Our Work

When the Super Bowl came to the New York area in February 2014, many major corporations and brands marked the occasion with top-tier parties in Manhattan filled with celebrities, athletes and VIPs. As one of the world’s leading sports media companies, the Sports Illustrated party would necessarily need to stand out from all others and Empire was tapped to help ensure this.

Sports Illustrated chose to present a large-scale event on the night before the big game at one of New York’s newest venues, Skylight Modern. Located in the heart of the chic Chelsea Gallery district, this contemporary space accommodates over 600 guests with room to spare for large-scale staging, sponsor activations and kitchen facilities. Joining Sports Illustrated as co-sponsors of the Super Bowl event were several blue chip companies from the automotive, technology and liquor industries. The space was elegantly constructed into a main concert area with raised VIP areas, several bars, elegant sponsor activations and marketing installations for the participating partners.

DJ Kiss kicked off the party as VIPs arrived via Jaguar automobiles and took their turns on the red carpet. Attending VIPs included John Legend, Fantasia and several of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models. As the crowd filled the room and began dancing, multiple Grammy Award winning musician, artist and producer Wyclef Jean arrived to take the stage with his full band and DJ. Wyclef proceeded to rock the house with a high-energy set as he alternated between guitar, keyboard and bongos. His electrifying set soon had everyone in the house on their feet, including the invitation to come onstage extended to 20 ladies to dance with him mid show. When the live set ended, Wyclef remained onstage to DJ for another hour, playing mash-ups of 1980s hits evocative of New Jersey where he spent part of his youth and where the Super Bowl would soon be played. The party was a sensational success and Sports Illustrated, the sponsors, advertisers and attendees all had a great time.

Empire secured and contracted Wyclef Jean and his band for this project and coordinated all related production and logistics, working closely with Sports Illustrated and its partners. Empire is a leading provider of headline talent for high-profile sports hospitality events.

Opening February 1 and running through May 6, 2014 at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal,” is the largest Asian exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work to date.

Empire was honored to produce the pre-opening night of this important exhibition with a massive reception for nearly 2,500 guests, all celebrating the legacy of this icon of pop art and to help open this important exhibit.

Sponsored by BMW, Christies, and Bloomberg, and with attendees including VIPs, celebrities, executives, art dealers and members of the press, the successful party was described as the “crowning glory” of the exhibit's Asia tour. After opening toasts, Empire’s Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis models entered the room to kick off the party. Guests were thrilled to have their photographs taken with these iconic subjects of some of Warhol’s best-known works and to capture their own 15 minutes of fame on social media posts.

Every year, MAXIM Magazine throws the biggest, most coveted Super Bowl Party around and this year did not disappoint. With the big game coming to the New York City area for the first time, they partnered with Talent Resources Sports to double down with a two-night party. Taking over one of the chicest event spaces in Midtown, Espace, DJ Dirty South spun EDM all night long Friday and Kendrick Lamar brought down the house with his performance Saturday night.

We worked closely with TR Sports to concept, design and produce an iconic New York centric event befitting MAXIM’s brand, bringing back the sexiness and grit of 1980’s NYC streets. We transformed the columns into graffiti-ridden fire escapes for Patron and MAXIM girls to dance upon, surrounded the VIPs with the infamous silhouette of the city’s skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge, and scattered various street elements throughout the space- traffic lights, street lights, classic “Post No Bills” walls, and chain link fences.

In contrast to the urban event space, we worked with party sponsor Heavenly Resorts in Lake Tahoe to create a ski-resort oasis in the foyer. Complete with snow covered Evergreens, “trail map” ice luge, shot skis and a snowboard bench, we also built a ski-lift chair-inspired photo booth for guests to share. Most of the other sponsors were incorporated into the NYC theme with an Empire State Building replicated from AQUAHydrate bottles, City Maps to pin your favorite place to drink Patron, and a chandelier of starlit Patron bottles. Other sponsorships included Wonderful Pistachio’s dedicated lounge, with delicious pistachios, Patron Bars, Touch giftbags and Redbull’s DJ rig and product.

On January 23, 2014, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce the 3rd annual TRANS4M Benefit Concert event on behalf of seven-time Grammy winner will.i.am and his charitable organization, the i.am.angel Foundation. i.am Angel supports trans4mation and revival in distressed communities like will.i.am’s hometown: the east Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

Held for the second year in a row at the AVALON Hollywood on the eve of the Grammy Awards, over 1,400 guests came out to support the i.am.angel Foundation including Kimberly Cole, Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Taboo, MC Hammer, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Will.i.am is best known as a multi-platinum music artist, producer and front man for The Black Eyed Peas, though he is an innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist as well. As the evening’s host, his message of trans4ming lives through education, opportunity and inspiration was driven home by an emotive program of speakers and videos.

Following the speaking program, will.i.am and an incredible band of backing players delivered a non-stop dance concert featuring guest performances by Busta Rhymes, Chaka Khan, Sergio Mendes, Bell Biv DeVoe, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, Scarface, Slick Rick, Cody Wise, Leah McFall, and We Are The Future. Guests were welcome to explore the multi-level venue including the VIP artists lounge and an open-air club, Bardot.

This year, Empire Entertainment also produced the speaking portion at the VIP dinner held at the Redbury Hotel immediately before the concert. Speakers included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, will.i.am, and David Silver, the CEO of College Track, all who spoke to the importance of educating America’s youth. All told, the event raised over $2.5 million to support the i.am.angel Foundation’s programs.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the i.am.angel Foundation TRANS4M Benefit Concert, managing all aspects of the event including venue contracting, registration, logistics, catering, décor, stage, production, staffing, parking, security and onsite management, collaborating with the i.am.angel Foundation, partners, and donors.To find out how you can get involved with i.am.angel Foundation and help trans4m communities around you, visit their website at iamangelfoundation.org

We recently partnered again with The Fragrance Foundation to produce their inaugural Foundation Talks, a series of lectures showcasing thought-provoking speakers from a variety of backgrounds.

Opening with remarks by Fragrance Foundation President Elizabeth Musmanno and Board Chair Jill Belasco, the program included several noteworthy speakers. Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, followed President Clinton with a passionate speech about her mission to eradicate hunger, disease and poverty among the world’s children. Stefan Sagmeister, Creative Director with Sagmeister & Walsh, gave a humorous and insightful talk on design and happiness. “As a designer I asked myself, is it actually possible to become happier in my field? And the easy answer is, of course. I should do more of the stuff I love to do and less of what I don’t like to do.”

Internationally recognized innovation and creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson, ended the afternoon’s talks. His lively presentation covered the role of innovation and education in tackling economic and cultural challenges such as inequality, instability and environmental issues. He said, “The Key to the war against inequality is not aid programs but education programs.” This was the third project for which we were tapped by the Fragrance Foundation, again serving as overall event producer.

Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership forums for all industries and sectors, and is a key resource for keynotes speakers and celebrities of all types. For more information on The Fragrance Foundation, please visit their website at www.fragrance.org.

Leading music streaming service, Spotify, hosted a special event at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show that showcased the influential and interpretational natures of both food and music. While music and food are recognized as creative disciplines and are omnipresent in our lives, rarely has their intersection been explored. For this ground-breaking event, Spotify chose to focus on how music harmoniously blends, and often enhances, the dining experience.

To bring the concept to life for key advertisers gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, we paired Momofuku’s superstar Chef David Chang with fast-rising musical artist Deltron 3030. This teaming was the perfect manifestation of the music & food fusion concept and Deltron 3030's defiant music perfectly echoed Momofuku's iconoclastic philosophy of revolutionizing fine dining.

Blurring the lines between a cocktail party and a seated dinner, guests were seated in 1Oak Nightclub’s club banquets where they were served nine courses of passed and plated family-style hors d'oeuvres. From Steamed Pork Buns to 48-hour Braised Short Rib & Kimchi, all of the renowned chef's greatest hits were on display, along with custom cocktails created for the evening: Mango Sriracha Old Fashioned, anyone?

Deltron 3030 member, and famed DJ Kid Koala, spun Chang's "prep" playlist until the stage program began. Spotify's VP of Sales, Brian Benedik, took to the stage to introduce the evening's host, David Chang, who intimately shared his enthusiasm for food and music with the gathered guests.

Chang then invited the band's frontman, Dan the Automator, to join him onstage, where he gave a nod to the pair’s long friendship and echoed the natural connections between food and music. The rest of the band quickly joined on stage to perform incredible renditions of "3030," "The Return," "Virus," and "Do You Remember." Momofuku Milk Bar's famous cookies & cake truffles made the rounds as a final treat to the guests before they exited. 1OAK at The Mirage served as the perfect venue for the event and strategically placed, illuminated Spotify branding was the perfect way to brand the evening and promote Spotify to the attendees.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative event marketing concepts at global expos like CES.

On the evening of Saturday, January 4, 2014, Empire produced a stylish wedding, merging contemporary New York edge with Southern flair for a London-bound couple at Skylight Modern. The young, creative couple and their families definitely wanted their wedding to be non-traditional and the event delivered on this premise in every way.

Upon entering the space, guests immediately came upon an enchanting altar crafted of birch wood and flowering quince branches in the center of an array of white chairs. Once receiving a glass of champagne, guests were seated in the round, a layout that placed the couple at the heart of ceremony and allowed for their friends and family to warmly envelop them in a unifying circle. After the entrance of the wedding party attired in chic all-black, the bride walked down the aisle to Led Zeppelin’s timeless classic, “Thank You.”

After a brief exchanging of vows, the just-married couple led guests downstairs to the reception. The cavernous, modern and minimalist Skylight Modern space had been exquisitely designed into a lounge lit with the glow of thousands of candles and hanging lights and surrounded with wall projections.

Cocktails were served at the couple’s hand selected bourbon bar, complete with all the fixings, while guests nibbled on decadent edible interactions straight from NYC’s unique caterer, Pinch Food Designs. Along with delectable bites, the couple served five custom designed black and white cakes exquisitely fashioned by the one and only Sylvia Weinstock. Along with 230 of the couple’s closest friends and family, the newlyweds danced the night away under a canopy of lights to the Alabama-based band St. Paul and The Broken Bones. This soul group entertained with great energy, playing original songs as well as the classics by Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Following the band's stellar performance, DJ Bunker Blake spun, playing an organic blend of nostalgic classics and today’s trendiest hits.

As guests enjoyed cake and the party buzz, The Bumby’s, two anonymous performance artists, provided witty analyses of the partygoers on their typewriters. This kind of performance and other eclectic features kept the guests entertained and engaged throughout the joyous occasion.

Empire is a leading producer of next-generation personal families and celebrations and we love working with unique and talented clients to help them bring life to their creative visions.

The “Cipuatra Artpreneur”, a futuristic vertical city and haven for shopping, dining, theater, and art, opened in Jakarta’s business district on December 16th, 2013. This incredible new center earns distinction through its beautiful exhibition space, which encompasses the entire top floor and is designed to engage creative conversation and thinking. When contacted by the Indonesian agency, TRIMITRA, to produce the opening exhibition, Empire asked renowned art illusionist, Kurt Wenner, to create something that had never been seen before.

The event turned out to be the largest exhibition of Kurt Wenner’s extraordinary 3D artwork ever held. The centerpiece of the show was Shangri-La, an image unlike any other in the world. Wenner expanded his illusionistic techniques to include columns and a seemingly domed ceiling for a complete 180-degree illusion. This new masterpiece was received with astonishment and awe by the public, as well as more than 100 local and international press and media outlets that covered the Wenner exhibition. On opening day, the artist himself led a special workshop, giving insider lessons on 3D drawing methods and techniques, a rare privilege for those in attendance. In addition, Empire arranged a photo contest in which visitors enthusiastically entered the masterpieces to have their photo taken.

Wenner’s 11 magnificent creations were on display at the Artphoria exhibition for more than two months, drawing enthusiastic visitors and press to the new vertical city. Empire is extremely proud to have produced this unique event and to have taken the city of Jakarta and artwork of Kurt Wenner to a whole new level.

To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Empire Entertainment once again partnered with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) for their Global Impact Award on December 3, 2013.

The event was held at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square and honored former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for her extraordinary legacy of leadership and courage in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The emcee for the evening was Nigel Barker, world-renowned photographer and host of Oxygen Network’s “The Face”. Nigel introduced three actresses, Julianna Margulies, Gloria Reuben and Mary Steeburgen, who read passages from Elizabeth Glaser’s book, “In The Absence of Angels: A Hollywood Family’s Courageous Story”. Speakers for the evening included Charles Lyons, President and CEO of Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Susan DeLaurentis, Co-founder, and Jake Glaser, son of Elizabeth Glaser. Secretary Clinton was presented the Global Impact Award by Diane Sawyer and Willow Bay.

The event closed with a musical performance by multi-platinum, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein. Michael performed a set from the Great American Songbook with his 17-piece big band. Empire served as the overall production company, managing all aspects of the event.

To learn more about EGPAF and how you can make a difference please visit their website at www.pedaids.org

Over the past seven years, charity: water has been on a mission to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. Thus far that has included 9,458 water projects in 20 countries. Every December, charity: water brings together its biggest donors, supporters, volunteers and staff to celebrate its accomplishments at charity: ball, an event recognized as one of the most innovative not-for-profit events in the world. This year they raised a record $4M towards new water projects in Malawi.

For the second year in a row, we had the great honor of producing charity: ball. When the original venue suddenly became unavailable three weeks before the event, we worked quickly to find a suitable replacement, the Duggal Greenhouse. Together with charity: water, we re-designed the creative for the new space. As a result of the new venue’s unique location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the party started as guests boarded private water taxis to bring across the river straight to the venue. The added bonus was time savings as we checked them in upon boarding with a quick swipe of their RFID wristbands.

As guests entered the Greenhouse they found themselves inside a giant gallery. Through interactive scenic installations and larger-than-life pictures from the field, charity: water told just a few of the many stories of the individuals affected by charity: water. The organization’s signature Waterwalk, where they ask guests to walk a fraction of the distance that people in developing countries walk to bring water home to their families, became the focal point of the event. Utilizing the RFID responsive technology, we tracked each participant that walked the Waterwalk, with Caterpillar Foundation donating $1,000 per person totaling $1M raised. We also refined the live auction pledge experience designed last year to encourage as many guests to donate as possible, again utilizing the RFID bracelets to pledge and track donations ranging from $100 to $90K.

Throughout the night, up-and-coming New York City DJ duo The Knocks kept guests dancing, including HRH Princess Beatrice, Tony Hawk and Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley. Once again, catering company Pinch brought in their creatively designed pop-up stations to satiate guests throughout the evening. With more and more non-profits following in charity: water’s footsteps redefining how they raise funds, create ROI, and tell a compelling story, we’re grateful that they continue to choose to partner with Empire to deliver these results.

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

Arms Around the Child is a new not-for-profit organization that believes in a world where children living in extreme adversity can have their lives transformed into a brighter future. They are committed to providing safe, loving homes for underserved, orphaned and abandoned children.

Arms Around the Child was created by activist and child rights advocate, Leigh Blake who had previously founded the Red Hot Organization and Keep a Child Alive. The Other Ball would be Arms Around the Child’s signature, annual fundraising event with the objective of reinventing the modern philanthropic experience in order to benefit children suffering in the developing world.

Empire had the great honor of producing this inaugural event at New York’s Highline Ballroom and helping Arms Around a Child to tell their compelling story. With the “more black leather than black tie” theme, The Other Ball was not your parents' dinner party. Working with creative director Periel Aschenbrand, we transformed the venue into a large living room with individually-packaged, intimate lounge seating areas with working fireplaces. The objective: make guests feel like they are seeing the world’s greatest concert in their own living room.

Graciously sponsored by TOPSHOP TOPMAN, the Other Ball honored quiet revolutionaries who tirelessly and patiently work to change the world. This year's inaugural event paid tribute to Peter Edge, CEO of RCA Records, Bob Roth, Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation and Mark Seliger, famed photographer and Rolling Stone icon. Incredible couture black leather bears that were individually customized by some of the biggest fashion designers in the world were auctioned to raise money. Participating designers included Simon Doonan, Thom Browne, Christian Louboutin, Alexander Wang, Topshop, Topman, Opening Ceremony, and Chromat. Other auctions included a work by artist Nissim Ben Aderet and other incredible once in a lifetime experiences.

The stars aligned as Grammy-winning producer, DJ and musician, Mark Ronson took the stage as gracious host to introduce an incredible lineup of performers. Grammy award-winning producer Jeff Bhasker put together an amazing band and served onstage as Musical Director as guests were treated to performances by some of the world's most sought-after artists for an eclectic evening of music destined to bring hope to children in need.

Mikky Echo quieted the intimate venue with his soulful “Stay.” Lykke Li performed “I Follow Rivers” and debuted a new song. FUN’s Nate Reuss rocked the stage with the hit single “We Are Young” and a cover of the Prince classic “Let’s Go Crazy.” A$AP Rocky pumped his hit song “Wild For The Night” while Miguel serenaded the crowd with his classics “Sure Thing” and “Adorn.” Then the Black Keys rocked the house with a 30 minute set, including hits such as “Gold On The Ceiling” and “Tighten Up.” After an amazing set of performances, DJ Samantha Ronson kept the 300+ leather dressed guests dancing into the early morning.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for this event and was responsible for aspects including site selection and acquisition, design, décor, catering, technical production, and stage management.

This event brought together creative hearts and minds in one of this year's most exciting not for profit events. The evening raised substantial funds to protect at-risk children and to achieve social change. Empire is honored to partner with Arms Around the Child to transform the lives of children. To learn more about Arms Around the Child or to get involved, please visithttp://www.armsaroundthechild.org

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) recently held its 99th Annual Conference and Exhibition at Chicago's McCormick Place. To take advantage of this timing and to promote Korean medical imaging technology to this influential audience, The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI USA) again engaged Empire to produce their Medical Forum at the RSNA conference.

Empire selected the Chicago History Museum to serve as the perfect venue for both the conference sessions as well as an elegant place for an evening reception. On the day of the event, over 250 professionals from the field of radiology and medical devices, including a wide range of doctors, government officials and executives, flocked to attend the cocktails and seminars on the future of Korean medical imaging technology. After an opening networking cocktail reception featuring guided tours of the Museum’s collection, guests moved to the Chicago Room for an enlightening forum.

At the conclusion of the Forum, guests were seated for a dinner featuring a mix of Korean traditional dishes such as pajun, chop chae, and daeji galbi, and also a taste of Chicago with mini deep dish pizzas and Italian beef.

Empire is a leading producer of events and forums to promote trade and exports for a variety of national governments and government agencies.

Jared Leto arrived at the Gotham Awards podium and held his cell phone up to the microphone. Matthew McConaughey wanted to say a few words of thanks for the 2013 Best Actor Award but could not be there in person…so he spoke through Leto's cell phone. It was weird and cool like the Gotham Awards themselves.

Weird and cool and stocked with screen stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, John Goodman, Isaiah Washington, Amy Poehler, Chiwetel Eijiofor, Forest Whitaker, Richard Linklater, Steve Buscemi, Shailene Woodley, Rashida Jones were among the famous faces milling around Cipriani Wall Street, with New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg rounding out the bill.

This was Empire Entertainment's sixth year producing the Gotham Awards, the first show of the film awards "season", and therefore hotly anticipated. "There's a lot of pressure," says executive producer James Donahower, "because you've got 900 people jam-packed into the room, and 100 of them are A-list celebrities. And it's live. So when you say 'start the show', you'd better be ready." Empire was.

When a corporate client sought a world-class headline musical artist to entertain an intimate group of their top clients and management on the final night of their summit, they turned to Empire to secure talent for a night that they’d never forget. After a length process of evaluating many options, the client chose and Empire delivered an extremely special, private concert with one of the best-selling rock bands in music history - Journey.

With their broad range of well-known hits, polished high-energy stage show, and powerful lineup (including lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, who has been with the band since 2007) Journey would deliver everything the client wanted for a successful evening.Prior to the performance, Journey participated in an intimate meet & greet with the guests, getting them excited for the performance to follow. The concert was full of non-stop hits including “Separate Ways,” “Anyway You Want it,” “Open Arms,” “Only the Young,” and “Faithfully.” The finale song, “Don’t Stop Believin’", brought the entire audience to the front of the stage, and left them clapping and cheering for an encore. When the band returned to the stage, they concluded the amazing night with an electrifying performance of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.”

Following the concert, DJ Mick Boogie kept the party alive, spinning greatest hits of yesterday and today, as guests danced the night away on a custom built black and gold dance floor. For this amazing night, Empire was proud to serve as overall entertainment producer, which included securing and contracting all performing talent and entertainment, providing all technical production, and managing all talent logistics, stage management, and onsite production management. Empire Entertainment is a leader in delivering the biggest names in entertainment for private performances.

Microsoft unveiled Visual Studio 2013, its ground-breaking and now cloud-based software development tool with an innovative, technological showcase that embodied the Visual Studio mantra: Connect, Create, Transform.

Serving as a platform for all Visual Studio 2013 news and announcements, the Keynote event hosted 250 in-person attendees at Highline Stages and 60,000 online viewers from around the world. Led by Microsoft Corporate Vice Presidents S. Somasegar and Scott Guthrie, this event was the worldwide corporate unveiling of Visual Studio and kicked off hundreds of launch events around the world. New York City's Meatpacking District, the epicenter of collaborative and creative design, was the perfect locale for Microsoft to launch the tools that developers use for just that purpose.

From registration to keynote to cocktails, every element was custom designed to enhance individual guest experience through digital optimization. LED walls illuminated in a digital heat map depicting the size and location of the online audience and pre-programmed event apps on individual tablets served as guests' personal concierges throughout the day, providing event attendees with the most connected, creative and transformative experience of the year.

After months of designing and planning every detail in collaboration with the Microsoft team, we were thrilled to see all of the components come together—in their words—“flawlessly.”

Since 2004, Empire Entertainment has been proud to serve as producer to Keep a Child Alive for the annual Black Ball Gala that has grown to become one of New York’s largest, most noteworthy and coolest fundraising events.On November 7, 2013, Empire Entertainment served as producer for the tenth anniversary Black Ball Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Givenchy and Jynwel Foundation, the Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Carole King, Kathleen Battle, British soul singer Laura Mvula, and R&B jazz fusion master Roy Ayers.

Hosted by KCA co-founder, global ambassador and Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, the Black Ball has raised over $22.5 million since it’s humble beginnings in 2004. A decade later, a proud Keys spoke of the 300,000 children and family members that have benefitted from Keep a Child Alive’s care in Africa and India. A star-studded guest list of over 600 came to support Keys’ charity, including Clive Davis, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Swizz Beatz, Steve Van Zandt, Padma Lakshmi, and baseball stars Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia.

The Black Ball raised $4 million dollars through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse, a Parisian vacation to see the Givenchy show, a trip to Jamaica, a Belstaff fashion experience and a private serenade by Alicia Keys accompanied with a special dinner with wines by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits.

Alicia Keys and her band put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several musical guests. The first of the evening was a beautiful collaboration with soul singer Laura Mvula, singing She. Followed by her breathtaking duet with Kathleen Battle singing Not Even The King and the classic, Ave Maria. Her next duet with R&B artist Claude Kelly, was an awe-inspiring song he wrote exclusively for Keep a Child Alive’s upcoming campaign. Carole King took the stage, Keys and King put on a phenomenal show when they sang a blended version of Superwoman vs. Natural Woman, creating an intense performance with their dueling pianos. Roy Ayers also performed alongside Alicia Keys, bringing his special brand of jazz and funk to the stage. Her last duet of the evening was with Pharrell Williams, as they sang Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The concert concluded with a stunning confetti blast that filled the cavernous interior of the century-old Hammerstein Ballroom with a glittering cascade of gold. Moments later, Swizz Beatz appeared on stage to DJ the after party, having all guests dance into the early hours of the morning.

Empire has been proud to partner with and serve Keep a Child Alive for the past decade, creating the Black Ball together and growing 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

Lincoln Center, a beacon of New York City’s musical and performing arts culture, has recently added fashion to its famed programming repertoire with Fashion Week, industry events, and an annual conversation series honoring the industry’s biggest icons. Kicking off the inaugural conversation, The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund presented legendary Chanel and Fendi Creative Director, Karl Lagerfeld, on the Adrienne Arsht Stage of Alice Tully Hall.

The format for the presentation was an interview of Lagerfeld led by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain. Chastain led the audience through a revealing, deeply personal conversation about the life, career, and philosophy of this most enigmatic artist in the field of Fashion. The glamorous evening began with a "white-on-white" champagne reception in the Morgan Stanley lobby of Alice Tully Hall, just feet away from the red carpet glittering with nonstop flashes of photographers’ cameras. Once guests moved into the theater for the program, the same space was transformed into a "black-on-black" dining room for a black tie dinner. This stark, minimalist approach to the decor, punctuated by the contrast, created a high-impact and truly "Karl” experience, while minimizing costs and maximizing net funds raised.

In addition to continuing fashion programming in the Lincoln Center slate of events, this evening also marked the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund’s first gala fundraiser. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to 10 performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center including 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, Jessica Chastain’s alma mater. 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.

Founded 25 years ago, New York's Robin Hood is one of the most ambitious, progressive, and effective not-for-profit organizations working to eradicate poverty in New York City. When Robin Hood and key members of its board decided to create a new event to expand its already impressive reach within the investor and financial community, they engaged Empire to serve as producer for the project: the inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference.

As with everything Robin Hood does, the Investors Conference would be innovative, bold and utterly unique. The two-day event took place at the Sheraton New York, home to the Clinton Global Initiative. The conference played host to over 750 influential investors representing virtually every major firm on Wall Street, as well as key hedge fund and private equity firms. The Conference featured an unprecedented lineup of financial leaders, presented in a series of carefully crafted keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions. Among the many noteworthy speakers and participants were U. S. Secretaries of the Treasury; Tim Geithner, Henry Paulson, and Larry Summers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ray Dalio, Howard Marks, David Einhorn, Daniel Loeb, Richard Chilton, Alan Schwartz, Mary Callahan Erdoes, Juan Enriquez, Lee Ainslee, David Tepper, Rob Citrone, John Griffin, Philippe Laffont, Laurence Fink, Barry Sternlicht, Bill Ackman, Julian Robertson, Mary Meeker, Jamie Dimon, and Jeff Bewkes. The final panel of the conference featured a conversation among two legendary investors, Stanley Druckenmiller and Robin Hood founder, Paul Tudor Jones.The conference sessions were emceed by Robin Hood's David Saltzman and Deborah Winshel.

To create a distinctive visual look unlike any other investor conference, a 100’ wide projection mapping installation that combined high resolution LED screen elements with HD front screen projection was installed in the ballroom and animated with images throughout the conference. At the end of each day, live data visualizations furnished by media partner, Bloomberg, were projected to the screens as wrap-up segments. The Investor Conference was underwritten by JPMorgan Chase so that every dollar of the tickets sold went to fund Robin Hood poverty programs. Other supporting sponsors included PepsiCo, and media partners Bloomberg and CNBC, both of whom broadcast live from the conference in temporary studios set up onsite.

This inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference vastly exceeded its goal, raising over $5.5 million to fight poverty in New York City. Empire Entertainment was extremely proud to be chosen to serve as producer for this project, working hand-in-hand with Robin Hood's executive, creative and event teams, along with event partners First Protocol, Diversified Production Services, Performance Environment Design, Brian Oakes, Sheraton New York, and Elite Investigations. As producer, Empire was responsible for overseeing design and execution of the overall conference creative, including agenda and program content, visual design, scenic design, screen content, scripting, music, staging, branding, partners and event logistics. Additionally, Empire was responsible for all speaker coordination, communications and logistics for 50 program participants. Empire is a leading producer of innovative not-for-profit events, summits, and unique thought-leadership programs. To learn more about Robin Hood please visit www.RobinHood.org.

When the niece of one of Empire’s clients wanted to celebrate her Sweet 16 Birthday in New York City during Halloween weekend, Empire was asked to create an extraordinary costume party unlike any other Sweet 16.

To achieve the client’s vision of a Halloween Sweet 16, Empire quickly secured the Plaza Hotel’s spectacular Grand Ballroom and began working to transform the ornate space into a spooky, yet elegant lounge for 150 teenage guests.

The richly decorated ballroom was filled with large dripping candelabras of varying sizes that stood amidst groupings of tufted Victorian lounge furniture, all surrounding a giant central bar, complete with a Mocktail station with non-alcoholic juice concoctions.

Throughout the night, DJ Soul and a group of dancers in ever-changing Halloween costumes kept the crowd dancing. At one point, Thrill the World, a flash-mob zombie dance group, appeared and performed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with uncanny precision. To add to the magic of the night, illusionist Elliot Zimet engaged guests in unforgettable sleight-of-hand experiences. Additional activities included a make-up booth where artists were available to gross-ify, gore-ify and amplify guests' costumes, and a social media photo booth where they could instantaneously post party photos or leave with a hard copy.

The evening’s high point came when Pharrell Williams made a special birthday appearance. The famous singer-songwriter and producer serenaded the dancing crowd with his hits including “Beautiful” and “Get Lucky". His smooth voice and undeniable charisma had guests flooding the stage and dancing alongside him. He then led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” followed by an intimate meet and greet with the birthday girl and her closest friends and family.

Empire was proud to be a part of the evening and to help make the birthday girl’s Sweet 16 the most memorable night of her life.

On November 4, 2013, EBONY Magazine presented the 2nd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African-Americans. The invitation-only affair took place in New York City and Empire was honored to serve as event producer.

The gala took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO Desirée Rogers of Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Harry Belafonte, La La Anthony, Reverend Al Sharpton Jr., Victor Cruz, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Cynthia Rowley, Lee Daniels, and Tyson Chandler.

The dinner program was emceed by Power 100 Honoree, Nick Cannon, who introduced a wide range of Motown-themed performances from talent including: jazz pianist ELEW, DJ Kiss, 10-year old piano virtuoso Joshua Mhoon, and 12-year old vocal prodigy MaeYa Carter Ryan. The evening also featured a lively number from the cast of the Broadway’s “Motown: The Musical.” To finish off the evening, the legendary Jacksons, featuring Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito, performed their greatest hits including a medley of Jackson 5 songs.

This year’s gala honored the legendary founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy Jr., with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2013 Power 100 list also honored President Obama, actress Kerry Washington, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, actor Michael B. Jordan, film director Lee Daniels, chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Roblé Ali and activists Harry Belafonte and Marian Wright Edelman.

After the dinner program, guests filed into the Atrium where they were treated to an after party with a sponsored lounge by Nationwide Insurance, and music by DJ Nick Cannon. Empire responsibilities ranged from securing performing talent, overall design & décor, coordinating with the venue and catering (provided by Great Performances), branding and sponsor fulfillment, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing, and security.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile events and is proud to have been chosen to support this remarkable program for EBONY Magazine and The Johnson Publishing Company.

To celebrate Halloween, AMC once again called upon Empire to produce their first ever Ad Sales event at the eerily lit Gotham Hall in Manhattan on October 30, 2013. As the most popular cable network, AMC always delivers on their motto “Something More.”

Donning their best Halloween costumes, guests first walked through a glowing blood red room and were then directed into the grand ballroom that was full of fog, large golden candelabras, and hand carved AMC branded pumpkins. Several Walter Whites, surrounded, of course, by his meth-making minions, sipped on hot apple cider as a clique of AMC cheerleaders and Three Little Pigs wandered by. Guests indulged in hot and cold apple cider, steak frites, tuna tartare, baby back ribs, white chocolate dipped ghost strawberries and more.

Throughout the evening, living statues painted in shades of teal, blue and silver danced the night away while guests had their fortunes told and minds blown by a slick slight-of-hand magician. Guests quickly took to the dance floor to enjoy spooky music curated by Donna D’Cruz. by Prior to announcing the best costume winners, guests were treated to a surprise flash mob performance of Michael Jackson’s Halloween classic “Thriller” by a slew of zombies. After all of the ghoulish fun and dancing came to an end, guests did some trick-or-treating at AMC’s candy bar full of lots of sweets and treats.

The Lowline has been rapidly gaining popularity for their effort to convert a former early 20th century underground trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. It will be a new kind of public space, using solar technology for natural illumination, and cutting-edge design to capture and highlight a very special industrial space. In order to help raise crucial funding for this incredibly innovative project, the Lowline team entrusted Empire to produce their second annual Anti-Gala Benefit Dinner and Speakeasy After Party at the historic lower east side venue, the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

Empire worked closely with Lowline to create a speakeasy theme for the event, highlighting the era in which the trolley terminal was in use. When guests arrived, they were led upstairs to the balcony where they were transported back to the early 1900s with gorgeous antique décor and design including an elaborate, miniature vintage trolley re-creation. A secret entrance was provided for VIP quests where they were greeted by a costumed trolley conductor and taken on a journey back in time with the performance of a vintage barbershop quartet.

A cocktail reception for 300 guests included a three-piece banjo band, costumed performers and contortionists. Guests were then taken downstairs for the seated dinner provided by Neuman’s Kitchen and renowned chef Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune Restaurant. A spectacular menu inspired by the early 1900s included turtle soup, consommé, fresh cherrystone clams, broiled mackerel, poached stuffed chicken breasts, French peas, Duchess potatoes, thinned white asparagus, and crème de menthe parfaits for dessert.

After dinner, Lowline co-founders Dan Barasch and James Ramsey spoke and introduced a live auction that raised over $300,000 for the exciting new project. A finale performance of entertainers emerged from the crowd and led the audience into an after party speakeasy. LCD Soundsystem Phil Mossman and Pat Mahoney DJ’ed, where guests such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Lena Dunham, Mark Ruffalo, Spike Jonze and Ed Norton grooved into the night.

Empire is a leading creative producer for innovative new projects and ideas worldwide. To learn more about the effort to build the world’s first underground park, the Lowline, visit www.thelowline.org.

Each year, one of the world’s top food and beverage companies, PepsiCo, flies its highest sales achievers and their spouses from around the world to New York to celebrate them and recognize their accomplishments.

The trip includes sightseeing, business programs and an evening at Ellis Island. The highlight of the annual trip is the awards dinner called the Circle of Champions, held at the spectacular Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History. For the past several years, this company has consistently turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a program of interstitial performances and post-awards ceremony entertainment.

This year, Empire was charged with creating a program of entertainment that translated amongst the multinational attendees and that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration. Empire presented three different international dance groups: Mystic India, performing a dramatic Bollywood dance routine, the Mariachi Bustamante, with the traditional sounds of Mexico accompanied with Jalisco dancers, and Barynya, who showed the crowd how exciting traditional Russian dance can be.

For the after party, Empire booked The Eturnity Band, New York City’s best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, who kept the audience dancing to all the best oldies and the latest pop hits until the end of the night.

Empire Entertainment is the leading producer of talent and performers for corporate events.

The Coalition for the Homeless is the oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children in the United States. More than 3,500 homeless and at-risk New Yorkers receive assistance each day through the Coalition’s initiatives, which provide housing, job training, emergency food, crisis intervention and youth programs.

Empire Entertainment once again served as producer of the Coalition for the Homeless 19th annual ARTWALK NY, New York's premier contemporary art auction event. More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art collectors, and celebrities gathered in 82 Mercer’s expansive Soho loft for a night of festivities, including a live and silent auction. Artist Roxy Paine was honored for his contribution to contemporary art, and Kim & Michael McCarty were honored for their continuous philanthropic support of the Coalition over the years.

Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off over 115 works of contemporary art, donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Wade Guyton, Christo, Roxy Paine, Kim McCarty, Chuck Close, Israel Lund, Jenny Holzer, Pat Steir, Ed Ruscha, Alex Katz, Wade Guyton, McDermott & McGough, Adam McEwen and Ryan McGinness. The evening’s program also featured an impromptu and celebratory Irish Jig, danced by co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Coco Rocha after raising $100,000 for the Coalition's Camp Homeward Bound, a summer sleep-away camp for homeless youth.

The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and cocktails graciously provided by Absolut Vodka, Peroni and City Winery. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, The Odeon, Crown Hospitality Group and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations.

The rest of 82 Mercer's multi-room space served as a gallery for the silent auction and featured vignettes of 18th century French and Italian style furniture, kindly donated through Dolce & Gabbana’s relationship with Newel. Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased works from established and emerging artists while grooving to tunes spun by DJ Chelsea Leyland.

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 raised over $1 million to benefit the Coalition’s programs. Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters, to make this year’s ARTWALK NY event the most successful one yet.

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

Brazil is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and its culture, brands and exports will become increasingly influential as the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games focus the global spotlight on the country. To seize on this moment to promote the Brasil brand and its products, Brazil's trade and investment promotion agency, APEX, along with its global marketing firm, Profero, worked with Empire to create a Brasil brand experience in New York City. The resulting project took shape as a week-long, open-to-the-public pop-up experience showcasing Brazilian brands, innovations, products and culture.

To deliver this message in an authentic environment, acclaimed Brazilian architects and design duo, Guto Requena and Mauricio Arruda, were engaged to help design the three story retail space in the heart of SoHo into a vibrant, interactive Brazilian experience. A multi-story work of Brazilian graffiti art, produced directly on the venue's staircase walls by Banzai Studio artists of Brasil, tied together the floors.

Focusing on retail, technology, and cuisine, Brazilian companies and brands including Embraer, Havaianas, Louloux, and Bauducco were represented throughout the interior spaces. On the ground floor guests could “fly” over various regions of Brasil by controlling a custom-designed Kinect app, that manipulated scenic views projected on 30’ of LED screens. On the lower level retail shop, guests could try on (and purchase) jewelry made of natural products found in the Brazilian rainforest, beauty drinks and sample shoes, denim and other fashions. On the second floor guests could relax in the Botequim (Brasilian Café) where traditional Brazilian fare could be sampled.

In addition to the open-to-the-public daily experience, a wide range of additional Brasil-centric programming were presented including private, invitation-only events, musical performances, wine & cachaça tastings, and informative TED-style talks by Brazilian experts in an array of fields, including Chef Alex Atala. Nights at the Be Brasil experience were filled with live music programmed by Empire Brazil Region Director Beco Dranoff and featuring artists Kay Lyra, Alexia Bomtemp, Eliano Bráz and DJ Greg Caz. For this project, Empire served as producer and was responsible for venue selection, café and event food and beverage management, design and decor execution, staffing and management, technical direction and execution, and partner management.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative pop-up and branded experiences for government clients and consumer brands. To learn more about the project, visit: http://bebrasilnyc.com

When The Gere Foundation and the Tibet Center invited His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama to present his teachings in New York City, they engaged Empire to serve as both producer and production company for the project. 2013 marked the third time that Empire has had the honor to produce these teachings following successful appearances in 2007 and 2010 at Radio City Music Hall.

Working in partnership with The Tibet Center, The Gere Foundation's Executive Director Mollie Rodriguez and the Beacon Theatre, Empire worked on every aspect of the program including stage design, logistics and technical production. As in past years, where footage of the teachings and public talk were packaged into television projects for National Geographic Television and Adam Yauch's Oscilloscope Productions, each session was recorded via a multi-camera HD set-up. This year however, Empire helped expand the reach by live-streaming all of the sessions, as well as simultaneously translating them into English, Mandarin Chinese and Russian.

Over the course of three days, His Holiness’ delivered five two-hour teaching sessions on the topics of the Heart Sutra, The Sutra of Truly Remembering the Sublime Three Jewels, and The Wisdom Chapter from A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. To finish the weekend, His Holiness held a public talk on “The Virtues of Non Violence”, which included a question & answer session and introductory remarks by Richard Gere.

In addition to its role as producer, Empire was able to secure sponsors to donate services in order to keep event costs to a minimum. ABC Home & Carpet generously donated carpeting and furniture. Empire is honored to have had another opportunity to present His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. Empire is a leading producer of major public and civic event and programs.