Our Work

Empire was proud to help Netflix premier their original Japanese anime series, “EDEN”. The series features a post-human future, in which a pair of robots find and raise a human child. Netflix engaged Empire to help generate additional excitement for the release by producing a one-of-a-kind talk show from within the animated world of Eden with the series’ director, Yasuhiro Irei, voice actors, Marika Kouno, Kentaro Ito, and Kyoko Hikami, and MC’d by Shinsuke Kasai.

Working with source material from the series and animated models from the Eden game, Empire carefully recreated the look and feel of two iconic scenes from the series into virtual sets that our cast could walk onto and explore. The robotic stars of the series were also animated to integrate into our sets and interact with our human cast.

Filming of the event took place on a green-screen sound stage in Tokyo, using multiple motion-tracking cameras each tasked to dedicated Unreal Engine servers, allowing compositing of our cast into a real-time rendering of the Eden environment and the animated characters.

The result was a seamless immersion of the cast into the dreamlike world of Eden, and a captivating talk show providing fans an additional layer of understanding and appreciation into this new hit series. The Special Event can be viewed here, and a highlight BTS video here.

Empire, a leading producer of live, hybrid, and virtual events across the globe, was honored to be selected by Netflix to produce this benchmark project.

The New York Women’s Foundation (The Foundation) held their annual Celebrating Women® Breakfast virtually this year. Empire was honored to help produce the first-ever virtual Breakfast dedicated to honoring women who are leading the way by example, empowering their communities, and spotlighting the importance of women in the world.

The event was hosted on Hopin, featuring an hour-long program with closed captioning and ASL interpretation, virtual breakfast tables, live breakout sessions, two mini-doc style videos focusing on two of The Foundation’s grantee partners, Start Small Think Big, Jahajee Sisters, and an expo hall for grantee partners. The site also featured event branding and graphics prompting guests to watch available live and OnDemand content.

The Celebrating Women Awards were presented to the New York Anchor Women: Pillars of Courage including Amanda Farinacci, Vivian Lee, Jeanine Ramirez, Kristen Shaughnessy, and Roma Torre V; artist Jordan Casteel; and Poderistas, accepted by Co-Founder Mónica Ramírez. The program also included remarks by Ana L. Oliveria, President & CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation, Vision Award recipient, Sheri Sandler, and performances by Fogo Azul and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Empire worked closely with The Foundation’s team to create the overall event, implement design and run-of-show, coordinate and record all speakers and talent remotely, and oversee the technical production and livestream.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual awards ceremonies and fundraisers, special feature video productions, and more.

To learn more about The New York Women’s Foundation and donate, please visit https://www.nywf.org/donate

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Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) engaged Empire to help produce their 20^th Annual Leadership Awards Gala. The event included a virtual livestream as well as multiple VIP Zoom Receptions hosted concurrently before and after the main program. The virtual celebration honored four individuals who have helped unite the world through outstanding leadership while raising funds to provide financial support to SIPA students.

The main program was livestreamed on the Columbia SIPA website and featured pre-recorded remarks from Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University; Merit E. Janow, Dean, Columbia University SIPA; Caroline Kennedy, Trustee, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan; Lan Yang MIA ’96, SIPA Advisor Board Member, Chair, Sun Media Group; and Charles “Chuck” Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York. There were also exclusive messages from SIPA Alumni including Eric Garcetti ‘92CC MIA, Mayor of Los Angeles; Jennifer Morris MIA ’97, CEO, The Nature Conservancy; and many more.

This year’s recipients of SIPA’s Global Leadership Awards recognized Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, for her leadership in helping stabilize the global economic and financial system, and the late Vartan Gregorian, Former President of Carnegie Corporation of New York, for his work in furthering education, democracy, international peace, and security.

The celebration also recognized inaugural recipients of SIPA’s Global Inspiration Awards, Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano and activist, for her activism using music, and Lang Lang, pianist, philanthropist, and cultural ambassador, for his dedication to global arts education. The program also included very special performances by Joyce and Lang Lang.

Empire’s scope of work included run-of-show development, remote and in-person pre-recordings, speaker advance, producing an Alumni feature video and overall virtual gala editing, staff training, technical production, livestreaming for the main gala, and production and management of pre- and post-gala Zoom breakouts for attendees joining from the United States and China.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual, hybrid, and live events.

Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum, and Tracee Ellis Ross, actor, CEO, and producer, engaged in an open conversation on art, culture, film, and design.

Empire filmed and produced the discussion, worked closely with the Museum to develop the creative identity, and hosted a special virtual toast to celebrate the premiere of Beyond the Studio.

Proceeds from Beyond the Studio directly support the museum’s general operations and their growing schedule of digital programming. As they continue to navigate these challenging times, the Studio Museum remains committed to providing meaningful and engaging programs for audiences of all ages.

Empire is proud to support these efforts and assist Studio Museum as they continue to expand into virtual events and programming.

To learn more about the Studio Museum and to support visit this website.

Empire recently presented Malcolm Gladwell for two virtual keynote addresses. In February, Malcolm spoke at an online conference for one of the world’s leading cyber-security software companies. For that program, Malcolm delivered a customized presentation entitled “A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste” in which he shared that, while Covid had obviously created challenges around the world, it had also created new opportunities for innovation for those who were forward-thinking and optimistic. Gladwell shared fascinating anecdotes to support his keynote and was humorously self-deprecating and endearing as he fielded Q&A. In April, Empire again presented Gladwell, this time for a company that develops software and other tools to enable corporate teams to work more efficiently. For that summit, Malcolm spoke about the changing nature of work over the last several generations including the differences between hierarchical and networked team structures and the strengths and weaknesses of each. He explained that workers focused on a common goal should allow differences of opinion, respectful debate, and constructive conflict to deliver better team decisions.

Empire is proud to have presented Malcom Gladwell as well as other thought leaders including Amanda Gordon, Malala Yousafzai, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, Adam Grant, and many more for our clients around the globe.

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Bravo’s Top Chef Drive-In & Dine Experience was the tastiest ticket in town when it was held at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles.

This very special screening of Bravo’s long-running megahit cooking competition show hosted an audience of Television Academy voters, Bravo VIPs and executives, as well as some very lucky fans of Top Chef. The latest season was taped in Portland during last fall’s Covid-19 restrictions and Episode 5 featured an appropriate elimination challenge: The Drive-In. In a very meta twist, guests of Bravo’s Top Chef Drive-In & Dine Experience received a complimentary tasting of the winning creations as seen on the giant 40-ft screens.

Bringing Portland vibes to Pasadena, a custom retro Bravo’s Top Chef drive-in sign signaled attendees to turn into the entrance of the famous Rose Bowl Stadium, where they were led through a drive-up photo booth featuring Portland’s iconic neon White Stag sign. At check-in, guests received complimentary Hedley & Bennett face masks, Top Chef water bottles, and printed menus with a preview of the special tasting that guests were to be treated to during the screening.

Before the show, attendees played Top Chef trivia and enjoyed an exclusive conversation with the series’ host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons.

As the episode started, the special tastings were delivered directly to guests’ cars in Bravo’s Top Chef-branded bento boxes, which included very generous portions of the Sonoran Hot Dog with all the fixins, Korean Fried Chicken with Gochujang glaze, the Unidentified Dominican Object Pupusa, and a Duo of Popcorn with chicken-skin furikake and spiced caramel. Later in the show, guests received the Your Place or Mine chocolate hazelnut milkshake to cap off their meal with a sugary fix.

The screening took place simultaneously with the episode airing on Bravo, keeping the audience shifted forward in their seats, rooting to see their favorite contestant make it to the next round.

Empire is a leading producer, setting industry standards for live and hybrid events in an ever-evolving health and safety landscape. To learn more about our work, please visit: http://www.empireentertainment.com/listing.php

More than 2,500 of the world’s most engaged social entrepreneurs, journalists, civil servants, and social activists gathered together online for the annual Skoll World Forum.

With two plenary sessions hosted by Femi Oke anchoring the three-day program, attendees heard from world leaders, activists, and notable voices including Donald Gips, Ernesto Zedillo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Stacey Abrams, José Andrés, Maria Ressa, Audrey Tang, Gloria Walton, and Mark Ruffalo, among others—all sharing stories and experience to fuel the global audience’s efforts to create social and environmental impact.

The program also included performance segments from Venezuela’s Liana Malva and the UK’s House Gospel Choir.

To bring the Forum’s theme, “Closing the Distance", to life, the Empire and Skoll teams worked hand-in-hand to design and execute the event’s creative motif, using custom animations, curated footage, and creative filming techniques intended to emphasize “a sense of space and place".

Empire managed all aspects of the plenaries’ production, including speaker management and briefings, international filming (on-site and remote), COVID-19 safety protocols, budgeting, creative, host preparation, and video editing.

To learn more and experience the Skoll World Forum content, visit https://skoll.org/skoll-world-forum/2021-virtual-forum/

Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership events and virtual events of every kind, and has been proud to serve leading not-for-profit organizations and foundations for nearly three decades.

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This April marked the first ever virtual iteration of the Orange County Youth Environmental Summit (YES). Orange County Water District (OCWD) hosts YES annually for up to 8,000 Orange County 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

Due to the pandemic, OCWD engaged Empire to help produce the week-long summit virtually this year. Empire partnered with BuzzCast to develop a safe and secure platform where students and teachers could tune in to daily live presentations, meet with their class online, watch educational on demand content, download worksheets and lesson plans, and view sponsor booths to learn more about OCWD and their partners.

The mission of YES is to educate students about environmental issues, water-related and beyond, that support next generation science standards. The platform hosted on demand content and sponsor booths all week, in addition to two livestreamed sessions each day from Tuesday through Thursday.

To support the live content, Empire built a broadcast studio at the Orange County Water District facility in Fountain Valley to capture kid-friendly science experiments, demonstrations about the groundwater replenishment process, and the animals that make up the ecosystem of the water district. The week included live segments with OCWD, the California Science Center, and Emily Calandrelli, The Space Gal from Emily’s Wonder Lab on Netflix.

Interactive program features engaged students with quizzes and polls throughout the duration of each session, as well as live Q&A segments with speakers to close. Corresponding worksheets and lesson plans were made available for download for each live session, as well as for On Demand video content. Over 60+ educational On Demand videos or Grab & Go worksheets with lesson plans were made available to the students of Orange County for the duration of the week.

​Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership events and virtual events of every kind, and has been proud to serve leading environmental and cause-related organizations for nearly three decades.

Empire was proud to produce World Food Program USA’s livestreamed panel discussion entitled Climate Starves: Hunger and the Climate Crisis. This engaging conversation was part of their US Against Hunger series and moderated by award-winning international journalist, Femi Oke. The panel featured Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT); Gernot Laganda, Chief of World Food Programme’s Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction; and Laura Melo, World Food Programme Representative in Guatemala.

The virtual panel focused on the U.N. World Food Program’s work of fighting food insecurity and addressing how climate change impacts hunger. The discussion was livestreamed through a Vimeo player on the World Food Program USA’s website and Facebook page for hundreds of viewers.

Empire worked closely with the World Food Program USA team and served as overall producer of the virtual event, which is the second in a series of four.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual events of every kind and has been serving not-for-profit organizations for nearly three decades.

Empire was proud to help The New Museum present their Virtual Gala honoring artists Faith Ringgold and Pipilotti Rist. The evening served as the virtual film premiere of Ringgold and Rist for the New Museum’s closest friends, family, and patrons—a global, virtual audience that was a who’s who of the contemporary art world.

The film featured the artists themselves, along with renowned voices from the world of art and philanthropy who reflected upon and honored the impact of each of these powerful women.

Among other narratives, Faith Ringgold was recognized for her consistent activism over decades through her story quilts, paintings, and children’s books. Pipilotti Rist was recognized for her immersive installations and multi-media work, including her major exhibition, Pixel Forest, at the New Museum.

The evening concluded with an exciting live auction, remarks from Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan, Lewis Director of the New Museum, and toasts by Artistic Director, Massimiliano Gioni.

Empire worked in close partnership with the New Museum to direct, film, and produce Ringgold and Rist, as well as to produce the overall virtual gala and interactive segments.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual events of every kind and has been serving not-for-profit and arts organizations for nearly three decades.

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During Shibuya Fashion Week, Empire was proud to help "KANSAI YAMAMOTO", one of Japan’s most famous fashion designers, stage the world’s first-ever runway show at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing.

The creative team of Quenta Takaya, a long-time student of the pioneering and recently-departed fashion designer, Kansai Yamamoto, played a central role in creating the collection. In addition to archived pieces from the “KANSAI YAMAMOTO” collection, the show also showcased the new collection “TOMORROW”. Combining the essence of Shibuya and artist Taro Okamoto’s greatest mural, Myth of Tomorrow, illustrating the tragedies of the atomic bomb explosion, this new collection conveyed the tremendous energy of human strength and pride.

"March this year marks 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, our recovery of everyday life from the COVID pandemic since last year, and our new voyage after Kansai’s passing. We instilled our hope for tomorrow in many levels in creating clothes with the image of people coming and going through Shibuya."—Quenta Takaya

The show featured numerous celebrity appearances including musician/actor MIYAVI, dancer/actor Kaiji Moriyama, make-up artist Kodo Nishimura, and many more.

Empire was honored to support  the production of this amazing runway show, continuing our long-standing relationship with “KANSAI YAMAMOTO” as they push the boundaries of both fashion and entertainment.

Watch the show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv7o22Sk8bk

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Empire is keeping up by creating yet another live event, this time partnering with E!. The second weekend of March marked the drive-in premiere screening of the final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in Los Angeles.

Going out with a bang, the early screening of season 20 of the reigning reality television show hosted hundreds of their biggest fans at the Rose Bowl for a very exciting evening filled with glam, good food, and fun. Never-before-seen messages from Kim and Kris were aired to the very lucky audience before the premiere episode began.

Guest cars entered the event along a runway lined with huge neon gold glowing Ks. At contactless check-in points, guests were given an info flyer with a map and vouchers to pick up their complimentary KUWTK snack & swag kits filled with branded items including a steel wine tumbler, a You’re Doing Amazing Sweetie hat, and Bible mask, as well as other treats like Champagne Rosé gummy bears, popcorn, and water.

After check-in, cars headed to a drive-thru step & repeat where they could get their photos texted to their phone within seconds. Once parked, guests could access the menus of local food trucks brought in specially for the event and place orders via an app which would notify them when their food was ready for pickup.

After settling back in their cars with their snacks, swag, and food, guests played KUWTK trivia with their friends as a slideshow of fun facts from 20 seasons of this iconic show looped on the giant 50' screens.

Compliant with COVID-19 safety precautions and CDC guidelines, the event functioned at safe capacities, proper PPE was enforced, symptom screenings were conducted for staff and guests, ample signage and messaging communicated rules and regulations, bathrooms functioned at half capacity, no congregating was permitted, and COVID-safety leads were staffed on site to ensure all other regulations were successfully maintained throughout the course of the event.

Empire is a leading producer of live, hybrid, and virtual events across the globe. Production practices are held to the highest standards of safety precautions to protect our staff, attendees, and the greater community.

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Empire was proud to produce World Food Program USA’s livestreamed panel discussion entitled No Woman Left Behind: The Future of Gender Inequity and Hunger. This engaging conversation, moderated by award-winning international journalist, Femi Oke, featured Her Royal Highness, Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, Chef Tyler Florence, and WFP’s Director for the Gender Office, Kawinzi Muiu.

The virtual panel focused on the U.N. World Food Program’s work of fighting food insecurity and addressing how gender inequality impacts hunger. The discussion was livestreamed through a Vimeo player on the World Food Program USA’s website for hundreds of viewers.

Empire worked closely with the World Food Program USA team and served as overall producer of the virtual event, which is the second in a series of four.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual events of every kind, and has been serving not-for-profit organizations for nearly three decades.

Empire was honored to work alongside New World Symphony for their 33^rd Anniversary Virtual Gala: Brave New World, producing 25 private Zoom rooms, each with their own custom videos for New World Symphony’s top donors and VIPs.

Every unique program featured performances by premier musical artists; tailored remarks by New World Symphony’s Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Gala Chairs, Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil; Q&A experiences with special guests; and more.

The hour-long receptions were hosted concurrently while the global audience enjoyed individualized content, vibrant conversations, and champagne with friends before viewing the World Premiere of a film produced by Maestro Tilson Thomas.

Empire was proud to work with New World Symphony to keep the arts and entertainment alive before and enduring this pandemic. The premiere film, Anything is Possible, A New World Story, produced by New World Symphony’s Michael Tilson Thomas, was available for viewing for 72 hours following the Gala.  

Empire is a leading producer of virtual and hybrid events. We strive to deliver the same high production value and immersive interactive qualities we are known for in live events to virtual and hybrid audiences.

Bandai’s “Kamen Rider” remains one of the most popular metaseries in Japan, with annual reincarnations of the insect-motif masked superhero battling supervillains in an action-packed world. On February 10, Bandai crossed over into the fashion world launching “HENSHIN by KAMEN RIDER”, a new clothing line themed on the legendary Tokusatsu franchise.

Bandai, with the help of Empire, was responsible for the brand's online launch with a unique virtual pop-up experience. Using Empire's customizable Virtual Platform, customers were transported to the powerful 3D futuristic world of HENSHIN. With just a click, customers had the ability to move around the digital space and access to immersive promotional videos and limited edition sneakers and fashion line-ups.

Empire’s “Virtual Platform” is a highly immersive virtual space that can be used for any event including from pop-ups, exhibitions, and virtual seminars.

Official website:
https://henshin-k.bandai.co.jp/

Virtual pop-up store:
https://henshin-k.in3sixty.com/

©Ishimori Pro, Toei

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For years, CES has marked the start of a new year, setting the tone for the industry with inspirational innovations and influential insights. Rather than taking over Las Vegas, CES 2021 was an all-digital experience for the first time. Over the course of four days in January, Panasonic shared their latest innovations and services worldwide and held their own hybrid event, “CES 2021 Panasonic in Tokyo”.

Panasonic, with the help of Empire, designed and launched a special event site and user experience through online seminars, where customers had an inside look at Panasonic Group's latest innovations and services. Interested parties, whether attending virtually or physically, then had an opportunity to connect with the developers through virtual one-on-one meetings or at the exhibition hall, where all the innovations were showcased.

Empire worked with Panasonic to formulate the comprehensive user experience including the concept, planning, design, and production of the special event site, registration site, as well as edit video content and provide on-site technical production, coordination, staging, direction, and livestreaming of each seminar.

We are proud to once again work with Panasonic and continue to act as a leader in producing global IT events.

CES 2021 Panasonic in Tokyo: https://www.panasonic.com/jp/ces2021

CES 2021 Panasonic in Tokyo Teaser: https://youtu.be/R0y3Ah01EYM

MediaLink and its partners teamed up with Empire to deliver personalized insight experiences to high-level executives virtually attending this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the second week of January 2021.

Empire worked closely with MediaLink to design and build the user-friendly virtual platform to host over 1,000 executives, marketers, and media industry professionals who look to MediaLink each year to maximize their experience at CES.

The bespoke virtual platform hosted trend sessions, board room meetings, CES-related programming, and breakout sessions over the course of the multi-day virtual conference for industry leaders to network and meet.

One of the innovative design features created for this proprietary, branded virtual conference center was a meeting lobby where attendees would show up for pre-scheduled meetings in dedicated spaces. Additionally, a virtual concierge could also place attendees into meetings in real time, curating networking and orchestrating market-making. The MediaLink Hub was also created to allow easy access for registered CES attendees.

Global brand partners tuned in for live programming that featured interactive question & answer capabilities enabling session hosts to field questions from the virtual audience in real time. In breakout sessions, media and brand partners experienced deep-dive panel discussions and engaging presentations on cutting-edge consumer technology, industry trends, and more.

Leading up to and on event days, Empire’s team of producers, creatives, and technical directors managed platform content, media, and livestreams, oversaw sessions, and handled troubleshooting for active attendees.

Empire was thrilled to work with MediaLink and is a proud producer of virtual, hybrid, and live leadership conferences, experiential marketing events, and more.

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Schmidt Futures and the Social Science Research Council hosted the Futures Forum on Preparedness to bring together health, science, and policy leaders from across the globe to debut groundbreaking research on the global COVID-19 response, reimagine the future of public health, and generate innovative, interdisciplinary solutions.

The highly informative program included six keynotes, numerous panels, one-on-one conversations with top public health leaders, and remarks by Schmidt Futures Co-Founders Eric and Wendy Schmidt. Notable speakers included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization; Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Former President, World Bank Group; Dr. Fareed Zakaria, Host, CNN; U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME); Dr. George Gao, Director-General, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Vivek Murthy, Co-Chair of President-Elect Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board and former U.S. Surgeon General; and Dr. Matthew Hepburn, Vaccine Development Lead, Operation Warp Speed; among others.

Working on an accelerated timeline, and entirely remotely, Empire’s team of producers, creatives, and technical directors supported Schmidt Futures and the Social Science Research Council, handling logistics for more than 50 participants from around the world, technical production, and livestream broadcast into a Zoom webinar.

Schmidt Futures is a philanthropic initiative that bets early on exceptional people making the world better. The Social Science Research Council aims to foster innovative research, nurture new generations of social scientists, and mobilize necessary knowledge on important public issues.

Empire is honored to work with Schmidt Futures and support its critical mission.

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Empire was proud to partner with Every Mother Counts to produce their LoveEMC benefit. It was a special evening of community and camaraderie in support of EMC’s programs that help improve access to safe and respectful maternity care for every mother, everywhere.

Celebrating EMC’s 10-year anniversary, this virtual event was hosted by New York City’s stand-up comedian, Erin Jackson, with moving remarks by EMC’s CEO and Founder, Christy Turlington Burns. It featured special musical performances by Feist, who sang an acoustic version of “Human Touch,” the iconic Patti Smith and her daughter Jesse Paris Smith, who sang “Wing,” and all-female supergroup Latin Grammy-winners, Flor de Toloache, with their hits, “Indestructible” and “Our Love.”

In an extraordinarily challenging year, the program featured EMC’s “Delivering Hope” film series which took guests on a journey to understand and honor maternal health heroes from some of the countries where EMC works. It also showed a raw, hard-hitting, and passionate look at Birth Justice, grounded in the Black Lives Matter uprising of 2020.

From the incredible performances, moving video content, and powerful remarks, there were text to pledge moments to solicit donations as well as the launch of their silent auction hosted by Sotheby’s, which inspired the audience to give generously.

Empire worked in partnership with EMC to produce the high-level virtual experience, including shaping the run-of-show, developing original video packages, graphics, and animations, recording speakers and performances, editing all content, and managing the technical delivery of the livestream.

Empire was honored to work with EMC and support their mission to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, everywhere. To learn more and donate to EMC, please visit everymothercounts.org.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual fundraising events.​

Empire was honored to produce The Nutrition for Growth Year of Action Program Launch. The Governments of Canada and Bangladesh, in partnership with Japan and supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, invited the global nutrition community to convene and kick off a year of milestone events to refocus and recommit to good nutrition.

Hosted by Elizabeth Nyamayaro, former United Nations Senior Adviser on Gender Equality, over 20 speakers from 14 countries in both the public and private sectors joined the moderated discussion and presentation to champion nutrition and sustainable development. These thought leaders assembled to represent the diversity of cultures, perspectives, and fields committed to unlocking global progress.

Featured speakers in today’s program included The Honorable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, Canada; The Honorable Zahid Maleque, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh;  Assistant Minister Ono Keiichi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan; Henriette Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF;  Mamta Murthi, Vice President for Human Development, The World Bank; Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Joel Spicer, President & CEO, Nutrition International; and Andrew Morley, CEO World Vision International, among others.

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Empire was honored to be selected by New York Public Radio (NYPR) to produce a series of three virtual events to support NYPR’s programming. For the first event, Empire collaborated with NYPR to produce the inaugural Lehrer Prize for Community Well-Being, which was established in honor of Peabody Award-winning host Brian Lehrer for his 30^th anniversary on-air with WNYC.

The Lehrer Prize aims to recognize a standout idea, individual, effort, or group that contributed meaningfully to improving the quality of life in the New York City region. During the program, Mr. Lehrer featured three award nominees, each with their remarkable story told through a mini-documentary video followed by a live conversation with Mr. Lehrer through Zoom. The 2020 award nominees included Allison James-Frison, Founder of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., which helps girls ages 6 to 16 in the Newark area achieve sustainable health and happiness early on in their lives; Pedro Rodriguez, Executive Director of La Jornada, a food pantry in Queens which scaled up during the pandemic despite the risks to feed 10,000 families per month; and the winner of the Lehrer Prize, Heather Butts, Co-Founder and Executive Director of H.E.A.L.T.H. for Youths, whose attention is on the imperative need for wholistic approaches to healthy living, especially focused on young adults 18-21 who’ve grown out of foster care, public schools, and other support systems.

The program was emceed by WQXR host, Terrance McKnight, and included a special conversation with chef and humanitarian, José Andrés, Founder of World Central Kitchen; remarks from Goli Sheikholeslami, President and CEO of New York Public Radio; a musical performance by Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, President and Founder of Music Kitchen, with Pianist Donna Weng Friedman; and an upbeat “Thank You” montage comprised of video submissions featuring the many faces of show hosts from sister stations WNYC and WQXR radio.

Empire collaborated with NYPR on the production of the program, and scripted and produced the mini-documentary videos highlighting the work of the three award nominees. The mix of pre-recorded and live segments was streamed through NYPR’s studio The Greene Space to a Lehrer Prize event page, designed and built by Empire for the virtual event and hosted on the New York Public Radio website.

Empire is a proud producer of virtual, hybrid, and live programs and fundraisers, thought leadership conferences, experiential marketing events, and more. Click here to make a donation to New York Public Radio.

Empire was overjoyed to work with the Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of New York once again to help produce the 75th annual Cardinal’s Christmas Celebration held virtually this holiday season. The evening highlighted their many programs that support underserved women and children over the holidays and throughout each year.

The evening was hosted by Rosanna Scotto, Host, FOX 5 NY News, and featured festive choir performances by Saint Raymond Elementary Junior Choir and Young People's Chorus of New York City; remarks from Catherine Kinney, Luncheon Chair, Cardinal’s Christmas Celebration; Francis La Salla, Corporate Chair, Cardinal’s Christmas Celebration; Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; and His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York; and a heartfelt tribute to the late Mary Higgins Clark, author, philanthropist, and dear friend of Catholic Charities.

Typically, the annual celebration is held as a luncheon chaired by Mary, whose passing this year left many bereft in an already challenging year. Dedicated in Loving Memory, the program included stories about her life and achievements through the lens of her son and daughter, Dave and Patricia Clark. Additional contributions from her granddaughter, Elizabeth Clark, and Former Assistant, Nadine Petry, illustrated Mary’s empathy for the women and children served by Catholic Charities, and the importance of her faith.

Empire wrote, directed, and produced the Mary Higgins Clark tribute video and five other feature videos in addition to producing the overall gala, including the Saint Raymond Elementary Junior Choir performances; the Catholic Charities Youth Programs Montage, narrated by Philip Dorian, Director of Agency Relations, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; and the Catholic Charities Good Counsel Homes video, narrated by Christopher Bell, President & Founder, Good Counsel Homes, which featured moving testimonies from three current residents; and Jazmine Cherry, Case Manager, Good Counsel Homes.

The St. Nicholas Project video highlighted Catholic Charities’ work providing resources to recipients in need, which included testimonials from Mr. and Mrs. Esquivel and former recipients and volunteers of the Project, before leading into a text-to-pledge appeal by Jason and James Togba, brothers served by Catholic Charities Alianza Youth Services.

To close this beautiful program, His Eminence read The Birth of Christ as is Luncheon tradition. Students from St. John Chrysostom School reenacted the Christmas Tableau in the emotional feature video while wearing face coverings as the Cardinal narrated, reflecting the severe change in social-norms over the course of this year. The Nativity Scene faded into a closing choir performance of Silent Night, and the program ended with a digital donor scroll and tribute pages.

Empire is a proud event producer of galas and benefits, specializing in virtual and socially distanced on location video production, project management, virtual platform design, and more.

Empire was honored to produce the livestream program for the Greenberg Prize to End Blindness, a joint effort by leading scientists and figures from the worlds of business, politics, culture, art, music, and entertainment to rid the world of blindness.

Founded by Sanford and Susan Greenberg, the evening marked the culmination of years of challenging scientific work and celebrated thirteen doctors and researchers for their contributions to permanently and universally eradicate blindness. Their breathtaking advances were spotlighted through a series of powerful videos illustrating their discoveries and innovations as well as their impact both locally and worldwide.

In addition to the Visionary Prize and Outstanding Achievement winners, participants included writer Margaret Atwood; former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore; Founder and Chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties, Jerry I. Speyer; three-term Mayor of New York City, The Honorable Michael Bloomberg; United States Senator, Chris Coons; artist, Frank Stella; Nobel Laureate, Richard Axel; and Grammy Award-winners, Art Garfunkel and Diane Schuur.

The program also featured a moving tribute to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with footage of Justice Ginsburg reading from Sanford D. Greenberg's memoir, 'Hello Darkness, My Old Friend' and a recitation of remarks Justice Ginsburg was planning to deliver at the event.

Empire is honored to have teamed with executive producer Sanford Greenberg in creating the overall program, shaping the run-of-show, and writing a moving script, as well as coordinating speakers and talent logistics and managing overall visual design, original video packages, graphics and animations, editing, captioning for all guests, and the technical delivery of the livestream and website.  

For this expansive project, Empire and Sanford Greenberg collaborated with various partners including High10 Media, Pressure Creative, Presidential writer Jake Maccoby, and many others.

Empire is a leading content producer of virtual, broadcast, and livestream productions as well as distinguished awards and recognition programs.

To learn more visit: https://endblindness2020.com

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With the help of Empire, the fourth and final episode of the 2020 Unfinished Live digital series streamed live to an international audience. This final episode focused on the questions of “What is possible now?”, “What does a moral nation do?”, “Who do we want to be?”, “What are you protecting?”, and “What's a question that changed your life?” Writer, artist, and activist Baratunde Thurston again served as host live from Los Angeles.

The audience was invited to contemplate and connect with culture-shapers, impact leaders, change-makers, and artists for a fast-paced hour of live segments, dynamic films, showcased lived experience, creative expression, and real-world candor. Through conversations, exchanges, and roundtable discussions, experts joined everyday voices in a nuanced exploration of possibility and discovery.

Featured speakers for episode four included singer, songwriter, and musician, Bruce Springsteen; Black Futures Lab Principal, Alicia Garza; artist, poet, and chef, Precious Okoyomon; Serpentine Galleries Artistic Director, Hans Ulrich Obrist; playwright, actress , and professor, Anna Deavere Smith; Chairmanand CEO of Unfinished, Frank McCourt; Creative Producer, Director and ED of Sankofa.org, Gina Belafonte; Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer of Unfinished, Alison McCauley; photographer, artist, and education worker, Bayeté Ross Smith; and President of Unfinished Labs, Braxton Woodham.

Unfinished Live has partnered with an unparalleled, impact-driven partner network to create both the series and the impact platform (see below), including The Aspen Institute, The Shed, For Freedoms, Ford Foundation, Imperative 21, Ashoka, Georgetown University, MilM2, McCourt, and PolicyLink.

Empire is proud to serve as producer of this important series, managing the development and production of each episode as well as the overall project.

About Unfinished

Unfinished ​is an impact network and media platform devoted to the simple idea that if we open our minds and create the space for possibilities, we can advance powerful solutions to the most critical challenges of our time. By tapping into the power of communities, creative media, and new technology, we connect thought leaders, culture-shapers, policy-makers, and innovators to provoke ideas, elevate unheard voices, and pursue collaborations for greater impact.

To learn more visit: https://unfinished.com/

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Over the course of three days, Empire Japan (Tokyo) and Empire US (LA) had the opportunity to collaborate with Eurasia Group. Together, they produced the GZERO Summit, an annual event that brings together top global speakers and business leaders. This summit features wide-ranging discussions on the most pressing issues shaping our leaderless GZERO world. For the first time ever, the event was held in a fully remote, online format.

Over 1,500 participants registered for the event to listen to panel and roundtable discussions on a wide range of topics including how COVID-19 has drastically changed the state of the world. Special guests from Japan included Hiroshi Kajiyama, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Taro Kono, Minister in Charge of Administrative Reform; and Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of State for Economic Revitalization. From abroad, illustrious names such as Eric Schmidt, Former CEO and Executive Chairman, Google; Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, Canada; and Kevin Rudd, 26th Prime Minister of Australia, graced us with their presence during the live event.

Empire teams worked with Eurasia Group to identify and customize the event platform, manage registration, FAQ and Zen desk, speaker advance, video production in Tokyo, and production of all panel discussions live at our in-house LA Studio. This ambitious gathering of more than 60 speakers, over the course of three days across eight separate sessions, was a huge success.

To learn more, visit: https://www.gzerosummit.com

As the business environment has changed, companies are being forced to rethink the way they are organized. How do we reconnect with our customers, partners, employees, and communities in this new way of life? Salesforce hosted a virtual conference entitled “Salesforce Live” to address these issues and more.

This virtual conference offered discussions and opportunities about the future of business and introduced case studies of leading companies that are transforming their businesses and organizations.

Empire worked closely with Salesforce to develop and produce the opening session of the virtual conference. Using a motion tracking system to link a CG space in real-time, Empire created a virtual national park where Shinichi Koide, Chairman, President and CEO, Salesforce Japan, gave his welcoming speech.

Empire was responsible for the overall CG production, directing, filming, and editing. We are proud to have worked with Salesforce once again and continue to act as a leader in producing virtual events.​

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