When Korea’s KDB Daewoo Securities needed a breakthrough concept for their marketing campaign, they turned to Empire's Tokyo-based Division.Empire Entertainment, working together with KDB’s agency, proposed artist and photographer Alexa Meade as the ideal solution for their needs. PBS said the following of Alexa “In some ways, artist Alexa Meade is a traditional figure painter. But she works on an unusual canvas: the actual human body. And she takes a classical concept — trompe l'oeil, the art of making a two-dimensional representation look three-dimensional — and turns it on its head. Her aim is to do the opposite, to collapse depth and make her living models into flat pictures." Using her unique painting technique, Alexa delivered a truly attention-grabbing commercial and set of campaign materials, which KDB successfully leveraged for their through-the-line campaign. Empire developed the creative concept for the advertising campaign together with Alexa, and also provided rights management and talent management services on this project. Empire is a leading producer and source of talent and creative elements for major commercial campaigns worldwide. Past Empire commercial projects have included work for clients ranging from Samsung, EA Sports and Asahi.

Empire Entertainment once again had the pleasure of producing the 6th annual Internet Week New York festival, which featured hundreds of events around New York City from May 20 -23, 2013. IWNY returned to Metropolitan Pavilion and the Altman Building for the festival’s headquarters, the location for 2010 and 2011.

With more than 10,000 visitors over the week and hundreds of companies represented, including Google, AT&T Adworks, MLB Advanced Media and Aereo, the space was strategically organized to create more intimate spaces, including two stages, a classroom and a lounge furnished by official design partner Design Within Reach.

Highlights of the week included:· The opening day party at Internet Week HQ featuring Performances by HITS and DJ sets from The Juan Maclean, Benji B and Brendan Fallis· A keynote presentation by Vice Media Founder Shane Smith and former MTV CEO Tom Freston· Keynote presentation by Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times, who answered the question “When Everybody’s a Reporter, What’s a Reporter to Do?”· Surprise appearance by Fred Armisen who had a sit-down conversation with NYC comedian and covered everything from SNL to zoo animals to brunch, with a little bit of Internet thrown in the mix.· Joan Rivers’ brutally honest conversation about the Internet’s impact on comedy, the role Twitter is playing in her career and her entry into producing short-form wed video.· Randi Zuckerberg sat down to talk about her growing media empire, her vision for the future and her passion for helping people untangle their modern wired lives.· Architect David Rockwell shared his thoughts on how to create new experiences through interactive environments and the increasingly dynamic role technology plays in design today.

The festival again include activations in two separate theatre spaces to accommodate longer presentations and conferences. Taking place in the Altman Building, Mediapost held two daylong conferences, OMMA Social and OMMA Data Driven Marketing. CM Summit hosted their 2-day conference on bridging data and humanity. On the 2nd floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion, the second theater hosted #Twitter4Brands Conference and AdAge’s Marketing and Technology Summit.

Empire oversaw the 6th Annual Internet Week New York festival headquarters from conception to completion, coordinating registration for the thousands of guests, stage management and producing all of the presentations in the theater and on both HQ stages, and managing the event sponsors from the design process for their footprints in the space and all of their needs from load-in to load-out.

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

For the second year in a row , MTV Tr3s joined forces with Empire Entertainment to help them produce their annual Upfront. This year the event took place at one of NYC’s landmark entertainment venues, Webster Hall.

Hosted by José Guillermo and Rafael Vazquez of Circo Hermanos Vazquez, this event wowed and amazed attendees with both spectacular stage performances and talent roaming the floors. As a finalé to the presentation reggaeton and hip hop star Daddy Yankee performed his hits to an exhilarated crowd, setting the upbeat tone on the dance floor for the rest of the eveningEmpire transformed the venue into a symbol of the brand’s bilingual and multicultural appeal through Tr3s’ new show, Circo.

With a host of stilt dancers, contortionists, fire-eaters, snake charmers, acro-balancers and strongmen, combined with creative technical, scenic and decorative production, Empire successfully turned Webster Hall into a Mexican-themed circus.

Once the stage was set and the ambiance achieved, guests were given a preview of what is to come next for the hit television network. Featured programming included Familia de Circo, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at a forty-year old family circus led by five Mexican brothers. The Divas Del Azucar jumped out of a cake to present their reality series - Bakers for the Stars. Also announced was that the Unplugged series will showcase Ricardo Arjona as he does stripped-down acoustic performances. Colorful uplights and authentic décor accents completed the aesthetic, giving guests a transporting experience in a well-known venue. Mexican food was passed and the open bar kept drinks flowing freely. On an evening in New York City when many competing Upfronts were taking place, guests packed Webster Hall to capacity to enjoy Tr3's much-anticipated party. From conception to execution, the client’s objective and vision was achieved in every aspect throughout the seamless event. Strong partnerships with Webster Hall and Empire’s trusted vendors and crew led to the precise implementation of the event creative and plan. Empire is a leading producer of Upfront events with a strong track record of producing major events for multicultural audiences and clients with diverse consumers.

In its 17 years, The Webby Awards has become the internet's single most important annual event, celebrating achievements within the world's most dynamic and fast-growing industry. Equally important, the Webbys documents the creative culture of innovation that is rapidly remaking our ever-more interconnected world. At this year's Webby Awards, web achievements by celebrities including Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Spacey, and Ben Stiller, were celebrated alongside accomplishments of President Obama’s tech team, GIF creator Steve Wilhite, NASA’s Mars Curiosity team, and others.To begin the evening, guests enjoyed Cipriani’s famed Bellinis while networking across the street at The Museum of American Finance.

When it was time for the main event, attendees crossed Wall Street for the dinner and the show.Patton Oswalt served as host for the second straight year, and began the show noting that “50 percent of Internet bandwidth goes to Netflix and YouTube, another 49 percent goes to porn. And that last 1 percent is what we’re here to talk about today.”Consistent with tradition, it was the Webbys renowned 5-word acceptance speeches that stole the show. Steve Wilhite, accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award for inventing the GIF, cleared up an age-old internet mystery, with his 5 word video acceptance that spelled it out for the audience “It’s pronounced ‘JIF’ not ‘GIF”.Some winners used their five words to more poignant effect, with Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (“Athlete of the Year”) telling viewers to “Treat others with empathy,” and another winner, referring to the legalizing of gay marriage stated “equality…..38 states to go.” Others treated the moment lightly: Ben Stiller, accepting with two other members of the “Burning Love” cast, was introduced jokingly by his colleagues as “Beyoncé”, and he simply said “gracias.”

The evening also featured many humorous videos as well as a brief performance by Tanlines. The most anticipated moment of the night came from comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld. Receiving the award for Outstanding Comedic Performance. He summed up what many think about the Webby tradition saying “Why five words? It doesn’t……” but then waved his hands at the audience in mock frustration, before exiting the stage.But Seinfeld’s question may have been answered earlier in the evening, when Kevin Spacey, receiving a Special Achievement Award for his work in “House of Cards”, said of his brief speech: “The Oscars should do this.”This was the 9th consecutive year that Empire Entertainment has produced the Webby Awards. Empire was responsible for nearly every element of the event including the cocktail reception at The Museum of American Finance, the red carpet and step & repeat, the video lounge where winners recorded their five word speeches, permitting & tenting, registration, signage, talent wrangling, technical production, and stage management. Empire was also responsible for producing the after-party at Amnesia NYC. Together with an A-list team of partners including creative directors Andrew Fried and Tommy Kail, set designer David Korins, talent coordinator Lesley Roy and others. Empire was proud to execute what many called the best Webby’s yet.

Empire is one of the internet industry’s leading event producers.

Founded over 60 years ago with the purpose of making great opera available to a modern, wide-reaching audience, the New York City Opera is one of New York’s leading cultural institutions. In April 2013, the New York City Opera chose the occasion of the premiere of La Périchole for its annual gala and Empire was honored to serve as the Gala producer.

La Périchole is a madcap comic opera loosely based on the life of a Peruvian street-singer who maintains a love triangle between the Spanish viceroy and her true love and fellow street-singer. The gala began with a Peruvian-themed pre-show cocktail reception at New York City Center.

The reception featured a gallery of printed images of Peruvian textiles and Peruvian floral arrangements and linen patterns. Following the performance, guests made their way to the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel for a French-themed dinner dance. In this grand space, Empire worked with the Plaza Hotel and Great Performances catering to create an elegant environment to complement the French menu. The Avalon Jazz Band played onstage throughout the evening. At one point New York City Opera’s General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel took the stage to deliver remarks and to introduce performances by some of the evening’s lead performers which included a rendition of Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose. The evening’s gala was generously sponsored by American Airlines, Van Cleef & Arpels, Clos du Val and Bellavista.

Empire was responsible for venue coordination, technical production, décor and design, coordination of catering, ground transportation, security, staffing and stage management for both events.

Empire is proud to serve many of New York’s leading cultural institutions including the New York City Opera.

For the fifth consecutive year Empire Entertainment was chosen to produce the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Chaplin Award Tribute. This year's Gala, the 40th annual, honored one of the motion picture industry’s most celebrated and enduring superstars – the incomparable Barbra Streisand.The Film Society's Tribute Gala began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the United States from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's most visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks among others.With a sold out house, frenzied media attention, and Streisand’s own legendary attention to detail in the pursuit of perfection, the stakes were high to deliver a flawless evening.

The evening began with an elegant cocktail reception in the promenade before the guests moved inside Alice Tully Hall for the program. The all-star tribute began with a video of previous Chaplin Award honorees, followed by remarks from the Film Society of Lincoln Center Board Chair Ann Tenenbaum and Executive Director, Rose Kuo.The tribute included a series of remarks interspersed by film clips of Streisand’s motion picture work, both in front of and behind the camera. The presenters for the tribute included past Chaplin Award honorees Catherine Deneuve & Michael Douglas, George Segal, Alan Bergman (who offered a musical tribute to the tune of “The Way We Were”), Kris Kristofferson, Amy Irving, Pierce Brosnan, Blythe Danner and Fockers Co-Star, Ben Stiller.This year’s Tribute also featured a series of extraordinary musical tributes including Wynton Marsalis performing “Hello Dolly,” Liza Minnelli performing "What Did I Have That I Don't Have Now," and Tony Bennett performing “Smile” which was composed by Charlie Chaplin himself and used in the soundtrack to his 1936 film “Modern Times.”

As the final presenter of the evening, President Bill Clinton, who attended with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, delivered heartfelt remarks and then presented Barbra Streisand with the Chaplin Award. Barbra Streisand then delivered her acceptance remarks while all of the evening's presenters stood by her side.The program was followed by a seated dinner at the David H. Koch theater's spectacular second-floor promenade overlooking the fountain in the Plaza of Lincoln Center. The evening raised over $2 million for the Film Society, easily breaking the previous record. At the dinner, Barbra Streisand was asked by cabaret singer Ann Hampton Callaway to sum up the evening in one word. Her choice – “Glorious.”For this year’s tribute Empire served as the producer, working with director Richard Jay-Alexander, Writer Jon Macks, Musical Director Kevin Stites and Lighting Designer Matt Berman. Empire was responsible for creative and production design, talent & presenter coordination, technical production, television facilities, script, stage management and overall oversight of the production of the Tribute.To learn more about the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award and its programs, visit www.filmlinc.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is honored to have had the opportunity to work with one of the world’s greatest talents – Barbra Streisand.

AMC hosted its first-ever Upfront event at the 69th Regiment Armory in a format that was anything but ordinary. As a reflection of the newly-launched tagline “Something More,” AMC and Empire collaborated to create something much more than a typical upfront experience. Opting for an immersive, interactive experience, rather than a typical presentation format, the network and Empire created an environment that literally transported guests inside the worlds of its groundbreaking shows.

A forest full of Walking Dead-like zombies, a functioning meth lab akin to Breaking Bad, and a Venice Beach freak show full of the sword-swallowing, fire-breathing stars of Freak Show were just a few of the experiences within the labyrinthine event. Upon arrival, guests were greeted with champagne and walked down a meandering hallway of illuminated show posters displaying AMC’s extensive slate of original programming. At the end of the hallway, fog rolled out from a draped doorway, and guests stepped into a chilling nighttime forest scene - on one side an overrun campsite, on the other, a rattling shack full of moaning “walkers.” Hunting parties of disheveled survivors would run by suggesting guests go left or right to safety helping to determine the pathway of their experience. Stepping through the next draped opening, guests found themselves in a tent town on a vast prairie, a space designed to echo the 1867 setting of the series Hell on Wheels. To the left, three surly men played a round of poker, while prostitutes in a tent across the way cat-called at passersby. Sounds of blowing wind, and the occasional train whistle along with smells of whiskey, hay, and dirt rounded out the experience.Through another palate cleanser, and another draped entryway, guests walked into a local talent competition set in a YourTown, USA theater. Here, variety acts performed all manner of humorous and inspiring acts, demonstrating the look and feel of AMC’s new unscripted show, “Showville,” where small towns hold local talent competitions and award the winner $10,000 prizes.

Continuing on, guests found themselves walking down a long hallway with fluorescent overhead light and ceiling tiles. Reminiscent of the hallways of Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Price from Mad Men, advertisements from the late 1950s and 60s adorned the walls, and every so often, a secretary dressed in period attire would rush down the hall warning “Mr. Swanson is in a terrible mood today!” Around the corner, guests found themselves in the bustling creative office of a 1967 advertising agency. Creative Directors dressed in period attire stood smoking, brainstorming period campaigns and offering guests whiskey from the bar cart. Continuing on, around the next corner, guests entered into a carnival-esque room, wrapped in red velvet drape and topped with a striped black and white ceiling. Large banners adorned the walls, warning of the “Great Spider Woman,” “Gorilla Girl,” and “Voodoo Mysteries.” From a drum stage, actual cast members of “Freak Show” performed phenomenal acts of sword swallowing, fire breathing, and contortion, while America’s tallest man, George Bell, who is 7’8” tall stood by to meet and greet attendees.

The final stop through the AMC network brought guests in to a “functioning” meth lab, where workers in yellow Tyvek suits prepared the drugs on an industrial scale and then smashed up and bagged blue “meth” rock candy for guests to take home with them. In between each space, guests were served cocktails and hors d’eouvres, and had the opportunity to enter the main, central party space to mix and mingle. Here, the message was simple: AMC, Something More. Tufted black leather couches with gold detailing, black carpet, and 100’ high ceilings with dramatic uplight set the tone of the affair. An abundance of food stations from steak carving to dim sum offered guests a multitude of delicious culinary options. In this main space, AMC President and General Manager, Charlie Collier led a brief presentation stating: “We just have two goals in mind—celebrate (our) brand and thanking you with a real AMC experience.” Following the presentation, the stars of each show descended upon the crowd to converse with guests and partake in numerous photo ops.

As guests left smiling, it was clear that AMC had succeeded in its mission to present the AMC brand in an original and unexpected manner. An industry veteran, working in events for 10 years stated: “Hands down, this is the coolest event I have ever seen!” Empire worked closely with the AMC Ad Sales Marketing and Communications teams as well as executive management for over six months to develop and refine this ground-breaking upfront concept. Empire was responsible for details including venue acquisition, layout and room design, design and décor for each of the spaces, staging, sound, lighting, furnishings, carpet, catering, technical production, casting, costuming, script development and the curating of each space to accurately reflect each series represented.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative Upfronts and other critical business-to-business events.

On Friday, April 19, Empire Entertainment produced the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards Finalists Breakfast. Taking place in the beautiful ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, the newly blossoming Central Park foliage set the backdrop for the morning.Kicking off the announcements and hosting the event was Christine Baranski, known for her work in The Good Wife, Mamma Mia, and The Birdcage. Adding some morning humor and her own flair to the event, Christine announced finalists for several categories, including Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year and Bath and Body Line of the Year.Guests dined on delicious breakfast offerings from the Mandarin Oriental catering team while eagerly anticipating the announcement of the finalists for the premiere category of Fragrance of the Year. The winner of this category was announced at the 2013 Fragrance Foundation Awards on June 12, 2013, which Empire Entertainment also produced.During the stage presentation, the Empire team swiftly worked with a display merchandiser to transform the ballroom foyer in to a chic and surprise display of the Fragrance of the Year finalists bottles. Upon event departure, guests were encouraged to sample the select and esteemed fragrances.Empire Entertainment served as the overall production company for the Finalists Breakfast, managing all aspects of the event including stage decor, AV management, decor supervision, stage and show management, script writing, signage, and catering management.

When event designer, Thomas Noel received a request from his Russian client for an internationally-known musical performance at his upcoming wedding in Monte Carlo, he turned to Empire Entertainment to secure the perfect artist.Taking place at the Sporting Club of Monte Carlo, facing the Mediterranean, the wedding performance would have to be a magical experience equal to the spectacular setting. With that vision in mind, Empire set about securing the always-elegant superstar, Seal, to perform to this very special celebration.With talent secured, Empire worked closely with the EDI team, Seal, and local vendors to ensure that all international logistical and technical elements were advanced properly. This included working out the timing of the performance perfectly, to follow a precisely-timed fireworks display.As guests marveled at fireworks overhead, their attention was diverted while Seal took the stage and began his extraordinary set for the delighted wedding guests, bride and groom.

Throughout the 90 minute performance, Seal sang his hits such “Kiss From a Rose,” “Don’t Cry,” “Crazy,” “My Vision,” and “Love’s Divine,” frequently wading into the dancing audience, and inviting guests up to the stage to dance along the band, and the happy newlyweds.Another highlight of Seal’s performance were songs from his two recent Soul albums, including classic’s such as Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and “Here I Am (Come And Take Me)” and Teddy Pendergrass’ “Love TKO.” Immediately following his set, Seal participated in a meet & greet with close friends and family of the bride and groom. For this incredible event, Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical elements for Seal, as well as working with the design team to coordinate all production elements, schedules and layouts. Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of talent for private events and celebrations around the world and has presented events large and small throughout the French Riviera.

Earlier this year, Japan's No.1 beer, "Asahi Super Dry", wanted their new advertising campaign to reflect the power and dynamism of the brand. To accomplish this they turned to Empire Entertainment Japan as their producer and Empire enlisted award-winning action filmmaker John Woo to direct the commercial campaign. Woo is the director of such action movies as "Face Off", "Mission Impossible II" and "Red Cliff."The campaign would feature one of Japan's biggest artists, Masaharu Fukuyama, and his newly released single "Get The Groove" - which shot to number one on the single charts in Japan following the release of the campaign.John Woo's production team on this project included Japanese set designer Yohei Taneda, well known for his work on films such as “Kill Bill”, and cinematographer Mauro Fiore, who won the Academy Award for his cinematography work on “Avatar.”Empire Entertainment produced this major project - under the guidance of Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Theodore Miller - in collaboration with Hakuhodo and Ridley Scott Associates.Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of notable directors, actors and creative resources for advertising, industrial video and brand marketing projects worldwide. In addition to John Woo, Empire has delivered directors including Michael Bay, George Lucas, Judd Apatow, Spike Lee, and Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) for past projects.