When one of the nations largest companies decided to host a special weekend for customers at Super Bowl XLIV, they turned to Empire Entertainment to provide headline entertainment for the Saturday night before the game. With an intimate audience of less than 100 consisting of CEO-level guests along with their spouses and children, it was Empire’s challenge to come up with an entertainment option that would entertain all of the age groups within the room.With the decision made to hire a comedian, Empire recommended well-known Saturday Night Live writer and performer, Darrell Hammond. Darrell is known for being one of the most prolific comedians of his time, responsible for a wide array of memorable comedic impressions throughout his 15 years on the air.

In order to allay client concerns about content for this singularly important audience, Empire arranged for a pre-event conference call with it’s producer, Darrell and a company executive responsible for the evening. Through this call, Darrell Hammond learned a great deal about the attendees, the client’s goals for the evening, and the celebratory feel they were looking for. This gave Darrell the background necessary to tailor his performance material to exactly suit the audience.Darrell’s 45-minute standup comedy set kept the guests hysterically laughing from beginning to end. The material was 100% clean and included many of his best-loved impressions including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, George W. Bush, Jay Leno, and Dick Cheney among others. Darrell also interacted with the audience, working a few very willing members into the act. Following the performance, Darrell participated in a meet & greet / photo-opportunity with all of the audience members, and even joined the guests later in their hospitality suite.

For this engagement, Empire was responsible for all contracting, scheduling, production, and logistical elements for Darrell Hammond’s performance. Empire worked closely with the venue’s staff to coordinate the perfect timing and set-up for the performance.

Empire is the leader in providing headline comedy entertainment for high profile events throughout the world.

This past January, BizBash, the event industry's leading publication, released their lists for The Top New York City Events. In addition to serving as producer of the event named as New York's #1 Media Event, the Time Magazine, Time 100, Empire was honored to have produced 5 events (out of 19) listed under the categories of "Top Industry Events" and "Top Entertainment Events" in 2009.Of the top 10 New York Entertainment Industry events last year, Empire served as producer of no fewer than five including the Time 100 Gala, The Webby Awards, The New York Film Festival, The Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute to Tom Hanks, and The Gotham Awards.BizBash's "New York's Top Entertainment Industry Events 2010"New York Film FestivalFilm Society of Lincoln Center TributeGotham AwardsBizBash's "New York's Top Media Events 2010"Time 100 GalaThe Webby AwardsEmpire will produce many of these and other events in 2010.Empire is a leading producer of some of the world's most influential entertainment & media industry events.

The Omotesando Hills 4th Anniversary Party is a highly anticipated party hosted by the most prestigious and luxurious shopping center in Tokyo, Japan. In February 2010, Empire was in charge of casting and coordinating the artists for the Special Music Program to celebrate the 4th Anniversary of the Mall. The exclusive party was invitation-only with VIPs, company guests and shopping enthusiasts. Empire cast Japan’s Jazz Diva Aoki Karen, Classic Pop Singer Hirahara Ayaka, for the main stage. For the DJ session, Empire secured fashion model DJ Yoshida Natsumi and the immensely popular DJ DAISHI DANCE to heat up the night. More than 7,500 guests attended the event to celebrate, shop, listen and dance to live music, and enjoy the free champagne and chocolate fondue fountains inside the mall.

Empire Entertainment, in tandem with Honeysweet Productions, produced the first-ever Brand-In Entertainment Inaugural Integration Auction held at Christie’s Auction House in New York City.The purpose of the Inaugural Integration Auction was to invite professional representatives and advertising agencies to bid on exclusive packages to feature their services and products among a variety of media platforms. Leveraging relationships with major advertising firms in the U.S. and abroad, as well as with major studios, record companies and independent production companies, the Inaugural Integration Auction 2010 auctioned off choice brand incorporation opportunities in a multitude of platforms, including network television, online/ webisodes, graphic novels, films, plays and more.

The setting for the auction was from Christie's Auction House in New York City on January 20th, in the renowned Woods Room. The uniquely original auction was hosted by COO of Brand-In Entertainment and licensed auctioneer Tere Morris. The live auction and program featured stage appearances by John Salley, Samantha Marq, Paul Provenza, Joey Greco, Corbin Bernsen and others, as well as a special performance by Heather Myles from TruCountry.The focal point of the event was the silent auction, which featured an innovative electronic bidding system from IML that eliminates the traditional pen & paper bid sheet.

Empire & Honeysweet branded the room as if it were Brand-In Entertainments headquarters in a simple yet elegant design scheme that transformed the room. For this production Empire & Honeysweet handled all production design and management, talent coordination and stage management as well as consulting on all aspects including logistics, catering and show design.

When Omotesando Hills, one of the most prestigious and luxurious shopping centers in Tokyo, Japan, wanted to do something special for the 2009 Christmas and 2010 New Years season, they decide to program a series of live events and turned to Empire Entertainment Japan to help them realize their vision. More than a shopping mall, Omotesando Hills is the cultural and fashion center point of Japan. For this reason, events in this complex always receive a lot of media attention across the country especially during the Christmas season. Designed by world famous architect Tadao Ando, Omotesando Hills is one of the most popular sites to visit for Asia's fashion leaders and fashion forward tourists. Empire worked with Omotesando Hills to expand their brand through this Christmas program.

To accomplish this, Empire Entertainment’s Japan office programmed various artists to appeal to various segments of Omotesando Hills’ upscale clientele. Performers that appeared as part of this holiday series ranged from current pop artists such as May J. & MAY’S, Safarii to established veterans who know how to work any kind of crowd such as Ide Mariko and Naomi Grace. Also included were DJs AYUMi and DJ AMIGA to add a spice in to the holiday season, and Miss Universe Japan / Opera Singer Ogawa Satomi to get the crowd fully into the seasonal mood. When the New Year’s sun rose, Tonfu, Fusion Japanese Koto musicians greeted the crowd.The slope inside the mall is identical to the angle of the Omote Sando road that runs alongside the mall creating a six story visual panorama with winding balconies that wrap around a central, focal point on the grand staircase. On this staircase a grand Christmas tree was placed which served as a visual backdrop for the performances. Thus Empire was able to make use of the building's unique architecture to achieve maximum visual effect.Omotesando Hills was extremely happy with the results of this series and Empire was delighted to bring the talents of these various artists this great venue, and to help put smiles on the faces of thousands of Tokyoites shopping for their love ones during Christmas Season.

Empire is a leading booker of all forms of entertainment for retail centers, building launch events, civic plazas and real estate developments with existing performance facilities and stages. Empire Entertainment Japan K. K. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and operates on behalf of private clients throughout Asia.

When a leading pharmaceutical company needs to do something special for its sales force -- something special in an off year -- it calls on Empire Entertainment. Empire leveraged its industry connections and know-how to secure the chart-topping, multi-platinum selling Counting Crows at a reasonable fee for a year-end gala in Phoenix, AZ, celebrating the client's elite sellers. For an intimate audience of 300, the Counting Crows ripped through a string of hits including 'Round Here and Mr. Jones. With their angst-filled hybrid of Van Morrison, the Band, and R.E.M., Counting Crows became an overnight sensation in 1994. Only a year earlier, the band was a group of unknown musicians, filling in for the absent Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Early in 1993, the band recorded their debut album, August and Everything After, with T-Bone Burnett. Released in the fall, it was a dark and somber record, driven by the morose lyrics and expressive vocals of Adam Duritz. The only up-tempo song, "Mr. Jones," became their ticket to stardom, and Counting Crows enjoyed a significant amount of success throughout the '90s and beyond. The Crows were preceded by a karaoke extravaganza featuring various attendees in crazy costumes singing parody versions of popular songs. The music was provided not by a karaoke machine but b y live karaoke specialists, The Amazing Embarrassonics.

When it came time to start planning their 10th Annual Gala, the American Friends of Israel’s Rabin Medical Center turned to Empire in order to take their event to the next level. The gala raises money for one of Israel’s premier hospitals, and every year they draw an elite crowd of civic and philanthropic leaders to support their cause.After an extremely successful gala last year, AFRMC needed help to brand the gala and secure high-stature entertainment to liven up the event. With the event on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Empire helped develop the “Broadway on the Hudson” theme through Broadway talent solicitation and collaboration with their graphic designer. Given the client’s concerns that a lengthy program would alienate the audience, Empire conceived creative solutions to integrate the numerous speakers with entertainment components while solving timing issues regarding the schedule of events.

Through an extensive outreach process, Empire secured legendary comedian Robert Klein and world-renowned tap dancer Savion Glover to perform. Empire was also able to secure Charlie Rose to emcee the event and to facilitate the performances of other talent including the Broadway Show “Memphis”, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All Stars Band and New York City Swing.Empire served as overall event producer for this 760 person gala managing all aspects of production including venue, lighting, staging, audio, image magnification, catering (provided by Restaurant Associates and Foremost Catering), video documentation, valet parking, security, design and décor, graphic presentation and overall project management. Empire also consulted on the invitation design, journal design, and creative programming aspects including scripting, show order, and the medical equipment appeal and art auction ran by Jennifer Roth of Sotheby's. Empire then developed a press release and distributed it to key media outlets for maximum exposure.

Empire is one of the world’s leading producers of not-for-profit events and fundraisers.

Once again, Independent Feature Project (IFP) turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the star studded 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. Despite the inclement weather, the guests came out in droves to support the film industry's legendary kick off event ushering in Awards season. Attendees included Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Willem Dafoe, Natalie Portman, Alec Baldwin, Chris Rock and Tim Robbins along with nearly 800 independent film mavericks.The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

Given the unfortunate weather, Empire quickly and creatively created a tented step and repeat red carpet to kick off the evening. This exclusive event was hosted by Cipriani Wall Street with guest DJ Jauretsi spinning all night long. Up and coming Comedy Central comdian Kumail Nanjiani opened the show with hilarious rants on the film community, taking special attention to William Dafoe sitting front and center.The crowd got a special treat when Meryl Streep took the stage to give a heart warming introduction to tribute her good friend Stanley Tucci. Other Award Tributees consisted of Natalie Portman, Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, and the night's big winner Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" won both Best Feature and Best Ensemble Performance.

Empire acted as overall event producer, handling all event design and planning, technical production, graphic design of event materials and print advertisements, video roll-ins & scripting, stage management and talent wrangling, event logistics, budgeting and coordination.

Each Year, TIME releases a special issue devoted to the Person of the Year. This iconic issue highlights the individuals who have most affected the events of the year and made the greatest global impact. To support this tradition, each year Time Magazine holds a high level event at its New York Headquarters where Managing Editor, Richard Stengel, hosts a discussion with influential individuals about whom should be recognized as the year's Person of the Year. The 2009 was designed as a cocktail reception followed by a staged discussion. The program included former Mayor of New York and 2001 Time Magazine Person of the Year, Rudy Giuliani, Cardiac Surgeon, Author, and Host of the Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Editor-at-Large of O Magazine, Gayle King, Top Chef Judge, and Founder & Co-Owner of Craft Restaurants, Tom Colicchio, ABC News and The View Host, Barbara Walters, and Mayor Luke Ravensthal of the City of Pittsburgh, the youngest Mayor of a major American City.

The lively discussion and audience Q & A focused on potential 2010 Persons of the Year ranging from the Twitter Guys and the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke to the Iranian Voter and Nancy Pelosi. For this elegant and chic affair, Empire worked with TIME's events team to design and install a lounge-style cocktail reception area featuring black lacquer central bar and serving trays, an image gallery of past Time Person of the Year Magazine covers and lounge furnishings.

With a dinner party feel, cabaret style seating was set; black linen cocktail rounds with Time red florals, and a branded stage setting and backdrop. In addition to design and decor elements, Empire worked with the guests and presenters to stage manage a flawless program.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile media events.

When philanthropist, globe-trekker and photographer Bobby Sager released his photo book entitled The Power of the Invisible Sun, he and innovative not-for-profit initiative executive producer Tracey Durning engaged Empire Entertainment to produce release events in New York City and London. The events, which commemorated the release of Sager's bestselling book of images of underprivileged children throughout the developing world, would feature powerful projection treatments of his photography and philanthropic philosophies, performances by close friend Sting and a high concentration of celebrity attendees.

The first event was held at Donna Karan's Stephan Weiss Studio in New York's West Village, home of her growing Urban Zen activities. The event was attended by over 250 guests including celebrities such as Edward Norton, Donna Karan and Padma Lakshmi among others. Empire transformed the interior of the huge open space into a comfortable and contemporary lounge environment around which the photography was displayed by seven massive visual projections on seven screens. Durning carefully choreographed the projection sequences combining Sager's stirring images with animated handwriting and key phrases from the book with cascading images that surrounded the space, narrating the author's messages, which synchronized at times for emphasis. In addition to the projected images, Empire installed large format prints and text samples to give the space a p hysical image presence, including a custom-made "Hope" bar in black and yellow lacquer. The New York event's stage program included remarks by Donna Karan and Bobby Sager as well as an intimate acoustic concert by Sting and his band which the audience enjoyed while seated on carpets , cushions, and lounge furnishings. The menu for the evening reflected Sager's eclectic tastes with menu items such as snow cones, grain alcohol Jello shots and cotton candy.

The following week, Empire presented the European event in London at the iconic contemporary art museum - The Saatchi Gallery. This event was co-hosted by Sting & Trudie Styler, again featured a high definition, seven projector display of the photography, an eclectic menu of fish & chips and Jello shots, and a performance by Sting that included such hits as Invisible Sun and I'll Be Watching You. Attendees of this event included Annie Lennox, actors Val Kilmer, Neve Campbell and Richard Grant, and Vivienne Westwood among others. The Admirable Crichton provided all catering while Ingenius UK provided all technical support.

For these challenging, back-to-back transatlantic events, Empire served as overall event producer, and was responsible for oversight of elements including venue acquisition, design, decor, catering, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, red carpet, logistics, event flow, security and creating displays of the photography both projected and physical. Empire was thrilled to be involved with the launch of this book of powerful imagery and to participate in an initiative that helps to bring hope and opportunity to the developing world.