Since 1997, event designer Colin Cowie has called upon Empire Entertainment to stage and produce A-list talent and superior audio/visual for many of the events he designs worldwide. This time, Empire was asked to provide even more support, executing not only technical production and talent handling but also implementing details of Colin Cowie's exceptional creative vision. Each year, Cosmopolitan honors a select group of women in the entertainment industry at their Fun Fearless Females luncheon and awards show. For Cosmo's 40th anniversary year, they decided instead to honor their favorite men including Josh Duhamel (Win a Date with Tad Hamilton), Kevin Bacon (Footloose), Simon Cowell (American Idol), Ben McKenzie (star of FOX's hit series "The O. C.") and David Spade (Saturday Night Live).

Colin Cowie turned what is traditionally a conventional awards luncheon for 400 into a fabulously classy and exciting spectacle. Upon arrival, guests were lead past 20' high black velour drapes which completely shrouded the dining area. During cocktails, guests enjoyed Cipriani's signature white peach Bellini's and passed hors d'oeuvres while ogling celebrity honorees as they were interviewed by Access Hollywood and other media behind a one-way black scrim, which created a voyeuristic thrill and conversation piece for star-struck guests who could see in, while the celebrities working the red carpet could not see out. Dramatic music signaled the grand reveal of the dining room as the drapes opened for guests to take their seats. The greatest set piece and stunner was a 70' long, raised, white catwalk emblazoned with "COSMOPOLITAN" in thick red letters, slicing down the center of a dining floor filled with elegant, long black tables laid out with sculptural red floral orbs on top of Pucci silk runners in vivid swirls of red, black and white.

The awards show itself was equally as compelling as the event's design. After welcoming remarks from Cosmo's Editor, Kate White, and Publisher, Donna Lagani, sexy rapper Traci Swain and songstress Kelly Levesque took to the stage to perform a specially written duet for the honorees. Appearing at the start of his custom serenade, each Fun Fearless male strut his stuff atop the white catwalk through a room full of gasping young female clients. Specially produced video segments and music kept the show's energy level high until the end.

Empire was responsible for coordinating production of décor, rentals, staging, lighting, video, sound and logistics. Empire also produced and stage-managed the awards show portion of the event by writing and calling all cues throughout the show as well as hiring the rapper and singer and commissioning the custom music and lyrics through live performance solutions group, LIVELAB. Whether producing a turnkey event or realize a client's vision to their exact specifications, Empire's flexible range of services can be applied to almost every event project.

When ConcentricCommunications, an industry leader in corporate event marketing, trade shows and business meetings sought talent to perform for the Eastman Kodak exhibit space at the 2005 Consumer Electronics show, they tapped one-of-a-kind technology magician Marco Tempest to design a custom illusions performance that showcased a variety of Eastman Kodak products. Working closely with ConcentricCommunications, Marco designed a show that effectively drew in the crowds and captured the audience for his headline, 10-minute stage performance that combined narration, product demonstrations, visuals and amazing illusion mastery.

The show began with a 15-minute countdown of warm up sleight-of-hand magic with three magicians working the trade show floor with close-up magic that teased the stage show that was about to start. ConcentricCommunications designed a clever multi-monitor countdown that ran throughout the exhibit space that built excitement leading up to the show. Marco Tempest then took the stage and commenced a performance set to music in which he narrated messages about the Kodak products and also performed several feats of magic that left the audience awestruck. In one illusion, he passed out a series of Rubics cubes and invited the audience to scramble them however they liked and to return them to Marco on the stage. Marco then proceeded to return all of the cubes to order in just seconds before the very eyes of the audience. If that wasn't enough, Marco then took another scrambled cube and immediately adjusted another to perfectly match the scrambled cube.

In another illusion, Marco invited an audience member to select a card from an imaginary deck and to hold the card in their mind. He then took a photo using a Kodak digital, wireless camera of the audience member holding up the imaginary card and then, moment later, was able to wirelessly transmit the photo of the guest to a plasma monitor onstage, however this image showed the person with the selected card in their hands! For his finalé illusion, Marco took a photo of one of the guests and then invited audience members to select a single puzzle piece from a large box of jumbled puzzle pieces. The audience burst into applause as, time after time, Marco revealed a Kodak digital puzzle image of that audience member with one puzzle piece missing. That piece was, of course, the one that the audience member had selected. When it comes to combining technology with Magic, Marco Tempest is the world's leading technology magician.

In 2004, Empire created a special division to work specifically to address the special needs of not for profits and charitable organizations. Headed by experienced producer Candace Sands, Empire's Not-For-Profit division provides all of Empire's usual services including site selection, event design, decor, talent acquisition and production, but also provides services unique to these events such as sponsorship sales & development, securing donated items and packages for silent and live auctions, and securing in-kind donations and gift bag items. Since its creation last year, Empire's Not-For-Profit division has produced several successful events for a variety of not-for-profit clients.

When Ronald McDonald House sought a producer for their Family Room Concert Benefit at The White Plains Performing Arts Center, Empire rose to the occasion and helped them produce a very successful fundraiser.The event, which was principally sponsored by HBO and attended by more than 400 guests, was hosted by Anthony Haden Guest and emceed by Shon Gables. The event featured both a live auction that was emceed by Rusty Burke, and a silent Auction that raised significant funds through the sale of packages such as:- An HBO Sopranos Package including 2 tickets to the Spring 2005 Premiere and After Party- A 7 day all-inclusive Royal Carribbean Cruise- A NASCAR Top 9 drivers signed posterThe McDonald's Gospel Choir performed an upbeat and inspirational set and was followed by a high energy dance concert with funk legends Kool and the Gang. Kool and the Gang's show included all of their hits such as "Celebration," "Get Down On It," and "Ladies Night."

Empire's Not-For-Profit division is a unique resource for charitable organizations of every size.

Each year the consumer technology industry comes together in early January in Las Vegas for one of the largest trade events in the world, the Consumer Electronics show. At CES, hundreds of companies come to exhibit and announce the latest in new consumer electronics technology. These include every major electronics manufacturer from around the world. Just prior to the opening of the trade exhibit, certain key companies are invited to deliver keynote addresses to attendees, industry colleagues and the press. This year one of the most closely watched players in the industry was again invited to deliver a keynote address to preview their newest products and talk about their future vision for the consumer electronics industry. For this year's keynote, Empire was asked by the presenting company to help secure and manage the appearance of Conan O'Brien, the host of NBC's Late Night, to the company's CEO onstage for the presentation.

This was an especially unusual booking because Conan O'Brien rarely makes personal appearances. For the keynote presentation, held before an audience of 1200 members of the press and dignitaries including Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC, Conan and the executive delivered an upbeat, funny and informative presentation that included an opening monologue, an interview with the executive and demonstrations of many new products and technologies.Conan O'Brien's custom-scripted monologue was hilarious and served to loosen up the crowd. The structured interview covered all of the company's business messages and content yet still managed to remain fun for the audience who enjoyed the onstage chemistry and spontaneous moments of humor and interaction. The product demonstrations provided the audience with a fun look at the products in use, especially when Conan and the executive raced each other on a new electronic game. For this program Empire handled all negotiations, contracting and logistics including flights, accommodations, ground transportation, scheduling and liaison with Conan O'Brien and his writers and producers.

Empire is the leading provider of comedy entertainment for corporate events and are constantly delivering fresh talent for business communications projects of every kind. Conan O'Brien is a uniquely talented host and comedian who will become host of NBC's Tonight Show in 2009.

Musicians on Call is a charitable organization that brings entertainers to the bedsides of patients. This organization, which was founded by music manager Michael Solomon, has strong music industry support and delivers music's power to heal to sick patients.When Musicians on Call sought to produce their first ever benefit event, they called Candace Sands, head of Empire's Not-for-Profit division to help organize their benefit. The event was built around a guitar auction at the world famous Sotheby's Auction house and featured a live auction of guitars and a 40-minute long performance by Grammy Award Winner John Mayer. Candace Sands delivered both cash and in-kind sponsors for the event including HBO, Red Bull, SeaDream Yacht Club, Outback, The Benjamin Hotel, BlackBook Magazine, and Pout Cosmetics among others. She also assisted with the décor, the invitations and evening's program as well as with event logistics and was responsible for all sponsor relations, and coordinated a sponsor meet and greet with John Mayer.

Candace was also able to deliver live auction and raffle items including:- A 7-day all inclusive SeaDream Cruise to St. Thomas with American Airlines- An HBO Heavyweight Fight Package in Las Vegas plus the after-party, with air and a 2-day hotel stay at the hard Rock Hotel - An NFL Jets package including a signed Curtis Martin jersey and a Wayne Chrebet signed football ball plus 2 tickets to a 2005/2006 game- An Apple iPod loaded with musicCandace also delivered items for both VIP and general goody bags including Dewars samples, Godiva chocolates, BlackBook magazines, and more. During the live auction a Bruce Springsteen-signed guitar got top billing and raised $17,000. Details of the guitar auction are online at www.stubhubb.com and guitars are still available. Candace worked closely with Paula Witt of Shore Fire Media to manage press for the event. Toni Senecal of the WB 11 covered the event along with Channel 7 who did a piece on Musicians on Call that included a live bedside program. Musicians On Call is one of the many extraordinary charitable organizations that Empire is currently working with. Check out their website and work at www.musiciansoncall.org

Amidst the swaying palms and stylish cafés of trendy South Beach, Florida Empire Entertainment partnered with one of its regular corporate clients to produce their 2005 Field Kickoff Meeting. After a long day of business programming and motivational messaging, Empire helped spice up the evening's dinner awards ceremony by seamlessly integrating the comic genius Richard Jeni – currently enjoying the success of his latest HBO Comedy special – as hosting of the evening's festivities. Jeni had the audience in stitches by satirizing everything from the South Beach experience to current events, and lampooning the client's chief competitors.

The following evening, Empire further helped its client reward their employees for a banner year in 2004 by presenting 90s hit-makers, The Gin Blossoms (whose hits include "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You"), who quickly had the 1500-strong crowd shaking all three floors of Miami's hot, hot Club 1501. Numerous members of the traditionally reserved audience joined the band on stage, dived into the crowd, and offered their cell phones up for Blossoms' lead singer, Robin Wilson, to croon into. When the Blossoms finished their set, DJ David Chang kept the house rocking into the wee hours.

Empire is a leading provider of high-energy entertainment to fire up sales forces and management groups alike during the traditional January kick-off meetings held by every industry.

One of the world's best-known acrobatic and aerial performance troupe's, Antigravity, created wildly successful original aerial and acrobatic performances for Central America's largest commercial real estate development firm for the opening of two giant shopping malls in Panama City, Panama and San Salvador, El Salvador in December 2004. The directors and acrobats of AntiGravity worked closely with the client to develop magical routines that would generate the proper excitement and buzz for the opening of these enormous new facilities and overcame many obstacles to present excellent performances within this challenging environment.

Audience members for these prestigious shows included virtually every noteworthy person in Panama and El Salvador and included the nation's President, government officials, dignitaries, industry leaders, and national media as well as local celebrities and trend setters throughout Central America. In San Salvador, the national press heralded AntiGravity's first performance throughout the country, generating a "rock-concert" turn out for the second performance, complete with over 4,000 in attendance and many lining up out the street outside hours beforehand to secure seating. The concept and design of the performances achieved the client's desired goals as both shopping centers recorded tremendous sales over the course of the opening days.Antigravity's high energy, contemporary routines combined with their ability to provide entertainment that is non-verbal and yet universally appealing have made them one of the world's most sought-after performance groups. They are ideal for large-scale public and private events and appeal to both men and women, young and old from every nation.

On World AIDS Day (December 1st) Empire Entertainment produced an incredible, star-studded event to raise funds for Keep a Child Alive, a relatively new charitable organization that directly provides life-saving anti-retroviral drugs to children with HIV/AIDS in Africa.The cocktail party and once-in-a-lifetime concert event was named the "Pusher's Ball" based on the foundation's efforts to get people to 'push' these life saving drugs to children in Africa. The event was the brainchild of Keep a Child Alive Founder and longtime AIDS activist Leigh Blake. It served to raise funds and honor some remarkable people doing work in the AIDS community. Among those honored were John Demsey, the President of M.A.C. Cosmetics and Chairman of the M.A.C. AIDS Fund; Anneliese Estrada, Creative Director of The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) the oldest and one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the US; Stephen Lewis, the U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa; and Dr. Shaffiq Essajee, the Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine, for their courageous work in providing treatment and AIDS research.

The event featured an unprecedented lineup of extraordinary performances. Among them were Keep a Child Alive spokesperson and J Records recording artist Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz who performed "Let Love Rule" and "Higher Ground," Anthony Hamilton who performed "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone," Lou Reed who dueted with Alicia in a rare performance of "Satellite of Love," Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds who dueted with Alicia Keys on John Lennon's "Imagine," Angélique Kidjo who performed "Afrique," and a jamming version of "Africa is the Center of the World" with rapper Common and legendary vibraphone player Roy Ayers. The event also featured a solo performance by rapidly rising star and 13-year-old musical prodigy Karina Pasian. Other celebrity guests and presenters included Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, Iman, Run DMC, Tyson Beckford, Mos Def, Gloria Rubin, Alan Cumming, Don Cheadle, Lil Kim, and Clive Davis among others.

For this challenging project Empire served as event producer and was responsible for all elements including site selection and contracting, talent coordination in collaboration with J Records, all production including extensive staging, sound, lighting, video projection, multi-camera video production and multi-track audio recording, catering (with Great Performances), decor and design of unique, African-themed lounge seating areas that were sold in sponsorship packages, security, event logistics and stage management of the complicated program. The event, which was generously sponsored by AOL Music and M.A.C. Cosmetics, garnered heavy press coverage in the red carpet area and was widely reported in both local and national media. Press was managed by Dan Klores and Associates and the entire event was backed up by an innovative "Be a Drug Pusher" ad and celebrity T-shirt campaign designed by advertising agency Fallon New York.

Empire is a leading producer of music and other forms of entertainment for unique, innovative charitable events.

As entertainment producers and marketers alike know, the use of celebrities is one of the most effective tools to ensure wide press coverage for a product launch or publicity initiative. And one of the best ways to provide press access to celebrity superstars in a controlled setting is a carefully presented, well-managed "Red Carpet" on which celebrities can deliver interviews and pose for photos before large gatherings of press crews and paparazzi. Over the last 2 years Empire has become one of the leading companies in the field of designing, executing and managing red carpet environments. These typically are set up outside or adjacent to venues where talent are drawn to attend an event and frequently necessitate the closing of streets and sidewalks, the creation of a 'Step & Repeat' media wall which can provide brand identity behind talent, barriers and rope & stanchions to control sometimes over-zealous press and paparazzi, and an attention getting street presence including large swaths of carpet, bright lighting and sometimes set pieces and props.

In two separate recent events, Empire provided red carpet treatments to promote the Richard Branson FOX series "Rebel Billionaire" and the Paris Hilton & Nicole Ritchie series "The Simple Life." For Rebel Billionaire, Empire worked to create a simple red carpet appearance in the trendy New York Meat-packing district at the very tony SoHo House. This served as an ideal location for Richard Branson, the British billionaire founder of the Virgin brand of companies, to promote his new show. For The Simple Life, Empire created an expansive red carpet treatment at the equally happening Bungalow 8 in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. This environment perfectly suited the stunning and often controversial Paris Hilton and her sidekick Nicole Ritchie as she promoted The Simple Life. Empire provided a pink carpet to better match Paris Hilton's dress.Both events provided an ideal stage from which to provide access to the talents.

Empire is a leading production partner to PR firms and marketers looking to provide the ideal atmosphere for presenting celebrity talent to members of the press.

When a major automobile manufacturer wanted to make a big splash at a key automobile exhibition in China, the world's fastest growing auto market, they turned to Empire's new Asia office to help them secure and present the right talent. Working through the client's advertising agency in Japan, Empire was able to identify the group Barrage as the ideal talent for this program - mixing a sophisticated presentation and attention-getting music with a highly visual and non-verbal performance. Barrage are a high-energy Canadian performance ensemble that consist of multiple fiddlers backed up with the power of percussion and bass whose performances also combine dancing, head turning stage action and an infectious energy. Working with the advertising agency and Barrage, Empire was able to create the right combination of creative for this program that would draw the attention to the exhibit space and never take away attention from the vehicles being showcased to the throngs of prospective Chinese buyers.

Based on our experience in Asia and close working relationships with the talent, agency and production vendors, Empire was able to overcome challenges ranging from visas and translation issues to technical issues arising from the combination of western digital electronics and media equipment with Chinese electrical power.

Empire Entertainment's Asia division based in Tokyo, Japan has been an immense success since its founding earlier this year and has served clients from a variety of industries throughout Asia with talent, production and event services.