For the 2nd consecutive year, Empire Entertainment booked and produced another stellar music lineup for the Rochester MusicFest. The MusicFest is a City of Rochester-sponsored event and thus has a limited budget. Each year it is an enormous challenge to bring national level talent to this festival within the budget that is allocated while also trying to position the festival as an important part of the Summer tours for these artists. Through Empire's relationships with artists and their agents, we were able to produce the best possible lineup for the best possible price across the board.

This year, under the direction of Empire, the bookings concentrated on the younger genre of R&B acts, which resulted in national media attention by MTV.com & Radio, Vibe Magazine and BET. This lineup put The Rochester MusicFest on the map as one of the 3 major R&B festivals in the US, representing the North East completely.

THE LINEUPSaturday July 17

Black August (local Rochester BOB winners)Nina SkyJagged Edge112CiaraJohn LegendBoyz II Men

Sunday July 18

Statiq (local Buffalo BOB winners)Fatty KooRaheem DevaughnLyfe JenningsCommonFaith EvansBrian McKnight

Empire is constantly looking for more ways to promote the festival and help in the overall effort of its success, so we conceptualized and spearheaded a Battle of the Bands competition in both Rochester and neighboring city Buffalo with local radio stations WDKX (Rochester) & WBLK (Buffalo). These competitions were held to determine the best possible local talent to open both days of the festival. This resulted in an enormous amount of local radio publicity and live performances by finalists that generated great audience interest and attendance in both cities.

This year Empire also booked BET reality series group Fatty Koo, who ensured presence from BET and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. This tour bus is a mobile recording studio where the band was discovered. With the addition of this group, the MusicFest was ensured great national press.

Empire made an additional effort in promotion and arrange for local ‘Step' winners and runner ups, perform between artists on both days. This allowed for cross-promotion at their annual Step Off competition which draws over 6,500 attendees just a few short week before the festival. These performances added to the color of the festival and served to bring additional thrills to the audience.

To add to the excitement, Empire arranged for the inclusion of a ringtone company that made music of all artists on the lineup available for attendees to purchase either prior to or during the festival at very reasonable prices. This added some hi-tech coolness to the festival and brought together companies that collaborated to help promote the festival.

Empire was also responsible to manage all talent logistics, dressing rooms and backstage design and management. Unfortunately on both days of the festival, we had to evacuate due to extremely dangerous lightening storms. On Saturday the concert was stopped midway during John Legend's set and also prevented the headliner, Boyz II Men from performing. On Sunday, the same thing happened and both Faith Evans and Brian McKnight were unable to perform. During both days, Empire was responsible for evacuating approximately 200 people (talent and crew) from the backstage area in flooded and pouring conditions. The evacuation was performed quickly, professionally and the job that Empire did was highly commended by the local officials and client.

Empire Entertainment pays attention to up-and-coming (pre-Grammy) R&B artists and leverages its relationships with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artists and their agents. Empire prides itself that we are quickly becoming one of the leaders in the industry of festival bookings in the US.

This Summer, at one of the largest annual corporate events held in America, Empire had the privilege to book, contract & manage several elements of entertainment & content for one of the world's largest global corporations. These included a spectacular opening meeting sequence staged by director Andy Bew and featuring aerialist/acrobatic troupe Antigravity with Classical Crossover superstars, Bond, Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human alive, Michael Johnson, DJ / Model Sky Nellor, House Band The Rupert's Orchestra and host / emcee Rodney Sherwood among others.But the entertainment highlight of the multi-day conference was an outdoor concert by Australian hard rock group, Jet. This band, led by brothers Nic & Chris Cester, are best known for their U. S. breakout hit "Are you Gonna Be My Girl" which was featured in the original Apple iPod commercials and was the first season theme song for HBO's series, "Entourage."

Empire was able to negotiate a deal with Jet that allowed them to fly from Los Angeles, where they were in the studio recording at the time, to Atlanta to perform for a young business audience, thousands strong, from around the globe.The band performed in an outdoor amphitheater at the Six Flags amusement Park. Although it was a hot Atlanta night where the temperature reached into the 90's, the heat didn't begin until the band tore into their high energy set which was a combination of AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and the Ramones.The band delivered a powerful performance that included their hits "Are you Gonna Be My Girl," "Get What You Need" and "Cold Heart Bitch" and also a first time-ever live performance of a new song from their forthcoming album. At one point during the show, One of the band members climbed atop the speaker stacks Johnny Ramones-style to play a blistering guitar solo. The audience went wild.The band blew away the audience who responded with cheers long after the band had left the stage for their ovenight flight on a chartered Jet, back to the studio on LA for the following day.

Empire is the leader in securing contemporary musical talent for business meetings and events.

When a well-known figure in the financial services world chose to get married in picturesque Sundance, Utah, Empire Entertainment was called to plan, design, manage and execute the concerts and production for a spectacular three day extravaganza with approximately 200 guests. The Salt Lake City Tribune dubbed the affair "Wedding of the Year".

On the first evening, Empire delivered and produced contemporary rock act Maroon 5 (winner of the 2005 Grammy for Best New Artist), who performed an upbeat set that included all of their hits just hours before they flew to Philadelphia to perform at the global Rockfest Live 8. Maroon 5's set was customized for the bride & groom to include a romantic cover of the Beatles song, "If I Fell". Maroon 5's performance took place at sunset in an open meadow surrounded by soaring mountains and 40 foot pine trees. Empire's lighting designers added drama to the surroundings by adding smartly placed lighting instruments with colored gels to, and beneath, the Pine Trees and meadow circumference, and the managing power connections and distribution for the accompanying barbeque, dinner band and mechanical bull ride.

Following the outdoor wedding ceremony on the next day, Rockin' Dopsie, the New Orleans Zydeco band, performed while the guests sipped cocktails outside the Screening Room at Sundance Resort. The party continued as guests moved to the reception hall and boogied between courses to a 15-piece dance orchestra, flown in from New York. The band performed on a custom deck builtover a flowing stream, outfitted with a dance floor including western style décor, such as leather sofas, native American tapestries and coffee tables.Following dinner the guests were again treated to special concert, this time by Hootie and the Blowfish, who performed on a custom stage built over a flowing waterfall. Empire's lighting designers again transformed the environment by adding strategically placed colored gels and up-lightingsurrounding the waterfall, as the guests danced and sang while enjoying wine, champagne and spirits.Following Hootie's performance, the guests went into a dance frenzy into the wee hours of the morning, as DJ David Chang mixed together a masterful play list, ideally suited for the the audience demographic.

On the following morning Empire helped wrap the weekends' festivities by producing the Soul Rebels at a Cajun Brunch, as guests filled their bellies with Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffee and Bread Pudding.For this unique wedding celebration, Empire's Private Client Services division provided entertainment booking & contracting, logistics management, power distribution, lighting design, staging, sound, labor, generators and power distribution. Empire met and overcame all unforseeable challenges to ensure that this event ran smoothly and came off without a hitch.

Empire's Private Client Services division is a leading producer of high-end events for the most discerning of clients. Whether it be a wedding, anniversary, special birthday, bar mitzvah or a personal celebration of any kind, Empire can transform a mere party into a legendary production thatwill be remembered for a lifetime.

When Reader's Digest wanted to commemorate the publication of its 1,000th Issue, it called on Empire Entertainment to bring the landmark publication to life in a gala celebration. The order was tall: not only did Reader's Digest want the party to look as though it was torn from the very pages of the 1,000th Issue itself, they wanted the party to be an unforgettable excursion into the future.

Empire, well schooled in the art of magazine parties, quickly assembled its team of experts and designed a party that inspired this note from our client: "I just wanted to thank you for making my event so spectacular! It even surpassed my own imagination. You guys are amazing!"

The centerpiece of the party, thrown at Skylight Studios in downtown Manhattan, was an airy House of the Future delicately suggested by a stainless steel frame and windows that appeared to be floating in mid-air. The "house" looked out over a virtual backyard created w/video projection and suspended birch trees. Inside the house, caterers served bizarre and delicious "meals that heal". The outdoor Carport of the Future contained two Mercedes Benz concept cars/conversation pieces. In a special area deemed Life on an Asteroid, attendees subjected themselves to virtual reality rides, snorted oxygen, and swilled pomegranate juice-and-lavender martinis. State-of-the-art, humanoid robot "Millennia" greeted guests, sweeping many off their feet (literally!). Christian Slater, Alan Alda, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Reader's covergirl Alicia Keys all stopped in to sample the sights, sounds, and flavors of tomorrow.

Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge business events for media & communications clients the world over.

Empire Entertaiment was honored to produce a high profile gala event for top independent hotel marketing company, the Krisam Group. The event was held at the majestic Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey and was developed around a Motion Picture theme and an invitation that welcomed guests to 'Get ready for their closeup'. As guests entered the event, they were whisked off to the soundstage on the lawn for a cocktail hour where three fully operational motion picture sets were busy shooting scenes from Austin Powers, Titanic and Casablanca. Guests were put into wardrobe and makeup and then directed by professional directors in screen tests which were videotaped. While guests shot their screen tests, the onlookers were entertained by the Todd Londagin Trio. Todd's silky smooth vocals and virtuoso trombone playing was a perfect fit for the sophisticated audience and provided just the right atmosphere for the rest of the evening.

After cocktails, guests walked down a red carpet and into a sumptuous main rotunda hall which Empire had set up and designed in the style of an Academy Awards gala. Ivory linens, green florals and gold accents painted the room in luxury. A large stage set featuring two 13' tall gold statuettes stood between two angled projection screens.The dinner was organized as an awards gala was hosted by Marco Tempest, the world's most high-tech magician. Using his amazing artistry and unbelievable multimedia skills, Marco was able to blend the digital, virtual world of technology with our everyday reality. As host, Marco wowed the audience with his "magic touch" by pulling the awards envelopes right out of a television monitor! Other mind-boggling illusions included sketching the company's logo and conjuring it out of the sketchpad into a heavy 3-D object that rolled right off the stage! Marco Tempest's charm, humor and hi-tech magic made him the perfect host.While the audience was being served their dinner, the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir took the stage for a short but spirited and joyful performance. Entering from the back of the banquet hall, they made their way to the stage singing their crowd favorite, "Higher & Higher". By the time their powerful rhythm section joined in on the second verse, the audience was on their feet clapping and singing! Wearing their traditional Kente robes, the choir gave a dynamic and uplifting performance!

After the dinner, Empire screened the three winning screen tests for the audience who howled with laughter as the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Film Awards were given and attendees delivered impromptu acceptance speeches before claiming their awards.After the awards ceremony, The Eturnity Band took the stage for a night of music and dancing. The audience immediately felt the energy of the 11-piece dance band and rushed to the dance floor. With a repertoire ranging from funk and soul, to disco and rock and roll, the Eturnity Band got people moving! This NYC-based band left no doubt in the audience's minds as to why they are one of the most sought-after corporate dance bands in the U.S.A.!The event was, in the words of the client: "Spectacular, amazing and perfect....all rolled into one. Our customers were dazzled, yet allowed to relax. Invigorated, yet allowed the quiet time to converse with our sponsors. Just what was needed."

Empire is a leading producer of turnkey events, managing all details from concept development and decor to production and entertainment.

When a major technology company wanted to provide a party-oriented send-off to a large group of their business partners, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the right entertainment for their partner celebration event.

Empire presented the client with a variety of recommendations and options for party bands and worked with them to ultimately secure 1980's party super band The B-52's to headline the party.

The B-52's were the ideal choice for this audience because of their large catalog of dance-oriented hits, their irreverant and energetic stage show, and because their internationally-known music and demographic appeal perfectly matched this audience of 30 and 40-something technology employees. Moreover, Empire had worked with the B-52's on many past occasions and were confident in their abilities to ensure a successful event.

When the B-52's took the stage at the Minneapolis Convention Center, the audience immediately began dancing to hits that included "Love Shack," "Rock Lobster", "Roam," "Strobe Light," "Private Idaho" and "Planet Claire" among others. Original band members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland were supported by keyboards, bass, guitar and drums and performed in perfect form.

From the moment the band took the stage, the audience of almost 4000 people dancing caused the entire floor of the convention center to bounce gently, causing lighting trusses to sway and images of the band on a series of enormous screens flanking the stage to shake. The bouncing floor was felt by all including the band on stage who had fun with it.

The show was an amazing success with the audience calling wildly for encores as the band left the stage. This was one corporate event where the band and the audience truly rocked the house.

Empire is a leading producer of major business events and wild parties for audiences of just a few people to up to thousands of guests.

For the 2nd consecutive year , Empire Entertainment Japan was chosen to book and produce all entertainment for a major financial services company's corporate awards conference for it's top Japanese distributors. The company sponsored this trip to reward 300 of the company's top selling agents and their families, bringing them together from various locations in Japan to Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas for 5 days and 4 nights of sightseeing and entertainment.For this conference, Empire booked and produced the entertainment over 3 evenings for the Welcome Party, the Awards Ceremony and the Farewell party. In addition, during both the planning and execution phases, Empire provided Japanese/English bilingual logistical support between the Japanese client and their other Japanese vendors, and the many local vendors responsible for various aspects of the conference events.

Although the Japanese guests were coming to an unfamiliar land and feeling the effects of jet lag from the 14+ hour international flight, they were very quickly made to feel at ease, because of the well-planned and relevant program that was produced especially for them by Empire Entertainment and it's partners.During the Welcome Party, the guests were entertained by familiar Dixie Land and Bluegrass songs performed by the Steve Dwiggins Band and a Country Line Dance performance by a local dance troop. For the Awards Ceremony, the highlight of the week's activities, Empire Entertainment answered the client's request to create a very memorable show for their guests. Using the restored Civil War era Columbus Iron Works facility, now the Columbus Convention Center, Empire created a very southern facade - working with a local production company to construct a stage resembling an old Southern Plantation House, outfitting the ceremony's Japanese MC's in full Rhett Butler and Scarlett Ohara costumes, and providing escorts dressed in Southern Belle attire. And to make memorable first and last impressions, Empire arranged for a Ray Charles look-a-like to open the ceremony with a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", and arranged for Rupert's Orchestra to finish off the crowd with a rousing set of classic R&B dance tunes.

For the Farewell Party on the final evening, the entertainment started with guests being treated to a traditional southern dinner at the renowned Pitty Pat's Porch Restaurant in downtown Atlanta, followed by musical entertainment provided by ….. And finally for those who still weren't ready to call it quits, Empire decorated a conference room in the guest's hotel for all to congregrate, view a video diary of the week's activities, reminisce and say good bye to the new friends that they made over the past few days.

Empire Entertainment's Asia-Pacific office, located in Tokyo Japan, enables Empire to better serve the needs of it's clients in Japan and Asia. Empire Entertainment Japan adds to Empire's international reach by providing a high level of local expertise and on the ground support for it's clients in the Asia Pacific region. Whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event locally within the region, whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event somewhere else in the world, or whether you are an international organization from another region planning an event in Asia-Pacific, Empire Entertainment Japan is your best source for booking local or international talent, and producing events in the Asia-Pacific region or anywhere else in the world.

Empire Entertainment's expertise in production, logistics, and securing sponsorships paired with epop International's event conception and management combined to create a memorable evening of tribute on the occasion of Anne Frank's 75th Birthday. The event, a gala dinner held at New York's Chelsea Piers, was attended by approximately 300 guests and benefited The Anne Frank Center USA.The event celebrated Anne's legacy by honoring individuals who emulate her courage and desire for an inclusive, non-discriminatory society. Buddy Elias, the last remaining relative of Anne Frank, presented the Inaugural Anne Frank Human Writes Award to Arthur Miller's son whom accepted it on his behalf of his father. The event also featured a series of special readings and performances by literary figures and artists from all walks of life. Readings from Anne Frank's and Arthur Miller's works were done by Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Gere, Natalie Portman, Lou Reed, Laura Linney, and Amy Irving. The audience was soothed by the incredibly touching performance by Cyndi Lauper of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" and "Time After Time," and by Michael Feinstein's adaptation of "Bie Mir Bist Du Schoen" and "Somewhere," and lastly Lili Haydn's "The Last Serenade." The event was supported by the Simon Wiesenthal Center / New York Tolerance Center, Le Parker Meridien New York and by Coca-Cola.Empire is an effective production partner to innovative fundraising and cause-related organizers like

When an automotive company wanted to entertain their dealers at a key announcement show in glamorous Cannes, France, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure a headline concert act that would suit the upscale audience and the fashionable surroundings.Leveraging its music connections, Empire was able to reunite three of the original lead singers of the five time Grammy Award nominated group En Vogue, to play the party.En Vogue, who are an internationally-known, female-led R&B act, performed a high energy headline concert for this exiting vehicle unveiling which took place at the same time of the annual Cannes Film Festival.Onstage, En Vogue performed all of their hits including "Hold On", "You're Never Gonna Get It", "Whatta Man" and "Free Your Mind" while the audience became a sea of backup singers & dancers. En Vogue's performance was a home run for the audience and the group are performing a follow up engagement for the same client.

From Cannes to Tokyo, from Buenos Aires to Sydney, Empire Entertainment delivers superstar talent for every setting.

Called "the Academy Awards of the Internet", The Webby Awards recently chose Empire Entertainment to produce their most important program to date, The 9th Annual Webby Awards. This unique awards program recognizes excellence and innovation in the growing area of web design creativity and functionality. With a reputation of presenting state-of-the-art creativity to an audience representing some of the greatest living creative minds, Empire's challenge was a great one.Empire created an extraordinary evening program that featured a networking cocktail hour, a three-course gala dinner, an exceptionally complex and dynamic awards ceremony featuring over 80 award winners, and a buzzing after party.

The Webby Awards were held at Gotham Hall and featured a diverse and amusing program. Founders Tiffany Shlain and Maya Draisin opened the show with inspiring words of the spread of thought across the globe with each website that is developed. Rob Corddry, correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," matched the program's animated design with his wit and charm.In keeping with Webby tradition, winners kept their acceptance speeches to five words which highlighted and distilled the ingenuity and humor of the winners. Even The Honorable Al Gore, who received the Webby's Lifetime Achievement Award, initially honored the tradition, bringing down the house by saying "please don't recount this vote". The Former Vice President then added some more serious commentary, noting that the Webby Awards had "reached a critical mass" and stepped past a "tipping point" with the 9th Annual event.Other special honorees included Person of the Year, Craig Newmark of craigslist.com, Artist of the Year, The Kleptones at kleptones.com, Breakout of the Year, and Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield of flickr.com.

The after-party, held at The Cellar Bar of Bryant Park Hotel, was sponsoredby 2Advanced Studios, creators of the graphics for the program. Their president also supplied the sounds of the affair by spinning music as the afterparty's DJ while guests socialized and networked with other creative minds. Empire provided turnkey design and production of the Webby Awards including site selection and acquisition, catering and bar service, an elegant yet bold décor scheme in red & yellow, efficient registration of almost 600 guests and members of the media, signage, staff, set design, script writing, all video, sound, and lighting, as well as stage management.The hugely successful event was covered extensively in the media including extended features on CNN, Good Morning America, FOX News, the BBC, CNBC, Inside Edition, and the New York Times among dozens of others.Empire is a leading producer of innovative award programs and media events worldwide.

For more information about The Webby Awards, including how to register as a nominee for the 10th Annual event, visit http://www.webbyawards.com.