On the evening of Saturday, January 4, 2014, Empire produced a stylish wedding, merging contemporary New York edge with Southern flair for a London-bound couple at Skylight Modern. The young, creative couple and their families definitely wanted their wedding to be non-traditional and the event delivered on this premise in every way.

Upon entering the space, guests immediately came upon an enchanting altar crafted of birch wood and flowering quince branches in the center of an array of white chairs. Once receiving a glass of champagne, guests were seated in the round, a layout that placed the couple at the heart of ceremony and allowed for their friends and family to warmly envelop them in a unifying circle. After the entrance of the wedding party attired in chic all-black, the bride walked down the aisle to Led Zeppelin’s timeless classic, “Thank You.”

After a brief exchanging of vows, the just-married couple led guests downstairs to the reception. The cavernous, modern and minimalist Skylight Modern space had been exquisitely designed into a lounge lit with the glow of thousands of candles and hanging lights and surrounded with wall projections.

Cocktails were served at the couple’s hand selected bourbon bar, complete with all the fixings, while guests nibbled on decadent edible interactions straight from NYC’s unique caterer, Pinch Food Designs. Along with delectable bites, the couple served five custom designed black and white cakes exquisitely fashioned by the one and only Sylvia Weinstock. Along with 230 of the couple’s closest friends and family, the newlyweds danced the night away under a canopy of lights to the Alabama-based band St. Paul and The Broken Bones. This soul group entertained with great energy, playing original songs as well as the classics by Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Following the band's stellar performance, DJ Bunker Blake spun, playing an organic blend of nostalgic classics and today’s trendiest hits.

As guests enjoyed cake and the party buzz, The Bumby’s, two anonymous performance artists, provided witty analyses of the partygoers on their typewriters. This kind of performance and other eclectic features kept the guests entertained and engaged throughout the joyous occasion.

Empire is a leading producer of next-generation personal families and celebrations and we love working with unique and talented clients to help them bring life to their creative visions.

The “Cipuatra Artpreneur”, a futuristic vertical city and haven for shopping, dining, theater, and art, opened in Jakarta’s business district on December 16th, 2013. This incredible new center earns distinction through its beautiful exhibition space, which encompasses the entire top floor and is designed to engage creative conversation and thinking. When contacted by the Indonesian agency, TRIMITRA, to produce the opening exhibition, Empire asked renowned art illusionist, Kurt Wenner, to create something that had never been seen before.

The event turned out to be the largest exhibition of Kurt Wenner’s extraordinary 3D artwork ever held. The centerpiece of the show was Shangri-La, an image unlike any other in the world. Wenner expanded his illusionistic techniques to include columns and a seemingly domed ceiling for a complete 180-degree illusion. This new masterpiece was received with astonishment and awe by the public, as well as more than 100 local and international press and media outlets that covered the Wenner exhibition. On opening day, the artist himself led a special workshop, giving insider lessons on 3D drawing methods and techniques, a rare privilege for those in attendance. In addition, Empire arranged a photo contest in which visitors enthusiastically entered the masterpieces to have their photo taken.

Wenner’s 11 magnificent creations were on display at the Artphoria exhibition for more than two months, drawing enthusiastic visitors and press to the new vertical city. Empire is extremely proud to have produced this unique event and to have taken the city of Jakarta and artwork of Kurt Wenner to a whole new level.

To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Empire Entertainment once again partnered with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) for their Global Impact Award on December 3, 2013.

The event was held at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square and honored former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for her extraordinary legacy of leadership and courage in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The emcee for the evening was Nigel Barker, world-renowned photographer and host of Oxygen Network’s “The Face”. Nigel introduced three actresses, Julianna Margulies, Gloria Reuben and Mary Steeburgen, who read passages from Elizabeth Glaser’s book, “In The Absence of Angels: A Hollywood Family’s Courageous Story”. Speakers for the evening included Charles Lyons, President and CEO of Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Susan DeLaurentis, Co-founder, and Jake Glaser, son of Elizabeth Glaser. Secretary Clinton was presented the Global Impact Award by Diane Sawyer and Willow Bay.

The event closed with a musical performance by multi-platinum, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein. Michael performed a set from the Great American Songbook with his 17-piece big band. Empire served as the overall production company, managing all aspects of the event.

To learn more about EGPAF and how you can make a difference please visit their website at www.pedaids.org

Over the past seven years, charity: water has been on a mission to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. Thus far that has included 9,458 water projects in 20 countries. Every December, charity: water brings together its biggest donors, supporters, volunteers and staff to celebrate its accomplishments at charity: ball, an event recognized as one of the most innovative not-for-profit events in the world. This year they raised a record $4M towards new water projects in Malawi.

For the second year in a row, we had the great honor of producing charity: ball. When the original venue suddenly became unavailable three weeks before the event, we worked quickly to find a suitable replacement, the Duggal Greenhouse. Together with charity: water, we re-designed the creative for the new space. As a result of the new venue’s unique location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the party started as guests boarded private water taxis to bring across the river straight to the venue. The added bonus was time savings as we checked them in upon boarding with a quick swipe of their RFID wristbands.

As guests entered the Greenhouse they found themselves inside a giant gallery. Through interactive scenic installations and larger-than-life pictures from the field, charity: water told just a few of the many stories of the individuals affected by charity: water. The organization’s signature Waterwalk, where they ask guests to walk a fraction of the distance that people in developing countries walk to bring water home to their families, became the focal point of the event. Utilizing the RFID responsive technology, we tracked each participant that walked the Waterwalk, with Caterpillar Foundation donating $1,000 per person totaling $1M raised. We also refined the live auction pledge experience designed last year to encourage as many guests to donate as possible, again utilizing the RFID bracelets to pledge and track donations ranging from $100 to $90K.

Throughout the night, up-and-coming New York City DJ duo The Knocks kept guests dancing, including HRH Princess Beatrice, Tony Hawk and Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley. Once again, catering company Pinch brought in their creatively designed pop-up stations to satiate guests throughout the evening. With more and more non-profits following in charity: water’s footsteps redefining how they raise funds, create ROI, and tell a compelling story, we’re grateful that they continue to choose to partner with Empire to deliver these results.

To learn more about their work or to get involved please visit http://www.charitywater.org

Arms Around the Child is a new not-for-profit organization that believes in a world where children living in extreme adversity can have their lives transformed into a brighter future. They are committed to providing safe, loving homes for underserved, orphaned and abandoned children.

Arms Around the Child was created by activist and child rights advocate, Leigh Blake who had previously founded the Red Hot Organization and Keep a Child Alive. The Other Ball would be Arms Around the Child’s signature, annual fundraising event with the objective of reinventing the modern philanthropic experience in order to benefit children suffering in the developing world.

Empire had the great honor of producing this inaugural event at New York’s Highline Ballroom and helping Arms Around a Child to tell their compelling story. With the “more black leather than black tie” theme, The Other Ball was not your parents' dinner party. Working with creative director Periel Aschenbrand, we transformed the venue into a large living room with individually-packaged, intimate lounge seating areas with working fireplaces. The objective: make guests feel like they are seeing the world’s greatest concert in their own living room.

Graciously sponsored by TOPSHOP TOPMAN, the Other Ball honored quiet revolutionaries who tirelessly and patiently work to change the world. This year's inaugural event paid tribute to Peter Edge, CEO of RCA Records, Bob Roth, Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation and Mark Seliger, famed photographer and Rolling Stone icon. Incredible couture black leather bears that were individually customized by some of the biggest fashion designers in the world were auctioned to raise money. Participating designers included Simon Doonan, Thom Browne, Christian Louboutin, Alexander Wang, Topshop, Topman, Opening Ceremony, and Chromat. Other auctions included a work by artist Nissim Ben Aderet and other incredible once in a lifetime experiences.

The stars aligned as Grammy-winning producer, DJ and musician, Mark Ronson took the stage as gracious host to introduce an incredible lineup of performers. Grammy award-winning producer Jeff Bhasker put together an amazing band and served onstage as Musical Director as guests were treated to performances by some of the world's most sought-after artists for an eclectic evening of music destined to bring hope to children in need.

Mikky Echo quieted the intimate venue with his soulful “Stay.” Lykke Li performed “I Follow Rivers” and debuted a new song. FUN’s Nate Reuss rocked the stage with the hit single “We Are Young” and a cover of the Prince classic “Let’s Go Crazy.” A$AP Rocky pumped his hit song “Wild For The Night” while Miguel serenaded the crowd with his classics “Sure Thing” and “Adorn.” Then the Black Keys rocked the house with a 30 minute set, including hits such as “Gold On The Ceiling” and “Tighten Up.” After an amazing set of performances, DJ Samantha Ronson kept the 300+ leather dressed guests dancing into the early morning.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for this event and was responsible for aspects including site selection and acquisition, design, décor, catering, technical production, and stage management.

This event brought together creative hearts and minds in one of this year's most exciting not for profit events. The evening raised substantial funds to protect at-risk children and to achieve social change. Empire is honored to partner with Arms Around the Child to transform the lives of children. To learn more about Arms Around the Child or to get involved, please visithttp://www.armsaroundthechild.org

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) recently held its 99th Annual Conference and Exhibition at Chicago's McCormick Place. To take advantage of this timing and to promote Korean medical imaging technology to this influential audience, The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI USA) again engaged Empire to produce their Medical Forum at the RSNA conference.

Empire selected the Chicago History Museum to serve as the perfect venue for both the conference sessions as well as an elegant place for an evening reception. On the day of the event, over 250 professionals from the field of radiology and medical devices, including a wide range of doctors, government officials and executives, flocked to attend the cocktails and seminars on the future of Korean medical imaging technology. After an opening networking cocktail reception featuring guided tours of the Museum’s collection, guests moved to the Chicago Room for an enlightening forum.

At the conclusion of the Forum, guests were seated for a dinner featuring a mix of Korean traditional dishes such as pajun, chop chae, and daeji galbi, and also a taste of Chicago with mini deep dish pizzas and Italian beef.

Empire is a leading producer of events and forums to promote trade and exports for a variety of national governments and government agencies.

Jared Leto arrived at the Gotham Awards podium and held his cell phone up to the microphone. Matthew McConaughey wanted to say a few words of thanks for the 2013 Best Actor Award but could not be there in person…so he spoke through Leto's cell phone. It was weird and cool like the Gotham Awards themselves.

Weird and cool and stocked with screen stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, John Goodman, Isaiah Washington, Amy Poehler, Chiwetel Eijiofor, Forest Whitaker, Richard Linklater, Steve Buscemi, Shailene Woodley, Rashida Jones were among the famous faces milling around Cipriani Wall Street, with New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg rounding out the bill.

This was Empire Entertainment's sixth year producing the Gotham Awards, the first show of the film awards "season", and therefore hotly anticipated. "There's a lot of pressure," says executive producer James Donahower, "because you've got 900 people jam-packed into the room, and 100 of them are A-list celebrities. And it's live. So when you say 'start the show', you'd better be ready." Empire was.

When a corporate client sought a world-class headline musical artist to entertain an intimate group of their top clients and management on the final night of their summit, they turned to Empire to secure talent for a night that they’d never forget. After a length process of evaluating many options, the client chose and Empire delivered an extremely special, private concert with one of the best-selling rock bands in music history - Journey.

With their broad range of well-known hits, polished high-energy stage show, and powerful lineup (including lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, who has been with the band since 2007) Journey would deliver everything the client wanted for a successful evening.Prior to the performance, Journey participated in an intimate meet & greet with the guests, getting them excited for the performance to follow. The concert was full of non-stop hits including “Separate Ways,” “Anyway You Want it,” “Open Arms,” “Only the Young,” and “Faithfully.” The finale song, “Don’t Stop Believin’", brought the entire audience to the front of the stage, and left them clapping and cheering for an encore. When the band returned to the stage, they concluded the amazing night with an electrifying performance of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.”

Following the concert, DJ Mick Boogie kept the party alive, spinning greatest hits of yesterday and today, as guests danced the night away on a custom built black and gold dance floor. For this amazing night, Empire was proud to serve as overall entertainment producer, which included securing and contracting all performing talent and entertainment, providing all technical production, and managing all talent logistics, stage management, and onsite production management. Empire Entertainment is a leader in delivering the biggest names in entertainment for private performances.

Microsoft unveiled Visual Studio 2013, its ground-breaking and now cloud-based software development tool with an innovative, technological showcase that embodied the Visual Studio mantra: Connect, Create, Transform.

Serving as a platform for all Visual Studio 2013 news and announcements, the Keynote event hosted 250 in-person attendees at Highline Stages and 60,000 online viewers from around the world. Led by Microsoft Corporate Vice Presidents S. Somasegar and Scott Guthrie, this event was the worldwide corporate unveiling of Visual Studio and kicked off hundreds of launch events around the world. New York City's Meatpacking District, the epicenter of collaborative and creative design, was the perfect locale for Microsoft to launch the tools that developers use for just that purpose.

From registration to keynote to cocktails, every element was custom designed to enhance individual guest experience through digital optimization. LED walls illuminated in a digital heat map depicting the size and location of the online audience and pre-programmed event apps on individual tablets served as guests' personal concierges throughout the day, providing event attendees with the most connected, creative and transformative experience of the year.

After months of designing and planning every detail in collaboration with the Microsoft team, we were thrilled to see all of the components come together—in their words—“flawlessly.”

Since 2004, Empire Entertainment has been proud to serve as producer to Keep a Child Alive for the annual Black Ball Gala that has grown to become one of New York’s largest, most noteworthy and coolest fundraising events.On November 7, 2013, Empire Entertainment served as producer for the tenth anniversary Black Ball Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Givenchy and Jynwel Foundation, the Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Carole King, Kathleen Battle, British soul singer Laura Mvula, and R&B jazz fusion master Roy Ayers.

Hosted by KCA co-founder, global ambassador and Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, the Black Ball has raised over $22.5 million since it’s humble beginnings in 2004. A decade later, a proud Keys spoke of the 300,000 children and family members that have benefitted from Keep a Child Alive’s care in Africa and India. A star-studded guest list of over 600 came to support Keys’ charity, including Clive Davis, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Swizz Beatz, Steve Van Zandt, Padma Lakshmi, and baseball stars Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia.

The Black Ball raised $4 million dollars through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse, a Parisian vacation to see the Givenchy show, a trip to Jamaica, a Belstaff fashion experience and a private serenade by Alicia Keys accompanied with a special dinner with wines by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits.

Alicia Keys and her band put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several musical guests. The first of the evening was a beautiful collaboration with soul singer Laura Mvula, singing She. Followed by her breathtaking duet with Kathleen Battle singing Not Even The King and the classic, Ave Maria. Her next duet with R&B artist Claude Kelly, was an awe-inspiring song he wrote exclusively for Keep a Child Alive’s upcoming campaign. Carole King took the stage, Keys and King put on a phenomenal show when they sang a blended version of Superwoman vs. Natural Woman, creating an intense performance with their dueling pianos. Roy Ayers also performed alongside Alicia Keys, bringing his special brand of jazz and funk to the stage. Her last duet of the evening was with Pharrell Williams, as they sang Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The concert concluded with a stunning confetti blast that filled the cavernous interior of the century-old Hammerstein Ballroom with a glittering cascade of gold. Moments later, Swizz Beatz appeared on stage to DJ the after party, having all guests dance into the early hours of the morning.

Empire has been proud to partner with and serve Keep a Child Alive for the past decade, creating the Black Ball together and growing it into one of New York’s most anticipated annual fundraising events. To learn more about Keep a Child Alive, please go to www.keepachildalive.org