Each year, TIME publishes the TIME100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In conjunction with this highly-anticipated editorial event, TIME hosts an exclusive Gala event in New York City attended by many current and past TIME 100 honorees, celebrities, entertainers and world leaders. Heavily covered by global media, the TIME 100 Gala is one of the highest-profile newsmaker events in the world. 
 This year's TIME 100 Gala took place on April 26, 2011 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event consisted of multiple red carpets, an intimate cocktail reception, a seated dinner and program that combined toasts, speeches, performances, and a cocktail party following the dinner.Performers at the 2011 TIME 100 Gala included Sting and Bruno Mars as well as remarks by Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler, Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and a specially-taped message from Ricky Gervais. The event was also attended by a who’s who including Mark Wahlberg, Aziz Ansari, Seth Meyers, Martha Stewart, Pastor Rob Bell, Blake Lively, and Patti Smith.For this high-stature event, all of the evening's production components require seamless execution. With the help of TIME’s event and marketing services team, Empire’s responsibilities ranged from securing the performing talent to managing venue, catering (provided by Great Performances), design of all spaces, branding, step & repeat, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, FTP media feed, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing and security.Visit time.com to view a brief summary of this year's TIME 100: http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,921096954001_2067873,00.htmlEmpire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile media events and is proud to again have been chosen to produce this remarkable program for TIME.

In April 2011, Empire produced a Fortune 500 company’s General Managers meeting for the 14th consecutive year. The meeting was a multi-day conference at the Walt Disney Orlando & Swan Hotel, featuring a kickoff general session, two awards galas, and a vendor dinner featuring interactive entertainment.For many years the client’s kickoff session was very basic, with executives speaking and presenting powerpoint from a podium. But this year Empire consulted on the scripting and provided stage management to present the information to the attendees in a “60 Minutes” style presentation, inclusive of video roll-ins, onstage interviews, video segments, and even a spoof of Andy Rooney for some comic relief as a break from the business content.When the client wanted an entertaining, interactive, reasonably-priced teambuilding activity as entertainment following one of their evening dinners, Empire presented a fantastic “Family-Feud” inspired game show in which the client vendors and buyers were the contestants, and the questions were custom written by the executives to make the material company- specific and fun.In the spirit of keeping the conference energetic and dynamic, Empire also created a soundtrack of great movie theme songs to use as the walk-up music for award winners at one of the after-dinner galas. Winners walked to the stage to the upbeat and instantly recognizable sounds of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Rocky, James Bond, and more.Empire provided and managed all staging, audio, video, lighting, teleprompter services, stage management, and technical direction, for the conference, and is proud to work with elite clients who have chosen to partner with us for more than a decade on their most important events. While renown for our experience producing events with A-list entertainment elements, Empire is also a premier producer of content-driven corporate meetings and conferences.

On Saturday, April 9th, 2011, Empire Entertainment produced The Flawless Foundation’s second annual Perfection Party at the Otto Khan and James Burden Mansions in New York City. Upon arrival at the Perfection Party, Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy greeted the guests of the panel discussion entitled “The Best Kind of Different” with a gracious speech, noting his own long-term commitment to Mental Health Advocacy. A lively panel discussion, featuring the world’s leading mental health experts and advocates ensued. The panel was moderated by Lisa Bloom, a civil and children’s rights attorney, television host and author of the upcoming book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World. The panelists included J. Stuart Ablon, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, and Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, one of the nation’s leading child and adolescent psychiatrists, author and founding President of the Child Mind Institute, Shonda Schilling; author of the New York Times Best Seller, The Best Kind of Different: Our Family's Journey with Asperger's Syndrome, and wife of retired Major League Baseball pitcher, Curt Schilling, as well as Garen Staglin, founder of the International Mental Health Research Organization, and co-founders of both The Next Frontier of the Brain campaign and Bring Change 2 Mind with Glenn Close and others. After the enlightining panel discussion, guests proceeded to the cavernous portico, festooned with cherry blossoms for an elegant reception featuring champagne from Knudsen Family Vineyards and Argyle white wine. Guests were then escorted to a dinner prepared by renowned Chef David Burke paired with the wines from Staglin Family Vineyard. Once guests were seated, the anchor from WPIX News at Six, Jim Watkins gave a toast to Patrick Kennedy, congratulating him on his recent engagement to Amy Petitgout.At the conclusion of the evening, guests were given Chef David Burke’s signature dessert, cheese cake lollipops and left with a lovely “Flawless Foundation” canvas gift bag including Thank-you cards by Gratitude designs and a copy of Shonda Schilling’s book, The Best Kind Of Different.Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the event and was responsible for all event logistics, press, and technical production. Empire worked alongside Pamela Morgan’s Flavors to create a consistent look and feel for the evening.Emnpire is a leading producer of not for profit and gala events.

The setting: The Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The purpose: An incentive program for one of the world’s leading communication technology companies. The perfect headline entertainment: International, Platinum-selling superstars Earth, Wind & Fire.The band's participation in the event was kept a secret until the moment they were announced onstage to the excited audience of 500+ guests & spouses. Once onstage the band did not disappoint. Their 90 minute set included all of their funk, R&B and soul hits including "Shining Star." "Sing a Song," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "September," "Serpentine Fire," "Reasons," "Boogie Wonderland" "Mighty, Mghty," "After The Love Has Gone," "That's The Way of the World" and "Let's Groove." The band's powerful stage presence with full horn section had the audience dancing and shouting for encores. Prior to the performance, the band's principal members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson graciously greeted and talked with VIPs, taking photos with all of them. For this incentive program, Empire worked closely with the client’s meeting production company, Swift Media Group, to identify talent candidates, negotiate the performance contract, and facilitated the development of a working production plan with Swift Media Group and local vendors. Empire also worked to manage complicated logistics including the freight of equipment into and out of the Bahamas, and work permits & visas. Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment for corporate meetings & events and is deeply experienced in overcoming the challenges of presenting headline entertainment outside of the United States.

On March 30th, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce Bravo’s 2011 Upfront with simultaneous live events in three cities. Heavily covered by the media, Ed Martin of Media Biz Bloggers described the event in one review as “The Upfront Event of 2011” and "one of the most ambitious and impactful events of its kind that I have attended in more than twenty years of covering the television business." He also wrote that "Even without the simultaneous Chicago and Los Angeles parties, Bravo’s New York event alone would have been one of the season’s best."Bravo’s Upfront consisted of three parties on the same night in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. In an unprecedented innovation, these events featured live remote broadcasts from each party aired during the season finale of the Emmy award winning Bravo series Top Chef: All Stars. Ed Martin wrote: "I believe this … was the first-ever live, full-length telecast of a television program from an Upfront event."New York’s event took place in the cavernous lofts of 82 Mercer in SoHo. Guests arrived for elegant cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres in the first room: a sleek lounge that seamlessly integrated Bravo’s five passion points: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Design & Pop. The room had bespoke draped doorways constructed of white textured Tyvek, which were back-lit with LEDs to give the cocktail room a soft glow. When it came time for dinner, the drapes were drawn to reveal a spacious dining room seating 300 guests. 36-ft long dining tables, custom-built with a wood grain finish and sleek orange diagonal stripes, were adorned with glowing white rock crystal in glass boxes and vibrant orange pincushion protea. The clear acrylic La Marie dining chairs and custom LED chandeliers hovering overhead furthered the chic look.The dinner itself was a Top Chef tasting experience. Once clients were seated among Bravo executives and press, Andy Cohen, EVP Original Programming & Development & host of Watch What Happens Live, took the stage to introduce new programming and Bravo’s celebrities, better known as Bravolebrities. Among the Bravolebrities at New York’s upfront were the Real Housewives of New York City and New Jersey, Rocco DiSpirito, Tabatha Coffey and China Chow. Yet, it is safe to say that the two finalists of Top Chef: All Stars, Richard Blais and Mike Isabella, stole the show. (One of the two finalists would be revealed as the winner of Top Chef before the evening commenced.) In coordination with the Top Chef finale, Blais and Isabella helped prepare the same dinner for the guests that was being judged on the final show.While guests in New York were judging the Top Chef finalists’ food for themselves, the party in Los Angeles was just beginning at the Roosevelt Hotel. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Gail Simmons was giving gracious welcoming remarks at The Girl and The Goat restaurant, owned by Top Chef season 4’s winner, Stephanie Izard.The Top Chef: All Stars finale was broadcast on screens in all 3 cities for guests to view alongside the Bravolebrities including the All Stars season’s Chef’testants. To further implement Bravo’s 2011 Marketing motto: Breakthrough with Bravo, there was one final reveal: for the first time in Upfront history, New York’s guests were invited to be part of the studio audience of the full-length telecast of Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live. One guest at each party could text-in to win, allowing them to ask a question on-air.In another write up, Stuart Elliott of The New York Times described how the Upfront gave advertisers the unusual experience of being viewed by the demographic that they cater toward: “It is the first time that Bravo has opened up this manner the upfront process.”We are thrilled Bravo again engaged Empire Entertainment to produce their Upfront for the second year. Empire Entertainment managed all three Upfront events, and was responsible for development of décor, securing sites, schedules, deliverables, transportation and managing all logistics, creating an experience that TV by the Numbers claims, “redefined industry standards”.Please find the reviews referred to in this article below:www.mediabizbloggers.com/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/next-on-bravo-ad-executives-and-all-star-chefs/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/22/upfront-by-bravo-media-redefines-industry-standard-on-march-30-with-star-studded-events-in-

Universal Studios Japan kicked off their 10th anniversary celebrations with the unveiling of Kurt Wenner's newest and most technically sophisticated work to date.Featuring the Spiderman character, the new artwork tricks the eye through a combination of Kurt Wenner's user of the effects of anamorphic perspective and stereoscopic 3D. The combined impact of the two techniques is nothing short of amazing, and the lines of guests waiting to see, and have their pictures taken in the work are testament to its success as a new attraction.The work itself is approximately 50 feet long and 20 feet wide, and incorporates original vertical artwork as well as existing elements of Universal Studios Japan (including the famous New York Library set that was used in the film Ghostbusters).Empire Entertainment Japan consulted with Universal Studios Japan on the development of their 10th anniversary trick art concepts, and worked together with artist Kurt Wenner to develop the breakthrough artwork. Empire further supported Universal Studios in maximizing press in association with the artwork's unveiling, successfully receiving both domestic and international coverage.Kurt Wenner is also the author of the recently published Sterling Publishing's "Asphalt Renaissance". Asphalt Renaissance brilliantly recounts Wenner's re-imagining of street painting, and how he revolutionized this ancient art by creating a technique that produces astounding images in 3D that reach out of the pavement toward the viewer and appear perilously deep.Featuring photographs of hundreds of his painting, this volume spans Wenner's career and captures his thoughts on art and the ephemeral nature of this work.

When one of the world's largest restaurant companies sought a humorous host / emcee for their incentive awards ceremony, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them secure celebrity talent. Empire was able to identify, negotiate for and secure former Saturday Night Live cast member and star of films including Wayne's World and Road to Wellville, Dana Carvey.

Prior to the engagement, Empire worked closely with the client and Dana to prepare the creative integration. Onsite Dana performed a 10 minute opening routine and then appeared in several 3-5 minute segments throughout the awards program, performing both repertoire comedic material as well as originally scripted material specific to the event. Dana worked the crowd and brought the company CEO onstage to lead the company cheer which was one of the evening's many highlights. Carvey added the perfect element of humor and celebrity to the award ceremony and the client was thrilled with his participation.

Empire is a leading source of comedic and celebrity talent for all manner of meetings & events.

When a private client wanted to throw an unforgettable 60th birthday party for his father, he turned to Empire Entertainment to secure his father’s four favorite singers to perform. With an audience of over 350 VIPs from around the world, the event would have to be flawless. While working quickly to contract his father’s favorite artists, Empire worked on technical solutions to accommodate their needs. With some deft negotiating, Empire was able to lock in Julio Iglesias, Natalie Cole, and Tom Jones, all performing with their own full bands, on one small stage in the ornate Grand Ballroom.Additionally, on the other side of the ballroom, a second stage was built where Alexander Kogan would perform with a 29 piece big band on a set that mirrored the orchestra scenes in Meet Joe Black. By alternating performances between opposite stages, Empire managed the time required to reset for the other performances and for the Plaza to serve a sumptuous seven-course dinner. Kicking off the night, Julio Iglesias performed a 45-minute set of his greatest hits, spanning the last four decades. Backed by his full band, Julio took over the room, singing romantic ballads, including a special happy birthday to the guest of honor. Next up on the same stage was Natalie Cole. Performing with a quintet, Natalie’s heartwarming 45-minute set filled the room with an overwhelming feeling of joy. In the middle of her set, Natalie called Alexander Kogan onstage to sing a duet of Charlie Chaplin’s song “Smile.” In addition to many other hits, Natalie included an amazing rendition of “Unforgettable”, a duet with her father, Nat King Cole. Finishing out the night on that same stage was Tom Jones, performing with his 10-piece band. The audience rose to their feet the minute Tom Jones began performing his many rocking hits including “Delilah,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “She’s a Lady,” “Sex Bomb,” and his encore, “Kiss.” Between these exciting performances, Alexander Kogan and his orchestra performed heart-warming renditions of jazz standards, including “Close To You”, “I’ll be Seeing You” and “Accidental Waltz”.During the course of this project, Empire worked to identify talent candidates, negotiate the many elements of the performance contracts, and facilitate the development of a working production plan. Empire also worked to manage complicated logistics including the stage management of an eight-hour show on two completely separate-stages, as well as all travel & logistics for all performers. Empire also oversaw a five-camera HD shoot and multi-track record of portions of the concerts for the client’s archives.Whether it’s securing headline talent with international appeal, handling complicated production and logistical needs, or simply helping a client plan an unforgettable birthday celebration for his father, Empire Entertainment is the ideal producing partner or the most special private occasions in the world! Photos courtesy of Zev Greenfield.

On March 3, 2011, Empire Entertainment, in partnership with @Radical.Media, produced Conservation International’s Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. The second of five national fundraising events that Empire is producing for Conservation International, this event brought together some of the Bay Area’s leading philanthropists with some of the world’s most notable champions of the environment.

The event began with an elegant cocktail reception and proceeded into a seated dinner for over 400 guests. The Four Seasons ballroom was elegantly, yet simply decorated with organic linens and votive candles, reducing to a minimum the use of greenery and florals.Once guests were seated, Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a longtime philanthropist, welcomed the audience and set the stage for the impressive evening to come.Jobs then introduced motion picture superstar Harrison Ford who spoke about his own long-term commitment to the environment and his work with Conservation International for over 15 years.Ford then introduced Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who wowed the guests with his command of the environmental and energy issues he had faced as Governor of California and his strong recommendations for how to confront them.

Next Harrison Ford and Governor Schwarzenegger were seated onstage where they engaged in a lively discussion and debate about the issues. Following dinner, Conservation International Chairman and CEO, Peter Seligmann, delivered a powerful keynote address highlighting critical environmental and conservation issues around the world and focusing on CI’s vital work in these areas.At the conclusion of the evening, Gap Inc.’s Robert J. Fischer took the stage to ask the attendees to remain engaged with what hey had heard on this night and to give generously.

Following the dinner, guests adjourned to an after-party for drinks and desserts.Empire served as overall event producer for this gala and was responsible for all technical production, stage design, and stage management. @Radical.Media provided all screen content and graphics.Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, and for the well-being of humanity.

To learn more about Conservation International, visit http://www.conservation.org/

Empire is a leading producer of innovative gala events and is proud to serve Conservation International.

When a global corporation sought an internationally-recognized keynote speaker who could personify exemplary leadership across a diverse organization, they once again turned to Empire Entertainment to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen keynote speaker would need to be globally-known and able to deliver important messages to the company's CEO and top executives that would reinforce and underscore the content presented by business speakers earlier in the program. Empire ultimately delivered General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 65th Secretary of State, and one of the most admired and respected leaders in America today. He is also one of the world's best speakers. General Powell's informative and inspiring keynote presentation exceeded the client's expectations and met their objectives perfectly. General Powell's remarks about the challenges of coordinating across the diverse cultures of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and his insights on dealing with and leading through complexity engaged the executive level audience and the served to strongly support the overall meeting content. Whether the audience requires a motivator, inspirational speaker, a topic-specific expert or just someone to engage and entertain, Empire is the ideal one-stop-shop for every type of keynote speaker.