripe with anticipation for the season’s conclusion.

After the stage program, guests danced to the sounds of Twin DJs AndrewAndrew, played games and made their own ice cream sundaes.

Empire was proud to once again support AMC and to help the network celebrate the most successful show on television, The Walking Dead, as well as premiere future AMC programming.

​Every year, Los Angeles hosts the Grammy Awards as well as many other high-profile events during Grammy Week. This year was no exception and Empire was once again called upon by recording artist and visionary will.i.am to produce the 4th Annual TRANS4M Gala, benefiting the i.am.angel Foundation. Founded by will.i.am, the Foundation supports trans4mation and revival in distressed East Los Angeles communities by providing STEAM youth educational opportunities.

Traditionally presented as large-scale concert event, this year’s event was designed as a more intimate and high-level gathering with a curated VIP guest list and greater interaction with the Foundation’s programs and students. The cocktail, dinner and after-party were designed around exclusive access to will.i.am’s private studio in Hollywood aptly named “The Future".

On a warm February night, 250 of i.am.angel’s most important supporters arrived to experience the Future. They were immediately greeted by an animated virtual will.i.am represented in an amazing 3D projection mapping installation. As will.i.am’s Technicolor image morphed, will sang to a custom electronic track.

Next guests entered a cocktail space designed so that donors could witness up close and personal demonstrations presented by the very students who benefit from the i.am.angel STEAM programming. Students engaged guests with their life-size, hand-built robots, projection mapping displays, coding hackathon and immersive experiences using oculus rift glasses. There was also a 3D printing lab where guests could print a representation of their own face and integrate themselves into 3D games, videos and photos, all hosted by students.

After cocktails, guests were ushered into the Future’s sleek white contemporary atrium and soundstage space which had been trans4med into an elegant dining room with long banquet tables. Flourishes of color from florals, lighting gobos and projections added to the futuristic aesthetic.

A stage program with a series of videos, animations and speakers underscored the importance of the Foundation’s work while guests dined on hyper-modern tableware. will.i.am, and others were joined onstage by i.am.angel scholars and students to poetically tell the story of the important and successful work of the organization. The program included remarks from Chief Philanthropy Officer Tatiana Litvin, Head of STEAM Programming Lilly Kam, Director of Learning & Development at College Track Tina Kim, as well as student Cynthia Arenas who gave a heartfelt tribute to will for all that the STEAM education programs have done for her.

will.i.am then spoke genuinely about his purpose for creating the i.am.angel Foundation and his commitment and inspiration to give back to the community. As a highlight to the evening, three students who were featured on a 2009 Oprah Winfrey Show with will.i.am where he graciously sponsored them with full scholarships to college surprised him onstage. They thanked him for his dedication to the program and shared personal stories of how the Foundation’s work has helped them become the first college graduates in their families.

International superstar recording artist Moby then closed the program with a performance featuring several of his hits, as well as Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin covers. After Moby’s performance, guests were invited back into the cocktail area for passed desserts and cocktails, while we quickly transformed the dinner space into an after party where DJ Dnice spun and guests danced until the late hours.

By the end of the event, the i.am.angel Foundation had raised over $800,000 for its important programs that trans4m lives though education, inspiration and opportunity.

Empire is honored to continue our long-term partnership with the i.am.angel Foundation and to serve as producer of this exclusive event in this unique Los Angeles venue. For more information on the foundation, please visit www.iamangelfoundation.org

​In January 2015, Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen hosted a “Journey to the Stars”-themed gala dinner for over 800 prominent guests at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva.

A highlight of the evening was a performance by the group enra, cast and produced by Empire Entertainment, to perform two customized pieces in celebration of the 75th anniversary of IWC’s legendary Portugieser watch family. The clients and audience were thrilled by the performance with an overwhelmingly positive reaction and a standing ovation.

Based in Japan, enra is an internationally renowned group of artists who fuse live performance art with projection mapping. They are experts in genres that include martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, juggling and street dance. Examples of their work can be seen at enra.jp.

Guests and brand ambassadors who attended the gala evening included movie stars Emily Blunt, Christoph Waltz, Zhou Xun and Moritz Bleibtreu, filmmaker and screenwriter Marc Forster, sports personalities such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Luís Figo, supermodels Adriana Lima and Karolina Kurkova and musicians Aloe Blacc and Ronan Keating. Additional performances by musician Mick Hucknall and high-tech illusionist Marco Tempest completed the magical evening.

Empire is proud to have produced enra in Switzerland and is a leading producer of worldwide talent.

On Thursday, January 29, BizBash inducted five veteran eventand meeting professionals into the BizBash Hall of Fame, including J.B. Miller,Empire Entertainment’s President and CEO. Chosen by the BizBash executivecommittee for their work, accomplishments, and contributions to the industry,the honorees joina group of some of the most prestigious names in events. Theceremony, held at Urbo in Times Square, drew more than 300 guests.

J.B. Miller has more than two decades ofexperience as a producer in the entertainment industry and since foundingEmpire Entertainment in 1993 has overseen the production of countless corporate,nonprofit, and private events in countries around the world. These include theTIME 100 Gala, the White House's United Nations General Assembly reception, theWebby Awards, and events for Spotify, Viacom, Google, and Microsoft. In 1998 hereceived an Emmy for his work on the feature documentary The Cruise. An extensive traveler, Miller has also served on the boards of ReelWorks Teen Filmmaking and Keep a Child Alive as well as on the performing artsadvisory committee of the Japan Society.

Read more about the 2015Bizbash Hall of Fame here: http://bit.ly/1BjHQ17

When a corporate client wanted to treat their 800 meeting attendees to aspecial night out at the House of Blues in Houston, TX, they turned to Empireto provide the perfect headline entertainer.

Coming off of their headlining NativeSummer Tour, OneRepublic was the perfect act for this group.

Before the show, lead singer, Ryan Tedder and the band participated in ameet & greet with VIP guests.

When it was time for the concert to begin, three of the client’s contestwinner’s took the stage to introduce the band, as the curtain opened behindthem, and OneRepublic began their rocking set.

The audience sang along as the band performed hit-after-hit including “FeelAgain,” “Counting Stars,” “Love Runs Out,” “I Lived,” “All the RightMoves,” “Secrets,” “Good Life,” and afinale of “If I Lose Myself” which ended in a confetti burst over the crowd.

Following their performance, DJ Ravi Drums kept the crowd on their feet,dancing away the night.

Empire was responsible for contracting OneRepublic as well as providing alltechnical and logistical support for this perfect corporate headline act.

From Alicia Keys to ZZ Top and everyone in between, Empire is the leadingsource for headline musical talent.

When the Organizing Committee of Miss Vietnam wanted a world-renowned artist to perform at the final night of the 2014 pageant, they asked Empire Entertainment to secure Kelly Clarkson for her first-ever visit to Vietnam.

The Miss Vietnam 2014 pageant took place at newly-opened Vinpearl Land on Phu Quoc Island and was broadcast live throughout Southeast Asia and the world on Vietnam Television (VTV). The event featured performances by Kelly Clarkson and Vietnam celebrities such as Ha Anh Tuan, Hong Nhung, and others creating a magical night for some 2,500 audience members.

Kelly Clarkson performed her hits "Because of You" and "Stronger", featuring a video of flashmobs from around Vietnam recreating the song's music video. For the finale, she performed "A Moment Like This" (her first single after winning American Idol) as a gift to the 38 contestants who joined her on stage.

Upon Kelly Clarkson's arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, a press conference was held to introduce her to Vietnam. She took questions from the local media, posed for photos with Vietnam's top celebrities, and sat down with Vietnam Television (VTV) and MTV Vietnam for on-camera interviews.

In addition to artist booking and contract negotiation, Empire managed each aspect of Kelly Clarkson's participation for the press conference, performance, and all other logistics throughout her 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 assisted with press inquiries and press releases, as well as the coordination of air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and visa acquisition.

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

​In December 2014, Empire produced a Las Vegas recognition and awards event series for a top Japanese marketing company. Over 2,500 of the company’s key stakeholders traveled from Japan to be treated to a series of informative, entertaining, and memorable events, all conceived and produced by Empire.

In addition to classic Vegas-themed entertainment and activities, the events featured cutting-edge technology including a 360° “gigapixel” group photo and a 30m (100ft) wide interactive screen. World-class performances, produced and staged by Empire, included those from Jon Bon Jovi, DJ Skee, and Skylar Grey.

Empire was recently honored to once again serve Oprah Winfrey and world-class event designer, Colin Cowie, to produce a historical series of events in Santa Barbara entitled “Legends Who Paved the Way”.

Oprah Winfrey first created the “Legends” Ball in May 2005 based on her vision of honoring champions of equality in America and the African American community and to thank them, celebrate their achievements and recognize them during their lifetimes.

In this spirit of gratitude, Oprah convened a gathering of some of the most influential African Americans living today, including Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Sidney Poitier, Dr. C.T. Vivian, Diane Nash, Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Juanita Jones Abernathy, Marian Wright Edelman, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy Jr., and Julian Bond.

The gala included performances and remarks from Oprah Winfrey, a spoken word performance by the entire cast of Selma (which premiered earlier that evening) led by director Ava DuVernay, and a headline performance by The O’Jays. After the O'Jays performance, the Troy Curtis Band returned to Legends to play an amazing dance music set that kept the celebrity guests dancing until the early hours of the morning.

The weekend concluded with a gospel brunch at Oprah’s home, The Promised Land, led by musical director Bebe Winans and featuring Bill Withers, Kim Burrell, Kori Withers, Kathy Taylor, Joshua Nelson, Marvin Winans, Carvin Winans, Ledisi, AJ Calloway, and Angela Basset. Guests of this December gathering included Oprah and Stedman Graham, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, Cory Booker, Gayle King, Common, Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, David Oyelowo (who plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma), Ben Vereen, Netflix’ Ted Sarandos, Dicovery Communications’ David Zaslov, Ivan Reitman, Rashida Jones, Linda Johnson-Rice, Smokey Robinson, Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi.

For this remarkable occasion, Empire was once again responsible for all talent booking, coordination, contracting and logistics, stage management and run of show.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level and historic events commemorating the events that shape our times.

​Every year, the Turkish government assembles prominent technology leaders who have made significant contributions in the form of innovation to Turkey and the world during the Turkey Innovation Week convention.

On Saturday, December 6, 2014, Empire partnered with ID Creative to deliver scientist and robotics engineer Dr. David Hanson to deliver a keynote presentation for the 2014 Turkey Innovation Week.

Dr. Hanson is the founder of Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based organization that develops and manufactures human-like robots and smart software that brings robotic technology to life. Dr. Hanson creates robots through integrated research into cognitive artificial intelligence, bio-inspired mechanics, materials sciences, sculpture and animation. The results are next generation, walking and talking humanoids with intelligence and faces that effectively simulate human emotional expression.

Before an audience of over 3,000, Dr. Hanson delivered remarks on nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robots in future life, alongside ARTHUR, his newest humanoid robot, who assisted him in his presentation.

Empire is a leading provider of innovation speakers, futurists, technologists and scientists from every field for thought leadership conferences that help to define the future of our civilization.

One of the largest and most influential tech gatherings in the world, salesforce.com brings together businesses and technology leaders who are focused on opportunities in cloud-based and mobile computing. Empire's Asia team and its partners recently produced the Japan stop of the Salesforce.com world tour.

The event hosted over 6,000 attendees at the Prince Park Tower and Toranomon Hills Forum in Tokyo and was watched by over 300,000 viewers online.

Keynote speakers included Marc Benioff (CEO Salesforce), Akio Toyoda (CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation), Yoshiki (a celebrated Japanese musician) and Koji Uehara (Red Sox pitcher). A branded exhibition hall also featured displays by approximately 60 partner companies.

Empire’s Tokyo-based Asia division was responsible for all event production and management, technical production and coordination.

Empire is a leading producer of global conferences and events and our Asia division is the partner of choice for some of the world’s premier and most technically demanding events.