Our Work

When Lisa Ling, host of National Geographic Channel's Explorer and Correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show decided to get married to Dr. Paul Song, they turned to Empire Entertainment and Empire's Los Angeles partner, Pinnacle Event Design & Production, to bring their wedding vision to life.The weddding would be non-traditional and would reflect the youth and vibrancy, as well as the Asian heritages of the couple.The wedding took place in the Main Hall of Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.

The evening began with a brief ceremony on the South Patio for which Brandon Yip played acoustic guitar and rang the large gong to begin the ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony the sounds of Tupak Shakur's "California Love" were played for the recessional. Next the 525 guests proceeded into the main hall in which Empire had designed and installed a grand, Asian-themed environment in red, black and gold. In the center of the room long aircraft cables suspended between tall lighting towers suspended a series of large red lanterns across the dance floor. Underneath these lanterns were banks of red and black ottomans, surrounded by a sea of cabaret tables and high tops with matching linens and florals rounded out the room. Throughout the venue, food was served by four Asian restaurants set up in themed stations - Japanese Sushi, Korean Barbecue, Chinese dim sum and dumplings. Like the rest of the room, all food stations were designed in red, gold and black. Bars were set up to serve through the existing teller windows throughout the venue.

After toasts and speeches that included a karaoke duet by the couple on the Sonny & Cher classic "I've Got You Babe," a large gong was sounded and DJ David Chang led the audience with dance music ranging from hip hop and rock to funk and soul for the remainder of the night.

Japan Society is an immensely prestigious philanthropic organization dedicated to building economic, political, and social relations between the United States and Japan. To celebrate the milestone of its centennial, Japan Society turned to Empire to co-produce their gala. In doing so, Japan Society recognized Empire's unique position as a world-class production company with offices in New York and Tokyo, as well as Empire's ability to design and plan an event of the highest caliber. Because of Empire's unique understanding of Japanese sensibilities and aesthetics, Japan Society was guaranteed not only preeminent event production expertise, but also distinctive creativity with international perspective. The sparkling gala took place at the Hilton New York in Midtown Manhattan.

The evening began with three separate exquisite cocktail soirées with sponsor banners strategically placed throughout the receptions. Cocktails were then followed by an elegant dinner in the main ballroom that had been transformed into a sophisticated atmosphere with Japanese décor. Custom made silk shantung linens in deep red with complementing white runners provided an aura of richness to the dining room tables, which were strategically illuminated with pin-spotting and ambient décor lighting.

The stage program included some of the most influential individuals in the world. The Honorable William J. Clinton served as keynote speaker, discussing the critical significance of the friendship and alliance between Japan and the United States. The Honorable Senator John D. Rockefeller IV gave centennial remarks and presented the Japan Society Centennial Award to Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, Honorary Chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The 1,000 guests were given the extraordinary treat of a spectacular performance by Japan's National Living Treasure kabuki actor, Sakata Tojuro IV. Also in attendance were The Last Samurai actor Ken Watanabe, and Star Trek's George Takei, who served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

For this centennial gala, Empire served as event co-producer, working with Japan Society's Special Events Department to coordinate all aspects of the production and décor of the elegant and flawless evening. The evening was a significant success, raising over $2 million for this prestigious not-for-profit institution.

On Wednesday, May 16, 2007, Empire Entertainment's Not-For-Profit Division produced the second annual Matt's Promise Foundation Benefit & Concert to raise funds to fight various terminal illnesses for the young including cancer and Ducheynne muscular dystrophy. The sold out event was attended by over 500 guests and was held at the spacious, modern former SoHo Gallery Building, Skylight Studios in New York, NY.The event featured a silent auction of black & white photographs and a live auction of luxury goods and services, including one-of-a kind lots such as invitations to the exclusive premier party of HBO's hit show "Entourage" and a Fender guitar signed by Steve Miller.

The evening included a cocktail reception and silent black and white photography auction, a seated dinner, a live auction program and a 75 minute concert by The Steve Miller Band that had all the guests on their feet and dancing. The Steve Miller Band played all of their hits including "Fly Like an Eagle," "Take The Money & Run," and "Jet Airliner."Platinum sponsorships of $25,000 and more included a VIP meet and greet and photo op with Steve Miller.

Empire's Not-For-Profit Division provided event production for this program including event development and budgeting, package and table sales, securing donation of live auction packages, gift bags and silent auction photography, decor and table settings, production including all staging, sound, lighting and video, booking the Steve Miller Band and onsite production.The successfull evening raised in excess of $900,000 for Matt's Promise.

When an international financial services group held their annual conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco, they sought a musical entertainer with sophistication and class to headline their entertainment evening. Diana Ross was booked by the event production company, 4PM Events, and Empire Entertainment was secured to coordinate production and logistics and to stage manage the event. The event was held at the world-renowned Sporting Club and featured cocktails in the gardens, a seated dinner, a headline comedy performance by Gilbert Gottfried, and fireworks immediately followed by a concert performance by Diana Ross.

Miss Ross and her band performed many of her hits spanning her entire career including "I'm Coming Out," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", ‘Upside Down' , ‘‘You Can't Hurry Love', ‘Baby Love', ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love', ‘Someday We'll Be Together' and ‘Back In My Arms Again' among others. The crowd was up and dancing through much of the 75 minute performance and Diana Ross brought a child of one of the attendees onstage with her to dance and sing during one of her numbers. The audience gave her a standing ovation and brought her back for an encore. After the concert performance, Diana Ross held a meet & greet with VIP attendees and took photos with all of them. For this international production, Empire coordinated logistics and all production arrangements with the band and crew and Sporting Club, and also provided onsite stage management of the entire evening.

When companies want to present world class talent in international locations, they turn to Empire to ensure a professionally-produced event.

2K Games is at the forefront of game development in the growingly competitive and popular video game industry. Their best-selling releases have included titles such as Civilization IV, The Darkness, Elder Scrolls IV, and many more. For their most recent, and highly anticipated title, Bioshock, 2K enlisted Empire Entertainment to produce a one-of-a-kind international press event in New York City. The event was held at The Newspace, a large, open gallery space in the heart of New York City's chic Chelsea art district. The event was designed to recreate the unique, undersea environments depicted in the game and the set the gaming experience apart from all other current titles.

Working closely with the game's developers and recreating creative elements from the game, Empire created an undersea world that submerged guests into "Rapture," the games fictional Atlantis-like city beneath the waves. Empire delved deeply into the concept and in-game art of "Rapture" to create a cohesive environment for the event space that would be a suitable setting for actual game play. The room was surrounded with realistic water projections and lighting effects. At the center of the room a large circular bar rose with a large sculpture of water filled tubes at the center, lit from below. Video gaming press from every corner of the globe came to Rapture to experience the game for the first time ever.

The evening began with cocktails in an environment in which surround projections simulated a position about the ocean surface. The presentation then began with an animation that took guests to the ocean floor and then segued to an introduction and game walkthrough delivered by Ken Levine, BioShock's creator and one of the most respected and talented game designers in the industry. Following the demonstration, guests were invited to be the first people outside the company ever to play the game and they quickly jumped on and huddled around one of the 40 XBox gaming stations setup around the room.

Since the image quality and gaming experience needed to be perfect, Empire brought in state-of-the-art projection hardware such as twin high definition projectors to show off Bioshock's game play at the highest resolution and largest size possible. DL2 moving lights with built-in video effect generators were utilized to bathe the walls in an array of submersive water-theme visuals, and 32" HDTVs were brought in for each of the Xbox gaming stations. In selecting Empire as it's producer, 2K Games recognized Empire's position as a leading production company of cutting-edge product launches that utilize state-of-the-art design and technology.

For the second consecutive year, one of the world's largest companies chose Empire to produce their multi-day recognition event for their top technical employees. The event took place at the world-renowned Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, where guests were treated to a weekend full of activities, speakers, entertainment, educational seminars and celebration. Following an introductory dinner, with keynotes from several of their top executives, the always comical magic duo, Penn and Teller, performed a customized magic show. The team ended with a trick that included one of the company's senior vice presidents, which resulted in a huge round of applause. An after party took place in the breathtaking Crown Room with San Francisco legend, Bud E. Luv performed his famous Las Vegas-style cabaret performance.

The next morning, the Crown Room was transformed into a serene environment with citrus accents and rose petals in which Tai Chi and Yoga classes were offered to attendees by world-renowned instructors. Later that morning, attendees entered the main ballroom, which mimicked the sets of morning talk shows like Good Morning America and The Today Show. After breakfast, the live program commenced, hosted by a company executive and featuring several custom video roll-ins that were filmed, edited and produced on site. In addition to the humorous live morning show-style commentary, the program featured an educational, interactive panel discussion with several of the company's key executives. Empire also developed custom logos that were branded on mugs, t-shirts and pencils to be handed out to attendees.That afternoon, in what was called the World Perspective University, guests had the opportunity to attend a series of lectures delivered by top professors from eight of the world's leading educational institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, University of California Berkeley and Kyoto University. Each professor offered a sophisticated lecture designed with the intention of intellectually challenging the guests.

That evening, following an elegant cocktail reception, attendees entered the newly transformed main ballroom. With 360 degree digital projection, the ballroom was wrapped in a continuous, 410' long and 18' high screen that projected some of the most cutting-edge, high definition visual imagery ever created. With custom visuals created specifically for the event, guests were treated to a kaleidoscope of color, pattern and movement. Welcoming guests to the dinner, Mass Ensemble performed on satellite stages scattered through the ballroom. The evening featured a keynote address by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates followed by a surprise fireside chat and Q&A with Gates and one of Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers, George Lucas. Immediately after the fireside discussion, guests were shown a 10 minute film created especially for this evening. The film told the visual story of the history of consciousness and technology and projected a vision of the future that was accompanied by an original score.

Following the film, guests were escorted to the Star Wars Disco-themed after party. Guests danced the night away to the music of DJ Crash and performances by acrobatic and aerial troupe, Antigravity. For those looking for a more relaxing environment, a whiskey expert lead a single-malt tasting seminar at one of the Fairmont's original bars. After a long night of festivities, the departure breakfast provided attendees with one last hurrah. With soft jazz playing in the background by Liberty Street Jazz Band, guests relaxed over breakfast before heading home.

Empire developed, designed and delivered every aspect and component of the program in collaboration with the client and supplied all speaker and entertainment booking, staging, sound, lighting, and audio visual services, décor, production management and onsite staffing.

When one of the world's leading media groups sought to present their annual upfront presentation to key advertisers and sponsors, they turned to the creative production team at Empire Entertainment to bring their vision to life and to design and execute this one-chance-only, all important, live presentation. The audience would consist of several hundred senior advertising and marketing executives along with many of their children who were invited to attend. The client in this case was an umbrella business unit comprised of several separate but affiliated media entities in the areas of cable & broadcast television, radio, publishing and Internet. The underlying theme that the client wished to communicate was that these individual media brands can be accessed to work together to serve marketers seeking to reach their demographic segment.

A concert-theme was chosen for the Upfront and the theme would be carried out from arrival to departure. The presentation would feature performances by two of the media group's biggest musical stars, both highly-popular performing artists in the kids / tweens market and featured prominently in the group's programming.The Upfront presentation took place in the Hudson Theater located just off Times Square. Empire, working with it's set design & construction partners, created a dynamic concert stage set that featured walls of programmable LED lighting, flying lighting discs with projection surfaces and a beaded curtain portal that took the shape of the client's logo.

The presentation began with a walk-in performance by Jumpers in Command, dynamic double-dutch jump rope and hip hop dancing team that got everyone in the mood for fun. The upfront presentation then started with a high energy, two song performance by one of the music groups and their backing dancers. Next the senior executive of advertising sales & promotion took the stage and spoke about the group's recent achievements and their many competitive advantages in the market. Then the head of Programming took the stage and previewed future programming offerings with abundant video roll-ins and graphics. The Upfront concluded with a red hot, two song performance by a tween superstar and her dancers and then the program ended with a curtain call from all of the performers and presenters.

Immediately following the Upfront the guests headed up to the 8th floor function space which Empire had transformed into an Asian-style lounge. The after-party lounge featured black lounge furniture, sumptuous lighting, a full-size Buddha carved of solid ice by the artists at Okamoto Studios, a reflecting pond over which hung an array of blosssoms on monofilament, a customized photo station, and an autograph station where children and adults met and got autographs from the musical performers featured in the Upfront. DJ Riddler spun a mix of programming-featured music and Buddha Bar classics to complete the vibe. The attendees loved both the Upfront presentation and the after-party which was extended by an hour by popular demand.

For this production, Empire handled nearly every detail of both the presentation and after-party including set design & construction, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, teleprompter, decor, staffing, logistics, security and management of the after-party and activities. After the event, the client executive in charge called the Upfront "Spectacular!" continuing "We have received nothing but amazing praise on your set, seamless production of the presentation, fabulous party, and attention to detail. We could not have asked for better partners as we raised the bar!"

Empire is a full-service, creative production company that serves world class clients.

Recognizing the importance of the huge Latin American and U.S. Latino markets, Empire Entertainment has created its Latin division to service the needs of private entities and corporations doing business in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world.Talent buyers and corporations operating in South America, Mexico, Central America, Spain and Portugal who need guidance and relationships with U.S. and world talent have already recognized the importance of Empire Entertainment's Latin division. U.S. corporations and private entities seeking to do business and entertain in the region now have a trustworthy partner to execute their event and event marketing needs throughout the region. Serving as a bridge between the English and Spanish/Portuguese worlds, Empire Latin America is in a position to service a wide spectrum of industries, including entertainment, public relations, communications, and advertising.

General Manager Pablo Aslan is a respected producer in the U. S. Latin market, having been instrumental in the revival of Argentine Tango in the U. S. through his work in the 1990's as a concert and record producer, as well as lecturer and teacher. He has produced and directed events for private, corporate and institutional clients, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, Mark Morris Dance, Festival Productions, and Stratta Phillips Productions. With extensive experience in several areas of the entertainment business, and a distiguished career as a musician with performances and recordings with major international artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Shakira, and Lalo Schiffrin, Pablo is an insider in both the U.S. and Latin entertainment worlds. He holds an MFA from UCLA and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Empire Latin America scored its first big project in February 2007 when a prominent public figure in Mexico wanted to invite his old friend, Julio Iglesias, to perform at a private fund raising event. Local organizers turned to Empire Entertainment's new Latin Division to negotiate the terms of the deal and contract this international superstar. Adding to the complexity of this particular situation was the extremely short lead time, and the fact that Julio Iglesias was in the middle of a world tour at the time of the proposed event. Working as translator and mediator, Empire was able to negotiate a mutually agreeable date and coordinated the logistics and production fulfillment, working with the end client, the venue, the Mexico-based agency, the U.S. based booking agency, and Julio's tour management. Empire Latin America's unique position as language and culture translators ensured that the U.S. and Mexican parties understood each other's way of operating, avoiding confusions and misunderstandings, and helping the production move forward against a tight deadline.The highly successful event put Empire Latin America's bilingual and bi-cultural resources to play and delivered Julio Iglesias for what turned out to be a memorable celebration of music, friendship and, yes, love.

Empire Entertainment Latin division looks forward to serving your future needs throughout Mexico, Central and South America, Spain and Portugal.

When one of the world's leading software development companies staged the largest product launch in their history, they turned to Empire to help create a memorable experience. The audience would consist of developers and testers of the product, partners, as well as members of the domestic and foreign press. The event would not only announce the arrival of the new product but would also pay tribute to the years of effort in developing the next chapter in their best-selling product lines.

Empire helped to select ideal locations in New York City to meet the client's needs for this one-day, multi-event launch. With extensive working knowledge of venues throughout the city, Empire secured the elegant Cipriani 42nd Street for an important press luncheon and executive panel discussion, the Grand Hyatt for one-on-one media interviews, and one of New York's hottest concert new venues in the heart of Times Square, the Nokia Theatre. As guests arrived at the Nokia Theater, sexy and stunning world DJ, Donna D'Cruz spun a mixture of African, Brazilian and Latin beats to set the tone for this global launch. Then, Recycled Percussion, a contemporary and hard- hitting rhythmic percussion group, pumped up the energy with its high-speed amazing spectacle of power percussion.

To kick off the launch presentation, Angels & Airwaves, a new musical entity from the creative minds of Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), David Kennedy (Box Car Racer), Ryan Sinn (Distillers) and Atom Willard (Rocket from the Crypt, Offspring) took the stage to perform an incredible opening number. They performed a hard-rocking rendition of Joey Ramone's version of "What a Wonderful World," a song specially licensed by Empire Entertainment specifically for this launch event, synced to visuals projections of the new product and customers. Following the launch presentation the band played a 45-minute performance set for the after party. For this global product launch, Empire assisted with site selection and acquisition, securing and coordinating talent, onsite talent management, and procuring the appropriate music licenses.

Empire is a full-service event and entertainment production company, with special expertise in artist bookings and venue selection.

When one of the world's most respected corporations was planning a divisional summit, a conference held once every seven years, they turned to Empire Entertainment to serve as production company to manage all creative & technical production and video production. Completely branded around a logo designed by Empire, this 3-day event at The Phoenician in Phoenix, Arizona mixed business with pleasure. After a high-energy opening video shot and edited by Empire, guests were welcomed by the President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of the company. Shortly following, guests enjoyed the first two of ten regional videos that were scripted, shot and edited by Empire in advance of the event.

Empire's crews had visited company branches around the nation to creatively capture and share the idiosyncrasies of each office environment - the hilarity of the inside jokes easily made these two videos, as well as the remaining eight videos shown later on, a hit. After dinner, rocker, activist and opening night keynote speaker Bono set the bar high for the conference as he entreated attendees to encourage philanthropy among clients. Set against Empire's customized backdrop of six fabric columns and a large-scale suspended logo, Bono's speech had a resounding effect on the audience and he received a standing ovation.

With an elaborate lighting package, the mood changed from Sunday's night hot red colors honoring Bono's "(Red)" campaign to a more business-like look for the next day's intensive business sessions. After addresses from top executives and world-renowned reporter, Tom Brokaw, and personalized breakout sessions tackling important issues in the industry, attendees were ready for a little fun. Guests laughed their way through a Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update"-style video, cleverly produced by Empire with witty, customized company humor. To elevate the energy again after dinner, Empire staged the theatrical production of a game show with a script, scenery and costuming developed by Empire, conference attendees were laughing and cheering through an incredibly memorable evening as their top executives and regional managers played the roles of host and contestants onstage.

Still elated from the hilarious antics of the game show, guests moved into the afterparty, curious about the concert stage and satellite screens Empire had installed. Utter shock gave way to pride as they rocked out to a band composed of executives in their very own division singing hits like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "We're an American Band." Guests danced and partied the night away as dance band Brian Kirk & The Jerks kept the music going. Though attendees were a bit groggy the next morning from the prior night's festivities, they were impressed by morning keynote remarks from General Colin Powell on the illuminated red, white and blue stage. After a final round of breakout sessions, attendees returned to the ballroom for the awards presentation, with the most anticipated award of "Best Video" going to the Boston region, as Bono's instincts accurately predicted. Empire's closing video of live action moments and memories captured throughout the conference nicely rounded out a successful and seamlessly executed event.

Empire is a worldwide producer of company meetings, managing all aspects of a conference including stage production, technical production, video, photography, site selection, contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent coordination, security and on-site supervision.

Keep a Child Alive is an innovative charitable organization that is dedicated to providing life saving anti-retroviral treatment to children and families living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, and other parts of the impoverished world. In November 2006, Empire was privileged to support KCA, helping to produce their third annual Black Ball fundraising benefit. This year's program was generously sponsored by the Condé Nast Media Group and held at the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

The event began with a cocktail reception and gallery viewing of a Michael Thompson photography exhibit. The photo series, entitled "I Am African," featured celebrities such as Gwenyth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, Richard Gere, Seal, Heidi Klum and others in African attire and was featured in 18 Condé Nast publications. During cocktails African-inspired music was provided by New York's City DJ Tipka. Following the cocktail reception, the 600 plus guests entered the stunning Hammerstein Ballroom lit by candlelight where guests enjoyed a three course dinner and truffle dessert.

The star-studded dinner was attended by notable celebrities including Valentino, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Anne Hathaway, Zhang Ziyi, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Petra Nemcova, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Helena Christiansen and many others who showed up to support KCA's efforts. Following the dinner and a second concert seating and reception in the first balcony, an extraordinary program began that saluted humanitarians and remarkable leaders in the fight against AIDS. Wanda Sykes emceed the program with her sharp style and wit and introduced speeches and appearances by Leigh Blake (President & Founder of Keep a Child Alive), Iman (Global Ambassador for Keep A Child Alive), Dr. Stephen Lewis (U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS), Elijah Wood, Russell Simmons, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Norton. The program also honored Carol Dyanti, of the Ikageng Ministries, Soweto, South Africa, Dr. Paul Farmer, of Partners in Health and Richard D. Beckman, President of the Condé Nast Media Group for their courageous support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

After the speaking program, rock band Louis XIV kicked off the concert performance. Saul Williams, a spoken word artist, delivered a powerful piece, followed by a jamming performance with Alicia Keys and her band which included "Paradise," "Broken Wings," and Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Child." Other highlights of the concert included Alicia's duets with other talented artists: "Welcome to Jamrock" and "Road to Zion," with Damian Marley, and "Africa," with African Queen, Angelique Kidjo. A high point of the show was when David Bowie took the stage to sing "Fantastic Voyage," and performed an incredible duet with Alicia Keys on "Changes". Following the concert, the guests danced the night away during an afterparty with old school hits spun by DJ Cassidy.

Empire served as overall event producer for the Black Ball and managed all aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent coordination, production, security and onsite management, collaborating with Keep a Child Alive and other partners and donors. Empire Entertainment is proud to serve as partner of Keep a Child Alive in saving lives and raising awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

For the fourth year in a row, the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, chose Empire Entertainment to produce their Ten Awards program in New York City. This program, billed as "The Academy Awards of Business," annually recognizes the best & brightest in the New York business universe. The host sponsor for this important program was Real Estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. Other sponsors of this year's program included NASDAQ, Zagat Survey, Microsoft, Google, OfficeTiger, Accenture, Loews Hotels, IBM and Philips among others. The Awards program was again hosted by CNBC's Liz Claman and featured a keynote address by former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

This year's award winners were: CEO of the Year: Jonathan Tisch, Loews HotelsCIO of the Year: Jack Nelson, Mount Sinai Medical CenterDealmaker of the Year: Jonathan Gray, Blackstone Group and Philip Falcone, Harbinger Capital PartnersBest International Non-Profit: Ami Nahshon, The Abraham Fund InitiativesEducator of the Year: Dr. Deborah Kenny, Village AcademiesBest New Product or Service: Are Traasdahl, ThumbPlay and David Rose, Angelsoft LLCCFO of the Year: David Turner, Thomson FinancialMarketer of the Year: John Hayes, American ExpressInnovator of the Year: Jason Finger, SeamlessWebBest Up and Comer: Jared Kushner, New York ObserverBest Executive Team: Tim Armstrong, Penry Price and Craig Nevill-Manning, Google There was also a special Ten Awards NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony with the winners at NASDAQ's MarketSite in Times Square.

For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection, staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of graphics packages, and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, and signage.

Empire is a leading creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

When a well-respected, Hong Kong-based production company was searching for the ideal talent to headline an important event for an international jewelry company's top customers, they turned to Empire Entertainment. The entertainment for this spectacular event needed to be suitable for a highly discerning group of high net worth individuals and would have to integrate effectively into the sumptuous visual surroundings designed by the production company. Empire worked with the client to identify several candidates and ultimately negotiated with and secured the client's first choice, Portland, Oregon-based orchestra Pink Martini, to perform at the event in their debut China performance.

Pink Martini are a 14 piece contemporary orchestra, led by Chinese-American musical director Thomas Lauderdale and fronted by female vocalist China Forbes. They have performed throughout the world including at the Hollywood Bowl and the Grand opening of the Disney Concert Hall. Pink Martini play elegant music ranging from jazz standards from the 1930s and 1940's to original contemporary originals. The band performs songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Greek, and English. Their music is elegant, sophisticated and ideal for champagne celebrations throughout the world. For this singular event, every detail had to be precisely managed and Empire and the client worked closely with Pink Martini on elements ranging from song list and sequence, to costuming, hair, makeup, and jewelry.

Pink Martini even agreed to learn and rehearse a Chinese song, which thrilled the audience when it was performed as a surprise. After Guests finished dinner at the event, the stage was revealed and Pink Martini played a 75-minute set which soon had guests up and dancing along with several professional dance couples in costume who had been brought in for the evening. Pink Martini's Chinese song brought applause from the audience and their dance-oriented renditions songs like Brasil and Dancez-Vous kept them cheering for encores. The evening ended with a pink champagne VIP meet & greet with the band backstage with the client's managing directors and top customers. For this engagement Empire worked closely with the production company to contract the talent, manage visas and work permits, travel, hotel & ground transportation logistics, production and creative details.

Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment to production company partners throughout the world. Through its relationships with these companies and Empire's own Asia and Latin America divisions, Empire is able to offer world-class production & entertainment services whether the venue is in Hong Kong, China or elsewhere.

FilmAid International is an extraordinary not for profit organization founded by producer Caroline Baron that partners with Hollywood studio and sponsors to provide motion picture entertainment in refugee camps around the world. For their first ever gala event, FilmAid selected Empire Entertainment to serve as production company. The gala event was held at the Time Warner Cafe in New York City and was attended by over 600 guests. The event commenced a VIP Screening of "God Grew Tired of Us" followed by a panel discussion with Dan Harris. Afterwards guests moved into a cocktails / hors d'oeuvres reception for which Perrier Jouet and Dewars were champagne and liquor sponsors.

Up next was a brief speaking program with remarks by Caroline Baron and the evening's two honorees, Tribeca Films founder Jane Rosenthal and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.The high-point of the evening was a 20-minute, solo acoustic concert performance by legendary musician Elvis Costello who performed hits including "Allison" and "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding?" The event was attended by many celebrities including Ed Burns & Christy Turlington, Danny Glover, Julia Ormond, Matt Dillon and more.For this highly successful, first-time fundraiser Empire provided all production including the Elvis Costello concert, stage management, logistics and coordination and goody bags / in kind andsponsorship solicitation, arranging for sponsorship / donations from HBO, Dewars, Perrier Jouet, Dylan's Candy Bar, Time Out Magazine, Shu Uemura, Judith Ripka, Leading Hotels of the World and others.

Empire is proud to support the efforts of FilmAid International. More information about the charity and information on how to make donations is available at http://www.filmaid.org/

When an important, international charitable organization focused on raising money for education in India needed help, they turned to Empire Entertainment. Pratham USA's Tri State chapter raised over $750,000 during their Annual Gala event attended by over 700 people at New York's Marriott Marquis, Times Square. Pratham is a grassroots non-profit organization that serves over 200,000 children daily in nearly 5,000 underprivileged areas in over 50 cities and 14 states throughout India. The Gala began with a cocktail hour where guests mingled with each other, sipped drinks and indulged in savory Indian appetizers while sizing up the fabulous silent auction items ranging from original Indian artwork to jewelry and even professional photography and spa packages.

Pratham Leadership Sameer Mittal , Sheila Hooda and Anil Shah welcomed the guests followed by the Gala Chairs Drs Leena and Nitin Doshi of Diagnostic Imaging Group who lit the lamp to begin the event in an auspicious Diwali flavor. Emceed by Sreenath Srinivasan, Dean of Students at Columbia Journalism School, the attendees were treated to an electrifying East-West fusion musical performance by the known band Aakruti. The festive event of Diwali added the perfect touch of celebrations to the mood of the attendees. While many got the opportunity to meet their favorite Indian personalities including actor Kal Penn, actress Sarita Choudhury, supermodel Ujwala Raut singer Asha Puthli, socialite Meera Gandhi, Olympian Chetan Baboor, and UN Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor - all sympathetic to organization's goal— to have all the nation's children in school and learning well by 2010.The celebrities demonstrated their commitment to the cause by driving the pledge drive. Socialite Meera Gandhi touched the minds of many with her captivating words as she stressed on the importance of education, "When you educate a child, you're transforming not just one person, but generations to come". Choudhury and Raut, both mothers themselves, expressed how lucky they felt that their children have access to stellar New York City educations and said they wished that the children of their homeland would have the same.

For this major fund-raising event within the New York Indian business and social community, Empire provided all celebrity solicitation, consulting on the overall design and flow of the event and onsite stage management of the program and performances.

Empire is a leading producer of international fundraising events and is an important service provider to India-based businesses and organizations both in the United States and in India.

When a newly-formed charitable organization, led by 17 year old founder Max Cohen, faced the daunting challenges of making a splash in New York City on it's first ever event, they turned to Empire Entertainment and event designer Colin Cowie to make dreams come true. The event would be even more challenging than most on account of the necessity to appeal adult-age donors and sponsors, while remaining cool and relevant to the largely teen audience from all of New York City's elite private and public schools. Empire Entertainment, Colin Cowie and Teens Against Cancer Founder Max Cohen and his committee of friends worked hard to deliver success.

Teens Against Cancer held it's first fundraising event on October 12, 2006 at Gotham Hall in New York City with the goal of raising money for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The benefit featured musical performances by SONY Music artist, Teddy Geiger, a concert by The Roots and dance music by DJ Cassidy as well as a fashion show choreographed by Thrash Creatir Sheryl Murakami for Seven Jeans and LeRock. The event also featured a live auction for items such as a weekend at the Atlantis Resort and a Monday night dinner table at Rao's restaurant. For the teenage guests the event offered a raffle for dinner at Ciprianis, sport jerseys and sports tickets.

TAC was founded in 2005 by then 17 year-old New York City student Max Cohen after his mother overcame a terminally ill case of Cancer. Cohen started the organization in hopes to raise awareness in teenagers about the disease and to show them that they also can make a difference. "After my mother became ill with Cancer her endless display of courage and the pain that my family and I fought through inspired me to begin Teens Against Cancer," Cohen said. "I want teenagers to be aware of what Cancer is and to provide support to anyone who has to cope with it in their life."

The event was designed and decorated by renowned event designer Colin Cowie. Entertainment and production were handled by Empire Entertainment. Robbins Wolfe Caterers graciously donated the catering and Lizzie Grubman handled all Public Relations. The benefit was sponsored by Seven Jeans, LaRock and One Step-up.In the end, the event was a huge success, drawing over 500 attendees and raising substantial funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Empire is a leading producer of not for profit events and has the creative flexibility to produce events targeted to any demographic including teen /youth audiences.

Competitive video gaming is poised to become the newest sensation in televised professional sports with the launch of DIRECTV's Championship Gaming Series, a video gaming competition that treats games in the same manner as traditional sports and the players as professional athletes. When DIRECTV sought to premiere its new program with simultaneous press events in New York City and Los Angeles, Empire was called to produce both events. Empire worked closely with DIRECTV's events team to identify and select key event venues that had a buzz factor, a design that fit with the video gaming theme, and a central location. The 40/40 Club, owned by rap mogul Jay-Z, was chosen to host the New York City event because its existing projection, LCD screens and monitors were perfect for client and sponsor branding, video gaming demos, and most importantly, the main presentation.

Since the program will be broadcast in high definition, Empire brought in HD Cam decks and compatible video switchers to upgrade the in-house projection, in addition to bringing in two 63" HD plasmas to air loops of the show after the presentation. Guests munched on a menu of video gamer staples that included miniature cheeseburgers and beef tacos, teriyaki chicken skewers and sweets such as fried Snickers and fried Twinkies. DJ Mighty Mi spun the perfect mix of old school and new hip hop while guests played video games on XBOX 360 consoles hooked up to individual LCD screens around the club.

In Los Angeles, Hollywood nightclub The Ivar, which has been featured on HBO's Entourage and CW's America's Next Top Model, was selected for the West Coast premiere event. To ensure that the presentation looked sharp, the existing projectors were swapped out for more powerful, brighter projectors and Digi-Beta decks were used instead of DVD. Catering was provided by Gourmet Celebrations and featured tasty items such as Chinese chicken salad in mini takeout boxes, mini crab cakes, and mac ‘n cheese bites. Attendees played games including Dead or Alive 4, Project Gotham Racing and Halo 2 on freestanding mobile XBOX 360 gaming kiosks. Hollywood favorite DJ Pesce kept the party going with contemporary hip hop. Empire was responsible for managing multiple elements of both events, including venue, RSVP tracking, guest registration, audio/visual, DJ, catering, XBOX gaming & security.

Many corporations choose Empire Entertainment to produce their high-tech events.

Lift Up America is a collaborative effort of companies including Tyson Foods, Give the Gift of Sight (a Luxottica Group foundation), Starkey Hearing Foundation and Interstate Batteries working with professional and college sports teams and local nonprofit agencies to provide the gifts of food, sight, hearing, hope and comfort to our nation's less fortunate.The objective of the Sept. 12 event in New York City was to encourage individuals and corporations to be "heroes" by reaching out to the less fortunate.

Corporations provided goods and services to Lift Up America that were distributed to the less fortunate at a large, one-day distribution event. These corporations included Tyson Foods (protein), Luxottica (vision care) and Starkey Hearing Foundation (hearing aids) and Interstate Batteries (batteries). Added to this were "hero celebrities", Navy seamen and sport celebrities from the New York Giants and the New York Yankees who helped to load humanitarian aid onto the trucks of 100 "hero agencies" of New York City. These "Hero Agencies" distributed the aid to those in need throughout New York City.

On a sunny, Tuesday morning on the day after the 5th anniversary of 9/11, Empire helped Lift Up America organize a singular aid distribution event at Pier 92. Approximately Seven trailer loads of food and other goods were distributed with the help of volunteers, the US Navy and US Marines who arrived on the USS San Antonio.The distribution event also featured a press conference on the waterfront highlighting representatives from each corporation and partner.The successsful event distributed a great deal of aid in many forms to over 100 local relief agencies.Empire was delighted to be a part of the Lift Up America team and provided staging, sound, lighting, electrical power distribution, rigging, onsite management and stage management.

When one of the world's most sophisticated corporations wanted a keynote speaker who could deliver the right closing message for their important, company-wide marketing symposium, they turned to Empire to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen speaker would need to be able to hold the attention of an audience at the end of a long day of meetings, entertain and inspire them, and also deliver some important messages that would reinforce and underscore the content delivered by speakers earlier in the program. Empire was able to recommend and ultimately deliver best-selling author and one of the world's leading contemporary voices in marketing theory, Malcolm Gladwell, to deliver the keynote address. Gladwell's insightful best-seller, The Tipping Point, talked about the factors that turn small developments into full-blown cultural phenomena - the holy grail of marketing.

Gladwell's newest book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, is about the power of intuition and the decisions we make based on our first impressions. Understanding of the messages of this book are also essential to understanding the minds of the today's consumers. Gladwell's entertaining speech and question & answer session were able to meet the client's objectives perfectly. Gladwell's anecdotal and often humorous presentations keep everyone engaged until the very end of the marketing meeting and the substance of his remarks complemented the overall meeting content perfectly.

When the Jane Goodall Foundation held a fundraising event on the grounds of the Hampton's home of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and his wife, Empire was delighted to be a part of the all star event team. Overall event management for the event was handled by HWPR's Virginia Coleman while Publicity was handled by HWPR's Paul Lerner. Charles Attal Presents handled overall production management, catering was provided by Robbins Wolfe / Eventeur and the event was photographed by Patrick McMullan. The event took place on a spectacular evening in the Hamptons and featured poolside cocktails, a dinner, program and performance in a large tent on the grounds provided by Stamford Tents. The program included welcoming remarks by Howard & Sheri Schultz, a video on the work of the Jane Goodall Foundation, a rare keynote address by the iconic Chimpanzee researcher, Dr. Jane Goodall, a live auction led by Jamie Niven, a headline acoustic performance by Sarah McLachlan, and dancing with DJ Tom Finn. The celebrity attendees included Candice Bergen, Dina Merrill and Katie Couric. Among the highlights of the evening were the performance by Sarah McLachlan who performed at the piano and on guitar with accompaniment of two vocalists and a guitarist. Sarah's mellow set included several of her hits and covers such as the Beatles' "Blackbird." Sarah's incredible, soothing voice set the perfect tone for the evening.

For this event, Empire Entertainment handled all sound, lighting, video projection, electrical power and concert production management. Empire is a leading producer of high-end not-for-profit events.

When Joe Rigotti, Creative Director of Accent on Cincinnati, the biggest meeting planner and special events company in Ohio, needed a headline concert act to top last year's Hall and Oates performance, he once again turned to Empire Entertainment to secure, book, and produce the talent.There were whispers among the 2300 attendees of the premier insurance company's annual conference that topping last year's entertainment - Hall and Oates, would be impossible. But when the curtain rose and the surprise musical guest was revealed, the crowd roared in excitement and applause as Glenn Frey and his band hit the first notes of the Eagles classic, "Take It Easy," which Frey co-wrote with Don Henley and Jackson Browne.Frey, a member of both the songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, played a greatest hits show that brought the audience to its feet, waving company branded glow balls that were distributed to the entire crowd.

The set list included "Lying Eyes," "Tequila Sunrise," "Take it to the Limit," "Heartache Tonight, " "Peaceful Easy Feeling," as well as several of Frey's solo original hits such as "The Heat is On," "You Belong to the City" and "Smugglers Blues," which is best known for being turned into the smash 80's TV show, Miami Vice.Frey's music, which evokes an endless California desert road trip, was a perfect match for the executive crowd and spouses on hand at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for The Arts. After receiving a standing ovation, The Glenn Frey Band returned for a rousing encore of "Desperado" and the entire crowd sang in unison for the seventh time.The following evening at the same conference, Empire Entertainment showcased the talents of Greg Fitzsimmons, a stand-up comedian who won four Emmy Awards writing for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and who has appeared on David Letterman 5 times. Fitzsimmons' stories about his family was a huge hit with the family-oriented demographic.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians, and speakers for corporate meeting and events the world over.

For a three day global technology conference in Boston, the client's production company sought to open the each day's general session with an entertaining opening segment that emphasized different aspects of the client's business, all presented with the same general theme. The same musical theme would be used but to have to adapt on each day to reflect the themese of 1) the promise of developing markets, 2) the global nature of urban culture, and 3) the harmony between precision and power. To meet this challenge, Empire and original entertainment solution developer Live Lab worked closely with the creative production company to design, score, cast, costume, rehearse and deliver three different ensembles to former high-impact theatrical openers for each day's sessions.

To add to the challenge, the audiences would be in the several thousands each morning and would have to be highly visual and colorful to have an impact. The first day's general session message was emerging markets. For this, Empire provided the African Children's Choir, a 24 child ensemble made up almost entirely of orphans from the nation of Uganda, ages 9 - 13. This incredible group of singers and dancers led by an adult female vocalist and performin in vibrant colorful costumes, managed to bring the audience to their feet on the opening day with their powerful and inspirational performance of the song entitled "You and Me." On the second day global urban culture was represented in the form of a duet by New York City rap artist Adesola Osakalumi with Indian singer Manjit Devgun. They were in turn backed up by Chinese-American DJ David Chang and Donna D'Cruz, an extraordinary world music DJ whose background weaves together many cultures. Together the four performed a live hip hop / bhangra-crossover version of "You and Me" that took on an entirely different feel than the first day but still maintained the continuity and message.

On the third and final day, the piece began with an elegant string ensemble of 6 violins, viola and cello led by Juilliard graduate Lisa Liu. Midway through the piece E.B. Fraley's four piece rock band joined the number and Lisa Liu removed a tear-away gown to reveal a heavy metal wardobe and a flying-V viper-style electric violin. The piece built in energy and dynamism to an exciting finalé as Lisa and EB Fraley traded solos and brought down the house. Empire, Live Lab and the creative production company worked closely to deliver these original ensembles that met the client's objectives, exceeded the client's expectations and thrilled the audiences on each morning.

On the final night of the three day concert Empire delivered an outdoor concert with Train.

Empire and Live Lab are well-established leaders in the conception, design and production of original entertainment solutions.

The World Education & Development Fund is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to transform lives and reduce poverty by supporting high-quality education for poor children throughout Central and Latin America. To accomplish this, The World Education & Development Fund partners with efficiently run religious and secular private schools, as well as with education projects serving public schools, operating in poor communities.When World Education & Development Fund needed a new video to premiere at its 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, it turned to Empire Entertainment's Film & Video department to produce a five-minute piece.

The video would communicate that the most effective tool to help people help themselves out of poverty is a high-quality K-12 education.The video premiered at the 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, which took place in the Ballroom on the 36th floor ballroom of New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, overlooking central park. Founder and Executive Director, Luanne Zurlo kicked off the evening by thanking the attendees for raising over $1.6 million and then introduced the video that played to 400 black-tie attendees who were there to honor Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte - Chairman & CEO of Kimberly-Clark de México with the 2006 Education and Leadership Award.The video opened with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then intercut images of abject poverty with images of children, and startling statistics about Latin American education such as the fact that "Nearly half of Latin American children do not make it past the 5th grade" and "50% of Brazilian 15-year olds are functionally illiterate." A haunting music bed reinforced the stark images of the children, who are the future of Latin America.With the introduction of the World Education & Development fund's Logo and a voiceover discussing World Fund's mission, the mood of the music and images transitioned to an upbeat and hopeful theme to illustrate the success of World Fund's partner education programs.

Poignant on-camera sound bytes by Claudio X Gonzalez Laporte, and his son Claudio X Gonzalez Guajardo reinforced the evening's message that raising the quality of K-12 education in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru, and Brazil will make for a very different, and better future for these children, and their countries.The crowd silently listened while the images played across the multiple screens. With the final call to action, and the fade-up of the World Fund website, there was a rousing and inspired round of applause. Next up was Francisco Rivera, a graduate of Mano Amiga Chalco in Mexico. Francisco told a heartfelt story about his mother's inspiration, and how he overcame his difficulties and fears of learning at Mano Amiga Chalco. Although Francisco admitted some nervousness reading his words to the dignitaries, he overcame all obstacles and demonstrated the set of values he had learned: Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Generosity, Gratitude, Family Values, and Civic participation - all hallmarks of the World Fund's Educational programs. Francisco's speech resulted a standing ovation, and Luanne Zurlo took the podium to award Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte the 2006 Education and Leadership Award. Keith Sherin, Chief Financial Officer, of General Electric presented Mr. Gonzalez with the honor.Other notables in the audience included Carlos Slim, the Honorary Chairman of Telefonos de Mexico, and Shelly Lazarus, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Empire Entertainment is a full-service film & video production house capable of handling virtually any form of film & video project from conception to delivery.

Wynton Marsalis is an icon in the American jazz scene. Having earned eight Grammy awards, a Peabody Award, and a Pulitzer Prize in music before the age of 40, Wynton Marsalis is well on his way to becoming a true musical legend. When an elite international financial services institution sought to present an entertainer whose stature and accomplishments would add luster to the celebration, Empire Entertainment delivered this legendary performer for the closing performance. After enjoying the enchanting melodies of Juilliard's finest instrumentalists during cocktails and dinner at The Museum of Modern Art's exclusive event space, the 300 distinguished guests watched with anticipation as Wynton finally took the stage.

Wynton and his talented quartet hypnotized the audience with their elaborate improvised solos. Wynton's unparalleled trumpeting skills left everyone in awe. Even his improvised whistling led to great applause and a final standing ovation at the end of the night. Empire Entertainment coordinated all talent and production for this prestigious event, working within the demanding production environment of a world class museum that is open to the public until hours before the event began. Empire was also able to arrange onsite for Wynton to be interviewed for the client's commemorative video.

From Jazz and Classical to World Music and Rock, Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for prestigious corporate functions.

When Liberty Event Management, best known as producer of the New York / New Jersey International Boat Show, received permission to hold a public concert at Liberty State Park, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them develop and present an outdoor, concert festival event.The inaugural LibertyJAM concert was conceived and developed to raise money for The Friends of Liberty State Park, a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit charged with the mission to improve Liberty State Park and bring meaningful attention to New Jersey's beloved urban waterfront state park. The Friends of Liberty State Park plan to fund tree plantings and other major developments in the Park, such as a picnic pavilion, and the renovation of a historic rail station where immigrants once disembarked to start their new lives here in America.

Empire Entertainment and Liberty assembled an amazing line-up of talent with a very broad appeal, in only eight weeks. Bands on the bill included homegrown Jersey favorites like John Eddie, Patti Smith and up-and-comer, Exit 105. The bill also featured The Fab Faux, The Smithereens, Los Lobos, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, and Cheap Trick.Leading up to the show date, Empire Entertainment provided production consulting to the promoters and staffed key positions such as Production Managers, Stage Managers, Talent Logistics and credentials personnel.Although the weekend was dampened by some rainy weather, all of the concert performances went off without a hitch, and the promoters are already planning next years LibertyJAM with the goal of creating the NYC/NJ Metro area version of Bonnaroo or the Coachella Music Festival.

Empire is a leading producer and consulting producer of public events and festivals, providing talent booking, production & logistics management, sponsorship activation and onsite event management. All images for this story were photographed by Richard Lynch.

For nearly a decade, Empire Entertainment has been privileged to enjoy a strategic partnership with the world-renowned event designer, Colin Cowie. Empire serves Colin Cowie Lifestyle with industry-leading talent acquisition, entertainment production and stage management services and has worked as a part of the Colin Cowie team on extraordinary special events from the Middle East and the Caribbean to Europe and Mexico. Thus it was natural that Colin Cowie would select Empire to assist with the entertainment components for the 50th Birthday party for Island / Def Jam Records Chairman and music impresario L. A. Reid.

The party was held at the tony New York City Japanese eatery, Nobu57, and was attended by a Who's Who of the music world's A-listers.Guests for the fete included Jay-Z, John Legend, Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Kenneth "Babyface" Williams, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and fiancé Deryck Whibley, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Serena Williams, Spike Lee, Rihanna, Clive Davis, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri, and Sean, 'P. Diddy' Combs among others. The party began with a red carpet arrival area that led from the string of parked Bentleys and Chevy Escalades right up into one of the most sumptuous lounge environments ever created. Colin Cowie's team transformed the interior of the restaurant into a sexy and sleek nightclub complete with orange mirror dance floor, main stage and Cuban cigar lounge. The center point of the event was a series of performances by up-and-coming R&B superstar Chrisette Michelle, followed by superstar Lionel Richie who performed classic hits such as Easy, Zoom and Brick house.

After everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' Empire reset the stage and the crowd of 250 guests danced to music by DJ Cassidy until nearly 4:00AM.For this extremely high profile event, Empire Entertainment coordinated all technical elements of the entertainment, managing all entertainment production seamlessly.

When the most powerful names in entertainment want to be entertained themselves, Empire Entertainment is the producer they call.