Empire was proud to manage the tour of The Gazette in Helsinki for their 2013 World Tour finalé. The Gazette is a popular Japanese visual Kei rock band (a Japanese genre similar to glam rock) formed in 2002. The five band members are known for their extravagant visual kei makeup and hairstyles, with each member having his own defining style and personality. They have huge fan bases in Japan and all over the world, and tickets for their show in Helsinki sold out within an hour.

On event day, fans of the Gazette started to line up at 7:00 a.m. carrying carefully-crafted gifts for the band members. Once the doors to the Circus were opened, they quickly filled the 1,500 seat venue. Empire Asia’s Tokyo office was responsible for managing the Gazette’s tour in Helsinki including overseas promotion to the band’s fan base. The concert was a huge success, ending with fans crying audibly and hugging each other, overwhelmed by joy.

Empire is a leading producer of global concert events, both public and private.

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a luncheon at the Studio Museum In Harlem for the spouses of visiting heads of state in town for the United Nation’s General Assembly. Along with Obama and Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Secretary of State John Kerry, 50 first ladies from around the world toured the museum, dined on a special meal created by chef Marcus Samuelsson, owner of Red Rooster in Harlem, and enjoyed performances by television and Broadway star Audra McDonald, The Dance Theatre of Harlem and the LaGuardia School musicians. The Studio Museum of Harlem was selected for its historical and cultural importance; “There’s a reason why I wanted to bring you all to Harlem today,” Obama told her guests. She said the neighborhood “is infused with a kind of energy and passion that is quintessentially American,” which acts as “a thread that connects all of us here today, no matter where we’re from or what language we speak.”Performances by children from the Dance Theatre of Harlem and The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts inspired audience to remember the importance of youth and the first lady encouraged the women in the room to use this “opportunity” to share ideas on improving the lives of women and children in their respective countries.The First Lady went on to encourage dialogue stating “Don’t be shy, make sure that you talk to the ladies at your table about the great work that you are doing in your countries, because you are all doing some wonderfully powerful work. Ask others about what they are doing in their countries.”

Empire provided all décor, design, production, stage and talent management and logistics for this important diplomatic initiative. Empire is proud to serve the White House and U. S. Department of State and to have been chosen to support this historical event.

Empire Entertainment’s Tokyo-based Asia Division recently introduced Japanese Kawaii (“cute”) Culture to Paris with a tour of Kawaii fashion ambassadors during the peak of Paris Fashion Week.

The Tokyo Crazy Kawaii Committee chose Paris, France because of its influence in world fashion and beauty and the fact that France hosts the highest number of annual visitors in the world.

Kawaii is a word that means “cute,” but it also contains other nuanced meanings such as having a generous attitude towards others or being accepting of various styles. With this three-day convention, simulating a mini Tokyo through fashion, food, music, and anime, Tokyo Crazy Kawaii Paris was successful in promoting awareness of such aspects of Japanese culture and creativity to large and influential audiences in Paris.

Empire Entertainment was responsible for bringing Kawaii to Paris by coordinating and directing a 109 Booth, which simulated 109, the iconic teen-fashion shopping mall in Tokyo.

The event was a huge success and attracted large crowds each day. A follow-up event has already been scheduled for 2014.

After serving the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office (Kantei) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting project in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2013, Empire Japan was again chosen to be a content producer for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, otherwise known as Summer Davos held in Dalian, China.

For this amazing event, Empire was responsible for the core elements such as an event emcee, content producing and stage direction. Everything from titles, themes, copywriting, speaker liaison, stage direction and production were managed by the Empire team. The president of Empire Entertainment Japan, Theodore Miller, had the honor of being selected by the Prime Minister’s Office to serve as the event emcee throughout the night, presenting and interviewing the roster of distinguished speakers. One of the evening’s highlights included a speech and facilitated interview by Miller of Mr. Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Mr. Yuki Ota, Olympic Fencing medalist and Tokyo 2020 Bid Ambassador. Both Minister Shimomura and Mr. Ota had just returned from Buenos Aires, where they played key roles in helping Japan and Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympic bid, and newspapers on the day following the event announced that Japan’s Prime Minister had decided to appoint Mr. Shimomura as Minister in charge of the 2020 Olympics.

Other speakers at Summer Davos’ Japan Night included: Mr. Ichita Yamamoto (Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy / Minister of State for Space Policy / Minister in charge of Information Technology Policy), Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura (Senior Vice-Minister of Japan’s Cabinet Office), Mr. Klaus Schwab (Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum), Mr. Yorihiko Kojima (Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Corporation), Mr. William Saito (CEO and Founder InTecur), Mr. Yoshiaki Fujimori (President and CEO of LIXIL Corporation), Mrs. Lin Kobayashi (Founder and Chair of the Board of International School of Asia, Karuizawa), Mrs. Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Author of the best-selling book “Japanese Farm Food”).

Empire is proud to serve governmental organizations throughout the world with creative and production services for their leadership forums and conferences and is a leading producer of Head of State events.

With the designation of Tokyo as the location for the 2020 Summer Olympics, Empire’s Tokyo-based division is uniquely positioned to serve global brands and clients with their future events, hospitality and Olympic activations.

On September 27th, 2013, Start Today CO., LTD., which manages Japan’s largest and most frequently-visited fashion shopping site “ZOZOTOWN”, launched a new online fashion site targeting young women called “LA BOO.”

To achieve maximum exposure, the client sought to secure on the most recognizable faces in the fashion world today, international supermodel Cara Delevigne. Empire’s Asia division negotiated for and contracted the world famous supermodel and also coordinated the arrangements for the photo and video shoot in London.

Using a top notch shooting crew, the television commercial, along with an outdoor campaign and a tie-in with Japan’s iconic mascot “Fu Nasshi,” the LA BOO campaign yielded excellent response across the board and has exceeded all of the clients goals.

Check out the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz81YyowP_Y

Empire is a leading source of talent for advertising and marketing campaigns across all platforms.

On August 2, 2013 Empire worked with longtime client, Accent on Cincinnati, to present two fantastic headline concert artists for a major Ohio-based insurance company. The 2,000 insurance representatives (and their spouses) gathered at the Duke Energy Convention Center were first treated to an opening set by The Midtown Men, four of the original cast members of the Broadway smash-hit "Jersey Boys", backed by a 7-piece stellar band. Recommended by Empire for their high-energy, charismatic performances, The Midtown Men did not disappoint, giving the crowd some of the great Frankie Valli songs featured in the Broadway production including "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." Their set also included a number of surprises including the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love", the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back", and the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreaming". The set left the crowd on the dance floor begging for more. And more was what the audience received as Michael McDonald and his band took the stage to perform the songs that has earned him five Grammy Awards, including "Keeps You Running", "You Belong To Me", "I Keep Forgetting", and "Yah Mo Be There". McDonald's set also included a number of the Motown classics that he has covered over the years such as "Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Saving the best for last, McDonald ending the set "What A Fool Believes", followed by encores of his Doobie Brothers hit, "Taking It To The Streets", and a phenomenal rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City."Empire is a leading provider of headline musical entertainment for corporate events for over 20 years and has delivered artists including Aerosmith, Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Usher, Prince, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and hundreds more for our clients' events, galas, and parties around the globe.

In 2012, Empire collaborated with Benchmarc360, Inc. to contract Sammy Hagar as a surprise performer for a direct marketing and distribution company's annual conference. When that same company wanted to keep things fresh for the 2013 event, Benchmarc360 asked Empire to bring in one of the biggest comedy stars in the world. After considering performers including Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano, Benchmarc360 Empire secure TV and movie star, Kevin James.The star of CBS' "The King of Queens" as well as major motion pictures including "Here Comes The Boom", "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", "Grown Ups", and many more was a huge hit with the 1,500 attendees. Knowing he was a surprise to the group, James started the show by apologizing "to anyone who was expecting Bon Jovi". From there, he performed a 45-minute set of non-stop laughs on topics ranging from the undeniable awesomeness of onion dip and his disdain for hot-tubs to his family life (he told the group that in spite of being told by friends that he would love all of his children the same, he found that he "really doesn't care as much for the second one"). James was happy to mention the client's name a few times during his set, and even worked their conference theme "Game On!" into one of his routines.

Following the set, Empire helped coordinate a meet and greet where Kevin James greeted a number of VIP's and took photos with each of them. Empire also arranged for Kevin to shoot a brief, impromptu video saying some kind words to one of the conference’s production team event who had fallen ill, and was unable to attend in person.

Empire is a leading source of comedic performers for corporate events and has secured many of the biggest names for our clients over the years including Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano, Dana Carvey, Frank Caliendo and Ellen Degeneres among others.

When multinational information technology corporation Hewlett Packard (HP) wanted the support of a truly international production company to unite their most valued customers with partners from across the Asia-Pacific, they once again turned to Empire’s Japan office for assistance. Over 350 of HP’s most valued customers, channel partners, and staff were invited to converge at the Hilton Osaka hotel, where Empire’s team set about the task of creating and delivering a logistically flawless event.

Aspects under Empire’s scope of responsibility included staging, seating, coordination with the hotel, collateral materials and simultaneous. The summit focused on the theme of storage technology and included participation by several important partners such as the Intel Corporation. Over the course of two days, a series of keynote speeches and special breakout sessions, all participants were able to discover and discuss the latest ideas and systems in a comfortable, organized environment.

In addition to the keynotes and breakouts, Empire also designed and directed the build of an HP Technology Showcase area that facilitated learning about HP and its partners, as well as provided a place for guests to mingle and relax. The gala dinner that followed featured the live action and digital dance troop “Enra” performing in synchronization to a computer-generated projected background, custom prepared to highlight the summit’s ideas covered earlier in the day.

Empire is a leading global provider of services for corporate meetings and events with extensive experience in the technology industry. We are delighted to have successfully produced another important event for one of the most highly-regarded clients in the technology industry.

A week before the event, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York contacted Empire requesting headline talent for their 13th annual charity event, Casino Jazz Night. Empire was asked to identify singers who live locally in New York City with established name recognition. Within hours Empire secured Melanie Fiona, a two-time Grammy Award winning R&B artist who recently released a hit album called, THE MF LIFE. Melanie cooperated with the time constraint, in which she had only 30 minutes of rehearsal on the day event with the house band, Hank Lane Orchestra. After the scheduled program, honoring select members of the real estate industry for their philanthropic contributions, Melanie got on stage and performed 3 songs that blew away all the attendees. She sang two covers which were Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" and Sia's "Titanium" along with her original song, "Watch Me Work."

Empire is a leading resource for headline entertainment for not for profit events.

150 years ago, the United States stood at a crossroads. Deep in the heart of the Civil War, the Union and Confederate Armies met upon the rolling fields of Gettysburg, PA in the early days of July 1863 for what has become known as the turning point of the war. The Battle of Gettysburg not only changed the tide of the war in the Union’s favor, but it sent the country on the trajectory that led towards Civil Rights and our current state of freedom.

It was this relevance that the National Park Service (NPS) and The Gettysburg Foundation had wanted to convey to the dignitaries and general public attending the commemorative event on Sunday, June 30 entitled “Gettysburg 150: A New Birth of Freedom.” Empire worked closely with the NPS to produce a fitting tribute to the fallen soldiers and citizens of our nations past who were most directly affected by the battle.

The program began with the Presentation of Colors by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, accompanied by Country Music superstar Trace Adkins singing the national anthem a capella. As guests took their seats, the Superintendent of the park welcomed everyone along with remarks from the foundation’s President and the Director of the National Park Service.“This is one of America’s sacred places in terms of the ferocity of what occurred here, in terms of the sheer drama,” said John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “Gettysburg is one of the touchstones of the American experience.”Former ABC journalist Charles Gibson served as the evening’s master of ceremonies, introducing the keynote address by presidential historian and Pulitzer prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. Following her remarks, the United States Army Band kicked off the music for the theatrical “Voices Program” led by LTC Jim Keene and composed by SGM Douglas Richard (both from USMA West Point).

Nearly 8,000 guests enjoyed this original theatrical production created across multiple stages, which was directed by Empire CEO J.B. Miller. Empire designed, scripted and created this stunning program with the help of Donna Lawrence Productions that not only entertained the guests but drew media coverage from 50 outlets representing both national and local media. In it’s coverage of the event, The Patriot-News wrote, "[The program's] star being the dramatic readings of the writings of those entrenched in the great and terrible battle that was Gettysburg. The story was told through different forms of media like re-enacted videos and drawings straight from 1863, but the most gripping, no doubt, was the readings of those people whose lives were either taken, or changed forever…” Empire brought on Donna Lawrence Productions to help with the scripting and media creation. The evening culminated with a candlelit vigil, underscored by the thunderous sounds of The Old Guard’s 21 Gun Salute.

Over 100 credentialed media representatives from outlets reaching a worldwide audience covered the event and A&E partnered with NPS and Gettysburg Foundation to webcast the event live on History.com- which can be viewed via C-SPAN's coverage HERE.

Empire served as overall producer and was responsible for all elements of the event including content and creative direction, staging, set design, sound, lighting, video, technical production, casting, script development, music composition and coordinating between the various entities involved.

Empire is honored to be have been given the opportunity to work on this historic and momentous occasion commemorating an important moment in our Nation’s history.