Our Work

Every year, the Gotham Independent Film Awards bring together the best and brightest in the independent filmmaking world for a gala dinner and awards program.

Taking place each December, the Gotham Awards are a bellwether for how the best independent films will fare at the Academy Awards and the evening is often referred to as the kickoff to the awards season.

Empire was once again proud to help produce the 24^th Annual Awards event at Cipriani Wall Street with a jam-packed room of Hollywood A-listers.

Uma Thurman hosted the program, which featured participants including Meryl Streep, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, Amy Schumer, Will Arnett, Ethan Hawke, Jon Hamm, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei and many others.

Birdman won as best feature, with Michael Keaton winning best actor for the film. Julianne Moore won best actress for Still Alice, and CITIZENFOUR, the Edward Snowden story, took home best documentary.

Tributes went to Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller for his work on The Cruise, Foxcatcher, Capote and Moneyball, Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, and Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton.

This year’s Gotham Awards were livestreamed on variety.com and hollywoodreporter.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile awards programs in film, fashion, technology, the arts and various other industry sectors.

Since its founding, charity: water has been re-inventing philanthropy while working to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. The organization enlists private donors to fund the operational costs, allowing 100% of public donations to go directly to the field, local partners to implement the work on the ground, and volunteers who donate everything from time to money, campaigning to raise the funds for clean water. This year, charity: water wanted to celebrate and honor these individuals directly, so they created "Tribute".

The invite-only Tribute brought together over 800 people who have helped make their work possible. The raw, construction-like aesthetic of 23 Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop to highlight the inner workings of the organization’s success. Displayed throughout the space were installations celebrating the various constituents: Well Members, Pipeline Members and Campaigners. Juxtaposed over awe-inspiring images captured in the field, lenticular-like installations celebrated the benefits that clean water has on health, safety, time and energy.

The program began as Scott Harrison, charity: water’s Founder/CEO, took the stage to give an in-depth look at some of the great contributions made by the guests. He told moving tales of the trials faced in the field, coupled with the inspiring stories of the changes effected. Finishing the program, guests were invited to help amplify their impact through a custom donation site ran on Valet.io’s online fundraising platform. In just over 5 minutes, over $1.5 million dollars was raised from more than 500 donors, which will give charity: water the ability to serve over 52,000 people clean water.

A big shout out to Pinch Food Design who creatively catered the occasion once again, along with Anthem, Hurst Communications, EventFarm, MB Productions, AVS, 4Wall, Rainbow, The Factory, Taylor Creative, and AFR for their continued production support.

To learn more about their work or to get involved, please visit http://www.charitywater.org/

Established by Blackstone Group’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, and designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century.

Whether in politics, business, civil society, or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. To facilitate this understanding, Schwarzman Scholars created not only the scholarship but has also invested in a state of the art educational facility at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

In order to announce the program and facility worldwide, Empire was engaged to help Schwarzman Scholars produce a series of events in a whirlwind tour of the world, including New York City (The Morgan Library), Singapore (the Fullerton Bay Hotel), London (Tower Bridge), and Palo Alto (Stanford University). Each of the four intimate events consisted of a cocktail reception, screening of an overview video, remarks by Schwarzman, and remarks by VIP speakers local to each region.

Tasked with sourcing and managing local vendors for all events and on-site management, Empire designed a streamlined system to produce this series of events, all taking place within six weeks.

Working through time zone differences, language and cultural barriers, we swiftly sourced venues, technical production, video crews, photographers, catering, and local staff to execute these events.

Each venue was unique to its location yet was appropriate for the VIP audience and consistent with the messaging relating to familiarity with China and higher education.

In New York, the Morgan Library was the perfect backdrop to such a scholarly event. The Singapore event enjoyed sweeping views of Singapore’s harbor, one of the great connecting points of global commerce. London guests were treated to an event in a historical landmark— the Tower Bridge —where speakers drew metaphors relating to bridges between China and the world.

Empire is honored to have played an integral role in what will be one of the most progressive and important educational initiatives shaping the future.

For more information about the Schwarzman Scholars program and its Beijing campus, please visit www.schwarzmanscholars.org.

​Microsoft's developer product division, Visual Studio, brought their “cloud-first, mobile-first” story to life with a bold two-day conference event at Spring Studios in New York City. Drawing 270 attendees to the high-touch, in-person experience and over 340,000 online, the event generated unprecedented engagement from the developer and IT communities.

Led by Executive Vice President of the Cloud and Enterprise Group, Scott Guthrie, and Corporate Vice President Developer Division, S. Somasegar, the Keynote event focused on .NET and Visual Studio product announcements and was heralded as a “milestone moment for Microsoft".

Spring Studios, a recently opened, raw space in NYC’s trendy TriBeCa neighborhood, provided a clean, contemporary environment featuring 22’ floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the perfect setting for an event dedicated to vision, collaboration and the boundless possibilities of cloud computing.

To balance the sun-filled window backdrop with the need to beautifully illustrate the data-driven content, three large-scale LED screens were custom-built to fit within the existing window frames, and the “view” was extended along the sides of the room with backlit scenic skylines. The audience was seated on custom white lounge furniture that delivered both comfort and contemporary design. The space’s design delivered the visually stimulating wow! factor that the client sought as well as uncompromised clarity of the presented content.

The visual aesthetic and brand messaging were integrated into every aspect of the event. Large-scale, interactive screens “codified” passers-by as they moved through registration. The lunch space incorporated campaign artwork into the decor in the form of menu boards and a large-scale light installation on the ceiling to subtly echo the cloud. Afternoon breakout sessions offered custom content tracked to attendees’ varied interests and needs.

Channel 9, Microsoft’s own online video community, broadcast the Keynote and live post-event interviews to tens of thousands of real-time viewers.

From registration, breakfast and keynote to lunch and evening cocktails, every element of this program was custom-designed to communicate brand values and foster a high-touch guest experience. We were proud to once again serve and collaborate with Microsoft to create and execute this top-tier business communication event.

Empire is a leading producer of conferences and business meetings worldwide.

Reel Works is one of the leading digital media educators in the United States. They are the only filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It’s a powerful combination that changes young lives while creating startling and original films that have been seen by over nine million viewers since their founding in 2001.

This year's Reel Works Gala began in the mezzanine level of the Edison Ballroom, where guests were invited to mingle and enjoy cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. Custom posters featuring the movies of the seven teens that were nominated for the evening's award decorated the cocktail area. Guests were encouraged to participate in the silent auction prior to making their way into the ballroom for the program and dinner.

Sade Baderinwa, Emmy Award-winning journalist for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News, kicked of the program by welcoming students on stage and highlighting their accomplishments and history with the organization. The program featured honorees, chair members, and students, with a special surprise from Vice President of Talent Integration and Pipeline Programs at NBC Universal, Michelle Hord-White, who presented Dexter Dugar Jr. the the F. John Outcalt Award for Outstanding Filmmaking and a $5,000 scholarship.

Later in the night, energetic James Donahower took the stage as the live auctioneer, helping to raise a record $380,000. The evening wrapped with a special musical performance by Angela Johnson. Event sponsors included Empire Entertainment, Comcast NBC Universal, A&E Networks, Viacom, Comedy Central, Raine, CNN and HBO.

Empire was proud to work on this year's Gala, Reel Works’ most successful benefit dinner to date.

On November 19, 2014, EBONY Magazine presented the 3rd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African Americans and guest of honor, legendary producer Quincy Jones.

This year’s Ebony Power 100 took place at the historic Avalon Hollywood and Bardot Lounge, and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO, Desirée Rogers, of the Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Melody Hobson & George Lucas, Anthony Anderson, Beverly Johnson, Teyonah Parris, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, David Oyelowo, Jesse Williams, Niecy Nash, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

After an elegant cocktail reception, guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by television star Wayne Brady and musically directed by Rickey Minor. Throughout the night, attendees were entertained by a wide array of musical performances, each one representing Jones’ career and influence in the music industry over the past 70 years. Performers included Terrence Blanchard, Savion Glover, Kem, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Chaka Khan.

At the end of the dinner program, LL Cool J presented the Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award to Quincy Jones. Jones addressed the crowd, stating, "It's amazing to be around and have a career last almost seven decades and watch everything that's happening. Everything's going to be all right." This year's gala focused on issues of race in particular, and Jones said that he was especially humbled to receive the Award because he considered the founder of Ebony magazine, John H. Johnson, to be a mentor.

DJ Kiss spun at the Bardot Lounge afterparty and performed throughout the event.

The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance and other sponsors and partners included Ariel Investments, United Airlines, Ciroc Vodka, Starz, McDonald’s, Vosges Chocolates, Georgia Pacific, Toyota, Fashion Fair, Twitter and Comcast.

Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer for the Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue selection, catering, production, talent booking & coordination, music, registration, videography & media distribution and event logistics and onsite management.

Empire is a leading producer of broadcast and non-broadcast, celebrity-driven media events.

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After their highly successful inaugural gala fundraiser in 2013, the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund chose to honor cultural icon and internationally recognized fashion designer, Stella McCartney, with their Women’s Leadership Award.

Lincoln Center Corporate Fund once again turned to us to design and produce all aspects of the evening.

Held at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with two VIP cocktail receptions with hedge walls lining the entrance pathway. The hedges served both fashion and function, accentuating the “English Garden” design theme, while concealing the 40-table dinner reception that was to follow the stage program.

Stella’s friends who could not be in attendance including Bono, Chrissie Hynde, Kate Winslet, Gwen Stefani, Quincy Jones, Amy Poehler, Reese Witherspoon and Doris Day, gave heartfelt video tributes.

Chelsea Handler surprised everyone by submitting her video in which she claimed to be too cheap to purchase the plane ticket to New York and then appeared onstage as the evening’s host.

The program’s second act featured a sit-down with Stella and Jerry Seinfeld in which the comedian interviewed her as only he could, touching on the important industry issues such as the “shorts epidemic for men” and “angry-faced models”.

Seinfeld then introduced the presenter of the Women’s Leadership Award following their conversation—Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Paul flew all the way from Brazil that morning to surprise his daughter on stage.

The program concluded with a musical performance by Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison, whose acoustic rendition of Love of My Life, a favorite of his “Big Sister”, Stella, set up the finale, which summed up the tone for the entire night. The walls which previous to that had been the backdrop to the “English Parlor” design treatment were quickly rolled away to reveal a full band and 21-piece orchestra who backed Dhani as they performed Live and Let Die to the delight of guests and Sir Paul himself.

The event raised $1.6 million for the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to ten performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and The Juilliard School.

Sponsors for the evening were American Express, Hearst Corporation and Harper’s Bazaar.

To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org

We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts and in strengthening our expertise in the area of high-end fashion events.

On September 30, 2014, Empire presented two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey to deliver the closing keynote at the IAB MIXX Conference in NYC. The MIXX conference is the centerpiece of Advertising Week, and this year the theme was “Digital’s Renaissance Moment”. And who better to speak to that topic than the star of “House of Cards”, the smash Netflix series which may well be the show that finally makes the internet a true competitor to television networks.

Spacey was clearly passionate about the subject, attributing the success of the series to the “creative courage” of the actors, writers, and the executives at Netflix who green-lighted the show without seeing a pilot. And he compared that courage to the integrity of Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty. And he closed with an inspirational note, stating that “if there's one thing that overlaps between business and art, it's that the risk-takers are rewarded.”

Empire’s strong Hollywood relationships have allowed us to deliver incredible talent for our clients over the years, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Greg Kinnear, Charlton Heston, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Biel, and dozens more.

Boon the Shop​, well known as the first "modern luxury specialty store" in Seoul, South Korea, reached out to Empire to secure the perfect talent to provide music at the grand opening event of its highly anticipated flagship store located in Cheongdam. Empire delivered the Misshapes as DJs who are in high demand for fashion and luxury brand events.

On October 17, 2014, the first day of Seoul Fashion Week, Boon the Shop opened its doors for the grand opening celebration, inviting over 1,200 VIP clients, celebrities, models, fashion designers and industry leaders, bloggers and media from around the globe.

Notable attendees were Anna Dello Russo from Vogue Japan, the store's architect Peter Marino, Supermodel Lindsey Wixson, Haider Ackerman, Chitose Abe of Sacai, Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, as well as Korea's A-list celebrities such as G-Dragon, Taeyang, Ko So-Young, and Ha Jung-Woo.

Boon the Shop opened up all of its retail floors for the party, displayed its featured merchandise, launched exclusive collections from leading fashion brands, and presented an exhibition for Proenza Schouler.

The Misshapes, including Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol, provided the soundtrack for the entire evening with a cool and classy mix of the latest pop, hottest indie music, and funky dance tunes. They started off on the main floor and then moved over to DJ at the VIP lounge.

It was a special night for fashion in Seoul where international fashion VIP got together at this new Asian luxury landmark.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for retail and luxury events around the world and Empire has worked extensively in Korea for over a decade, providing its world class services through our Seoul-based representative.

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, Empire produced About.com’s Expert Conference for the second straight year at the IAC Building in NYC.

The conference gathers together hundreds of About.com’s experts—the people who write content on the site on topics ranging from travel, health, and tech, to sandwiches, etiquette, and women’s hairstyles. The site is visited each month by approximately 90 million users.

At the 2013 event, new CEO Neil Vogel received applause from the experts throughout the day as he explained the many changes he was planning for the website. He took the stage once again at the 2014 conference, this time to show that he had delivered, taking the once staid website and making it vibrant, exciting, and alive—a site designed to attract viewers to the site and to keep them there. Many images and videos from the new site were displayed prominently on the fantastic high-resolution video wall at the IAC Building (120’ wide x 11’ high).

Vogel introduced other company executives to speak throughout the day and led a panel discussion with some of the site's most popular experts. Attendees also enjoyed catering by Abigail Kirsch, who also provided delectable passed hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail reception that closed the day.

Empire managed all aspects of the About.com conference, providing stage management, registration, TPA procurement, technical direction, catering management, décor. Empire is proud to produce business conferences for some of the world's leading companies.

For the second year in a row, Empire was proud to serve as producer of the Lowline Anti-Gala, which helps raise funds to convert an abandoned, turn-of-the-century trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. Using innovative solar technology to enable plants and trees to grow underground, the Lowline will become a new kind of public green space and a must-see cultural attraction in one of the world’s most exciting urban environments.

The Lowline has attracted visionaries, artists and creators since the concept was first envisioned so it was no surprise that this year’s hosts would be some of the most celebrated creative figures today – Girls Creator Lena Dunham and Academy Award-winning director Spike Jonze.

Working closely with the Lowline team, Empire worked to develop an overall creative concept to reflect the plans for the park itself. The event would take place underground and would provide glimpses of what the Lowline will feel like once it is built. Skylight Modern, with its cavernous, yet minimal subterranean space would be the perfect venue for this concept.

The evening began above ground with a cocktail reception showcasing a circular bar set around a towering tree. Guests sipped Absolut cocktails concocted by celebrity mixologist Dave Arnold from Booker and Dax and Momofuku while VIPs appeared in front of a media backdrop in the form of a hedge featuring a fire-stenciled wooden Lowline logo.

At the end of cocktails guests made their way underground into a subterranean paradise. Buskers and beatboxers played as guests made their way down the stairs and into a walkway surrounded by trees, plants and foliage provided by Terrain.

Emerging at the far end of the venue, guests abruptly found themselves in a cavernous clearing in which was set a dazzling seated banquet served by Neuman’s Kitchen and Chef Julian Alonzo. The dinner menu included a salad of “edible soil” with raw and cooked garden vegetables, herbs in a flower pot and other sumptuous courses.

In keeping with the spirit of the evening, Lena Dunham and Spike Jonze performed custom skits as Vaudeville characters, inviting guests into their “salon”. Dunham recounted, “as a native New Yorker, I am committed to continuing to create public spaces that reflect the ingenuity and diversity of our city. As downtown kids, our safe outdoor spaces were few and far between—it was before the West Side Highway had been done up all fancy, so a rare trip to Central or Prospect Park was my only experience of the magic of public green spaces.”

Co-founders of the Lowline, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, spoke about the exciting developments of the upcoming project, estimating a 2018 opening of the Lowline.

Auctioneer CK Swett began with a bottle of Dom Perignon and a starting bid of $1 to warm up the crowd. Lots included tickets for two to Broadway’s Cabaret, a deluxe Tahoe Ski Getaway, a visit the set of Girls, tickets to the Foxcatcher premiere and after-party, and a night on Larry Ellison’s sailboat. Two of the packages sold for $20,000 each. Lena sold the dress off her back, which featured a custom-designed print of the Lowline itself.

Star-studded communal tables served the likes of Edward Norton, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, filmmakers Bennett Miller and Darren Aronofsky, Celerie Kemble and Boykin Curry, Senator Cory Booker, contemporary artist Tom Sachs, and film producer Megan Ellison, as well as slew of New York’s young and established artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and socialites.

As the evening shifted into afterparty mode, blacklights once again transformed the space into an Avatar-like fantasy world as the dinner guests were joined by a second wave of attendees. A beatbox battle by Too Many Zooz and a percussion funk band set the tone for the evening’s headliners: Jack Antonoff’s band, the Bleachers. After their set, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy DJ’d well into the night.

Empire was proud to once again serve Lowline and help them create another standard-setting, creative fundraising event that perfectly suited their style and message. To learn more about the world’s first underground park, visit www.thelowline.org.

Empire is a leading creative producer of innovative events and fundraisers worldwide.

On October 30, 2014, Empire Entertainment served as producer for Keep a Child Alive’s 11th Annual Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Parfums Givenchy and Jynwel Charitable Foundation Limited, the Black Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Sean Puffy Combs, David Byrne, NAS and Angel Haze.

Hosted by Keep a Child Alive’s co-founder and 15-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, Grammy Award winner Sean Puffy Combs, and the legendary Swizz Beatz, the Black Ball has raised over $22.6 million since its humble beginnings in 2004.

The event, designed by Creative Director Earle Sebastian, featured an elegant cocktail reception under a ceiling of simulated stars that were reflected in black mirror with music by DJ Dhundee. In the main ballroom guests were seated at long tables topped with candles and all-white floral arrangements. A proud Alicia Keys and CEO of KCA, Peter Twyman, took the stage to deliver inspiring remarks about the power and potential of young people living with HIV/AIDS.

This year’s Black Ball honored Givenchy’s Artistic Director, Riccardo Tisci, for inspiring new and compassionate ways of thinking through his bold and unapologetic voice in challenging discrimination while breaking cultural barriers in the fashion industry and beyond.

A star-studded guest list of over 600 came out to support Keep a Child Alive’s mission with guests including Madonna, Kanye West, Clive Davis, Selita Ebanks, Estelle, Gayle King, Lala Anthony, Marina Abramovic, Aretha Franklin, Olivia Harrison, Padma Lakshmi, Russell Simmons, Steve Van Zandt, Alek Wek, Mr. Brainwash and amongst others.

Guests dined on a delicious family-style dinner, with a menu designed by guest chef Johnathan Adler of Franny’s Brooklyn and catered by Creative Edge. This year’s Black Ball raised $2.3 million through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, pledges and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse and one-of-a-kind shirt designed by Riccardo Tisci, an India wellness trip package, a Dubai and Maldives luxury vacation, an exclusive dinner and tasting of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac, two custom designed pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes for parent and child, and other exclusive packages.

Alicia Keys and her band then put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several amazing musical guests.

Sean Puffy Combs joined Keys to open the concert for an old school classic “Mo Money Mo Problems,” and started the energy on high. Rising star Angel Haze then came out to perform OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” segueing into a duet with Keys on “Battle Cry".

NAS took the stage next with a hard hitting set of “Streets of NYC,” “New York State of Mind” and “Made You Look.” Puffy then joined him for a pumping “Hate Me Now.” NAS brought out a crowd favorite Phil Collins song, “Coming in the Air Tonight” then a duet with Keys on “If I Ruled the World.”

Closing out the concert, legendary Talking Heads frontman David Byrne joined Alicia Keys to perform “Once in the Lifetime", “Strange Overtones", "Life is Long", “It’s my Life” and “Burning Down the House".

Swizz Beatz and DJ Runna took to the stage to DJ the Afterglow party, having all guests dancing into the early hours of the morning.


Empire has been proud to serve as the Producer of the Black Ball since its inception in 2003 and partner with Keep a Child Alive and Alicia Keys over the past decade to grow it into one of New York’s most anticipated annual fundraising events.

To learn more about Keep a Child Alive, please go to www.keepachildalive.org.

Photos: Chris Saunders and Winston Struye

When one of the world’s leading, luxury jewelry brands sought to launch a new jewelry collection, they turned to Empire to create an exclusive event the likes of which its top clients had never experienced before. In keeping with the character of the jewelry collection, every element of the elegant event was designed with a touch of mystery.

On the evening of the event on Rodeo Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills, guests approached entrance by walking on a custom “red” carpet, emulating the ruby and diamond design of a bracelet that had yet to be revealed. Two immaculately attired male models opened a set of double doors, revealing the salon, completely redesigned as never seen before. Upon entering the salon’s foyer rotunda, guests were surrounded by an installation of sapphire and diamonds, animated within the wall vitrines and projected onto the chandelier, further teasing the bracelet design.

Stepping through the doors guests entered the dimly-lit salon transformed into a breathtakingly elegant, Art Déco-era house of secrets. Model wait staff served custom cocktails and bespoke hors d oeuvres, including caviar pillows and black truffle beignets presented on polished black lacquer trays in unique jewelry-inspired vessels. While enjoying Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne in tall champagne flutes, guests were treated to the first glimpse of the collection, showcased on a group of exquisite female models placed within a tableau vivant or ‘living picture’. With glamorous hair, makeup and wardrobe to mirror the aesthetics of the jewelry collection, the models' movements and interactions with the guests were choreographed by Emmy-award winning director duo, Nappytabs.

The tableau vivant was presented on a custom-designed Art Deco stage comprised of geometric cut mirrors and a gold metallic frame, richly adorned with period accurate props whose use was incorporated into the model choreography. In the center of the room, a large jewelry vitrine adorned with a tall arrangement of white flowers was filled with fog providing guests with a tantalizing glimpse of the jewels on display below and perfectly capturing the mystery of the collection, Upon a musical cue, the models took their places on stage with a dramatic finalé pose showcasing the full collection. Following the performance, the salon’s director invited guests upstairs to a floor which was transformed from a generic suite into a dramatic dining room of black & mirror complete with custom-designed wallpaper, mirrored dining tables, lush tufted chairs, custom-embroidered napkins, and dark, moody, and refined floral centerpieces.

After mingling on the terrace on a beautiful Beverly Hills evening, guests enjoyed a seated four-course meal created by Patina Caterers. Courses included Blue Fin Tuna Tartar, Alba White Truffle Risotto, A-5 Japanese Kobe Cote de Boeuf, and a Cranberry Chutney Cheesecake Sphere for dessert, unveiled by the lifting of a cloche glass. Each course, accompanied by pairings of rare wines, was delivered to the guests via choreographed and synchronized waiter service, intermingled with the female models, which gave the guests more time to get a closer look at the jewels.

Following dinner, guests were invited back downstairs into the yet-again transformed salon, which was now recreated as an elegant Jazz age nightclub. Guests were seated on black leather lounge furniture and served Yuku Kosho Caramels along with vintage cognac, single malt whiskey and dessert wines. As a finalé to the evening, guests were treated to a live performance by Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Jane Monheit, accompanied by her pianist, who performed on the tableau vivant stage.

For this ambitious, top-tier luxury brand project, Empire created and developed the concept and provided all design, décor, production, talent, catering, permitting, floral displays, scenic elements and staffing, and managed the project from conception to completion.

We were honored to have been part of this pivotal launch for this esteemed jewelry brand. Empire is a leading producer of top-tier luxury events worldwide.

On October 1, 2014, Empire presented vocal group Boyz II Men for a corporate audience in Puerto Rico. Approximately 1,100 guests of all ages, including children packed the ballroom at the El Conquistador hotel for the private performance.

The audience flocked to the stage as Boyz II Men performed all of their greatest hits from the past 26 years including, "It's so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday," "End of the Road," "On Bended Knee," "Water Runs Dry," and an amazing finale of "Motown Philly"

They also performed a Motown medley as well as a Rock medley, including songs by Tom Petty, Nirvana, and Lenny Kravitz.

While performing in Puerto Rico, Boyz II Men were named the "Musical Artist of the Year" in Las Vegas at the Casino Entertainment Awards.

Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical elements for Boyz II Men. Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of talent for corporate events and celebrations around the world.

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​For the fifth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment served as producer of ARTWALK NY – New York City’s foremost annual art auction fundraiser, benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless.

More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art-lovers, and celebrities gathered in the Metropolitan Pavilion to celebrate ARTWALK’s milestone 20th Anniversary with an evening that included cocktails, a silent auction, and a live auction in the adjoining Altman Building. Actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany were honored this year for their mission to help the homeless. Bettany recently directed a film about homelessness, starring wife Connelly, to raise awareness of the plight of the thousands of homeless men, women and children living in New York City.

Watch Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly's remarks at ARTWALK: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/paul-bettany-jennifer-connelly-artwalk-ny/

The Metropolitan Pavilion served as the main cocktail space and silent auction gallery, featuring over 110 works of contemporary art donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Christo, Miya Ando, Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, Swoon, and Andy Warhol. Paddle8 supplied iPads throughout the gallery for bidding as well as an iPhone app enabling guests to place their bids and receive immediate notifications if they were out-bid or ultimately won their auctions. In the live auction room, Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off works by Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Roxy Paine, Pat Steir and Ed Ruscha.

The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Mary Giuliani Catering and cocktails graciously provided by Chopin Vodka, Ca'Del Bosco, Peroni and ONEHOPE Wines. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, Acme, The Odeon, Delicatessen, and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations. DJ Harley Viera Newton spun tunes in the silent auction room.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Dolce & Gabbana, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.

ARTWALK NY is the Coalition’s largest annual fundraiser and it benefits their many initiatives, which provide permanent housing, job training, emergency food & clothing, crisis services, and special childrens' programs to over 3,500 New Yorkers each day.

Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters to make this year’s landmark anniversary event a huge success.

To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org

In October 2014, Avex, one of the world’s biggest music labels, asked Empireto support the visit to New York of 9 member Cheeky Parade, one of Japan’sfastest rising idol groups, during their NINE LIVES tour of the UnitedStates.

Empire handled all negotiations with the organizers of the CBGBFestival, one of New York’s largest music and film festivals, managing tosecure 30 minutes of stage time in Times Square amongst a line up that included Jane’s Addiction, We Are Scientists and Macy Gray.

At New York Comic Con, Empire organized a panel interviewwith all members of Cheeky Parade attended by a group of avid fans, flown in fromJapan, and local followers who were able to ask questions of their idols before joining a photo session with them.

Empire supported the moderator scripting and simultaneoustranslations for both the panel interview and communication with the media.

This was a truly exciting project in which we once were ableto handle an international event that resulted in significantoverseas publicity for the client.

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Once known as the Museum for African Art, The Africa Center has expanded its mission to become the world's leading civic African institution. Together, we worked on a series of events to raise community awareness and provide a gateway for engagement between Africa, New York City and the world.

On Saturday, September 20, The Africa Center opened its doors to the community for a day of performance, art and education. Attendees enjoyed African-influenced Grill Tastings by The Cecil, an Immersive Art Installation depicting Lagos, Nigeria by Emeka Ogboh, Dance Performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a special appearance by Chelsea Clinton and more.

Later, guests were invited to a very special evening of music and exploration as we journeyed to the heart of the Malian blues with the Festival in Exile, which featured musical performances by Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Vieux Farka Toure, Samba Toure & Amanar and other special guests.

On Monday, September 22, the events continued with a UN Policy Summit, in collaboration with the United Nations, Boston Consulting Group and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The full day of panel discussions gave dignitaries such as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta the opportunity to discuss the importance of inclusive economic transformation and sustainable development, and to promote the practical measures, partnerships and mechanisms that will make Africa’s vision of the future possible.

A week of events concluded with a private screening hosted by the Brazzaville Foundation, that showcased the untold story behind history, Plot for Peace. The film screening was followed by a Q&A session with panel discussions and cocktails.

Additional events showcased art, film and performers from all over the continent, leaving guests with a better insight on The Africa Center’s mission.

Empire served as overall producers for the entire event series. Empire helped develop the original concept for the event series, executed several lead-up development events, handled all design, technical production, event logistics and services and staffing for the extensive project.

We look forward to continuing our work with The Africa Center and partnering with them as they move towards a permanent opening.

To learn more about the Africa Center and to get involved please visit http://www.theafricacenter.org/index.php

Empire’s Brazil / Latin America Division, and Brazil Managing Director, Béco Dranoff, recently served the U.S.-based Brazilian NGO, BrazilFoundation, as technical producers and logistics coordinators of their 12th Annual Gala Dinner, a fundraising event to benefit ongoing social projects in Brazil.

The black tie event took place on September 18th, 2014 at the atrium and terrace of the David H. Koch Theater at New York’s Lincoln Center. Over 500 exquisitely-attired attendees swarmed the red carpet, enjoyed the cocktail reception and feasted on a sumptuous multi-course dinner all while watching live performances by Brazilian music pop-star Baby do Brasil, classical ballet dancer, Ingrid Silva, and dance group Capoeira Nagô.

The evening’s emcee was Homeland star, Morena Baccarin and, among the many notable guests from Brazil and elsewhere, was Brazilian Ambassador Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen and singer Bebel Gilberto who received the Foundation’s Global Brazilian Award. Following dinner, Phillips auctioneer August Uribe conducted a live auction of 15 lots including precious artwork and priceless experiences. Béco Dranoff, who is also an accomplished music producer, served as DJ for the evening spinning an amazing mix of Brazilian music for cocktails and dinner.

Emphasizing the event’s theme Celebrating Women, several videos of the Foundation’s work were shown on a large projection screen and three Brazilian social project leaders received awards.Restaurant Associates provided catering and flowers were generously donated by Brazilian florist, Zezé Flores. Brazilian brands featured prominently in the evening’s parting gifts including Melissa shoes as well as Gelatto by A.B. Biagi and Brigadeiros by Brigadeiro Bakery.

Empire was honored to work in collaboration with HCampos Group – Helio Campos, on the BrazilFoundation Gala, New York City’s most noteworthy annual Brazilian society event. To learn more about the BrazilFoundation and its programs visit the Brazil Foundation.

Empire’s Brazil / Latin America Division is a leading producer of events both on behalf of international clients seeking to execute projects in Latin America, as well serving Brazilian and Latin American clients in the United States and aroundthe world.

During the 2014 United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Empire’s Latin America Division had the privilege to serve as production company for a keynote presentation by the Honorable Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico.

The keynote took place at the St. Regis Hotel at a conference presented by the Economic Club of New York for approximately 200 top executives and a large contingent of members of the international media.

Empire was responsible for all technical production, staging, sound, lighting, video projection and simultaneous interpretation of the program as well as coordinating with security and the Mexican Government on all event needs.

In the United States or in any other region, Empire’s Latin America Division serves government agencies, corporations, not-for-profit institutions and private individuals with a wide range of services to support the communication of their messages and initiatives to their target audiences.

Empire is honored to regularly support keynote remarks and appearances by Heads of State throughout the world.

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On September 20th, UN Women hosted a special event with Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson to kick-start #HeforShe, a global solidarity movement in support of women’s rights and full equality between women and men. The campaign aims to galvanize one billion men and boys as advocates for ending the inequalities that women and girls face globally. Empire acted as the overall event producer handling all audio, video, staging, scenic and signage aspects as well as the creative framing of the stage program.

Moderated by CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer, the HeForShe event put men at the center of activism to end persistent inequalities faced by women and girls around the world. A highlight of the event was the activation of the HeForShe map— a real-time map with a geo locator that captures men’s engagement with the initiative around the world over the next 12 months and provides a tally against the campaign’s one billion target. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the initiative’s first goal, which is to mobilize the first100,000 world citizens in this way. The top UN official, through his map activation, was counted as the ‘number one man’. To read his speech, click here.

The event brought together renowned personalities, including senior UN officials such as UN General Assembly President, Sam Kahamba Kutesa, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and Former Finland President, President Tarja Halonen, along with actor Kiefer Sutherland, who offered the male perspective on genderequality.For more information on U.N. Women and the HeForShe Campaign go to http://www.heforshe.org To stream the entire program click here.

​In September 2014, Empire delivered two incredible Australian artists, Colin Hay and The TEN Tenors, to perform at an insurance company’s incentive program in Sydney. For a very small audience of 50, Empire recommended Colin Hay, the former lead vocalist of “Men at Work”, and singer of “Down Under”, arguably the most well-known song about Australia. Colin’s solo acoustic performance fit the intimate event perfectly, and included not only his signature song about his home country, but other hits including “Who Can It Be Now?”, “Overkill”, “It’s A Mistake”, and more.

And for the client’s evening at the Sydney Opera House, Empire presented The TEN Tenors, one of Australia’s greatest entertainment success stories. Celebrated for their colorful repertoire, breathtaking arrangements and powerful live performances, The TEN Tenors respectfully tip their hats not only to the great classical composers, but to contemporary music’s most popular artists. Their troupe gave the attendees goose bumps with their arias and classical pieces, which fit perfectly in what is perhaps the best known Opera House on the planet, but then also surprised the guests with their breathtaking renditions of more current performers including Jeff Buckley, creating a party atmosphere.

Empire is proud to have presented and produced headline artists in more than 30 countries worldwide, and takes pride in being able to recommend and secure the ideal performers for conferences and events around theglobe.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) celebrated its 20th Kids4Kids family festival at the Field House at Chelsea Piers in New York City, again partnering with Empire as their production company. The event, co-chaired by world-renowned fashion photographer and EGPAF board member Nigel Barker and his wife Cristen Barker, raised funds and awareness for the effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Celebrity attendees at Kids 4 Kids included New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, Miss Universe Gabriela Isler, Olympic swimmer Matt Targett, and actress and EGPAF celebrity ambassador Fatima Ptacek. Other celebrity guests included cast members from Netflix's Orange Is the New Black Joel Garland, and Yael Stone; Clare Foley, Zabryna Guevara, J.W. Cortes, and David Mazouz from Fox's new series Gotham; Johnny Lee Miller from CBS's "Elementary;" and Kristen Taekman of Real Housewives of New York. Bluegrass band Seven Handle Circus closed the event with an acoustic musical performance. The New York Observer was the exclusive media sponsor. Special activities included classes with the Boston Ballet's Kathryn Boren and yoga instructor Tara Stiles, graffiti wall art with artist Shantell Martin, and physical activities with Kirk Myers Fitness. Families also experienced interactive games from Disney, created beats with Scratch DJ Academy, and got creative with retailer Skip Hop. Some of New York's favorite restaurants and chefs, including caterer Abigail Kirsh, Michael's Restaurant, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, Pain D'Avignon, Sofia Wine Bar, Luke's Lobster, the Chester, Grandaisy Bakery and (The Mercer) Kitchen provided event food and refreshments.

About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF): EGPAF is the global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/ AIDS, and has reached 20 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently supports more than 7,000 health facilities and works in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit EGPAF.

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On August 31^st, 2014, the global tire company, Michelin, hosted a groupof 80 Chinese distributor partners and members of the media for a day at Japan’slegendary race circuit, Fuji Speedway. The event took place on the day of theJapan leg of the racing car endurance series, the 2014 Asian Le Mans. Teamsfrom across the world pitched high performance racing cars and world-classdrivers against each other in this contest of skill, stamina and cutting edgeengineering technology.

Michelin’s guests were given the rare privilege of pre-race track access and a “pit walk”of the Oak Team’s pit where team engineers explained various aspects of the carand the race itself, all supported by our tri-lingual (Chinese/Japanese/English)attendants.

In the media lounge, designed and constructed by Empire, we coordinated mediainterviews with the race winning Oak Team, including their star Formula 1driver from China, Ho-Pin TUNG.

By successfully supporting Michelin’s Japanese event for its valued Chinesebusiness and media partners, Empire has once again demonstrated our expertisein cross-border event planning, coordination and hospitality.

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On the eve of the 2014 World Cup Final, Empire produced Sony's Gala Dinner event.

For the evening, Rio de Janiero's port of Pier Maua was transformed with a mixture of classical chandeliers and cutting-edge projection into an ever-changing and breathtaking environment.

World famous chef Matsuhisa Nobu designed a Brazilian-inspired culinary experience and Brazilian superstar Claudia Leitte and Carlos Santana performed and brought down the house.

For more, check out the time lapse.

On Saturday, June 6, Empire collaborated with Colin Cowie Celebrations and the Troy Curtis Group to help produce one of the biggest social events of 2014, a first-class, once-in-a-lifetime Bat Mitzvah at the world-famous Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.

Family and friends were delighted to watch as the guest of honor beautifully led the Havdalah service, accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra and the Jewish a cappella group, Pella. At the end of the ceremony, guests were mesmerized as a performance by a shadow dance group told the story of the young lady’s life.

As guests exited the theatre to an orchestral arrangement of Pharrell’s smash hit “Happy,” the adults were led to a crystal- and diamond-laden dinner, where the Ikonix band and Pella performed hits from the Four Seasons, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Adults dined on the finest oysters and sushi and enjoyed vodka drinks mixed with rose petals. Meanwhile, the children were escorted to a 13-year-old’s fantasyland, with magicians, dancers, and various games and activities. Kids could design their own baseball cap, or get glammed up with eyelash and hair extensions.

At the end of dinner, a performance by a percussion group led all of the guests into the dance party, where DJ Neza was ready to keep the night going.

The dance party was a young girl’s dream come true. In keeping with the pink and diamond motif, the room was full of pink glistening staging, platforms and a catwalk, games, dancers, custom furnishings, and a wall of video screens and ceiling projections mirroring the music played throughout the night.

When it came time for the father-daughter dance, the always classic and delightful Natalie Cole wowed the guests, singing “Unforgettable” as the duo danced beside her.

For one last surprise, DJ RedFoo of LMFAO broke through the backdrop as his party-rock crew dancers covered the staging and catwalk. As the room became a blacklight playground, the guests joined RedFoo onstage as he performed “Party Rock Anthem,” “Sexy and I Know It,” and other hits.

Empire was honored to once again be chosen by Colin Cowie to join his team to create another extraordinary experience.

For the 2nd consecutive year, The Fragrance Foundation selected Empire to produce the Fragrance industry’s premier event - the Fragrance Foundation Awards.

Held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the perfect, early Summer evening began with guest arrivals and a cocktail reception in Alice Tully Hall’s outdoor sunken plaza and soaring glass atrium. Amidst a series of artfully printed floral walls, guests mingled and sipped Champagne while arriving VIPs walked the red carpet and posed for the flashing ticket of press photographers in a separate tent on West 65th Street.

Once seated in the theater, the evening’s Host, Saturday Night Live veteran and self-proclaimed Best-Smelling celebrity, Dana Carvey introduced Elizabeth Musmanno, President of the Fragrance Foundation, and Jill Belasco, Chairman of the Fragrance Foundation Board, before kicking off the star-studded award program.

This year’s celebrity presenters included Leigh Lezark, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Chrissy Teigen, Angie Harmon, Marisa Tomei, Kellan Lutz, Leonard Lauder, Hilary Rhoda, Sean Avery, Coco Rocha, Michael C. Hall, Carine Roitfeld, Gwendoline Christie, Mary Alice Stephenson, Lily Donaldson, and Nicolas Mirzayantz.

There were also notable acceptance speeches from Hall of Fame winner and retired Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdales, Michael Gould, as well as Perfumer of the Year winner, International Flavors and Fragrances’ Carlos Benaim.

Singer and songwriter, Judith Hill, graced the audience with a performance of “Hallelujah.” Guests were left in awe of her elegant piano performance and breath-taking voice.

The after party was held in the Alice Tully Hall atrium and outdoor plaza, creating the perfect summer night cocktail experience while DJ Donna D’Cruz spun an intoxicating mix of music.

The Fragrance Foundation Awards brings together virtually every luxury and consumer brand in the fragrance space including Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Givenchy, Elizabeth Arden, LVMH, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes, Lancome, Zegna, Clinique and Gucci among others.

Empire is a leading producer of events and programs for the luxury brand industry, as well as a leading producer of award shows.

Empire congratulates all of the 2014 Fragrance Foundation Award winners.