BizBash Magazine, the leading and most respected publication in the event industry, recently named President and CEO of Empire Entertainment, J.B. Miller, as one of "The Top 50 Innovative Event Professional of 2013. Heralded for Empire's use of cutting edge technology and immersive event design, Miller was cited as "An event innovator and groundbreaker—joining an elite group that proves the value of face-to-face events, empowers their peers to consider the unconventional, and reveals a redefined image of what the industry is today."

BizBash executive editor Anna Sekula wrote "We’re excited about this creative group of innovators, the folks that keep the industry looking–and moving–forward. J. B. Miller took risks and experimented with new ideas without losing sight of goals, which is the reason we decided to highlight him and the other 2013 Innovators and and their work.”The article, “50 Most Innovative Event Professionals” is featured in the BizBash summer issue, the Innovation Issue.The full list of innovative people and brands can also be found at: http://bizbash.com/innovators-2013

J. B. Miller's profile can be viewed at: http://www.bizbash.com/jb-miller/new-york/story/26276#sthash.2osTm9lr.dpbs

In the past few months, Empire's New York, Asia and Latin America divisions have successfully produced dozens of major events, spanning the globe. Empire will proudly celebrating its 20th year anniversary this coming September.

The Fragrance Foundation Awards are, simply put, the Academy Awards of the fragrance industry. Each year, the Awards recognize leading perfumers, perfumes and outstanding achievement in the field of fragrance. This year, Fragrance Foundation President Elizabeth Musmanno tapped Empire Entertainment to produce the awards show on June 12, 2013.

The celebration was held at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and was hosted by¨“Saturday Night Live’s” Dana Carvey. The program began with a cocktail reception in the Alice Tully Hall atrium among a gallery of large, printed floral walls that surrounded lounge seating. A press tent outside also displayed a similar floral pattern step & repeat in front of which all of the attending celebrities and presenters were photographed.Following a brief cocktail reception, guests made their way into Alice Tully Hall for the Awards presentation. Carvey kept things moving with his lively humor and fragrance industry material. In his opening monologue, Carvey talked about some of the fragrances that didn't make the cut this year including Governor Chris Christie's Ravenous, Breathalyzer by Reese Witherspoon, Hans & Franz Pump, On the Scent by Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Satan's Scent by The Church Lady. Following remarks by Elizabeth Musmanno and Fragrance Foundation Board Chair Jill Belasco, Carvey began the awards section of the program and presented the first of several categories. Among the highlights of the show was the Fragrance Celebrity of the Year Award presented to Taylor Swift, who wore a stunning white Emilio Pucci gown as she delivered her acceptance remarks. Other presenters that evening included André Leon Talley, Dita von Teese, Connie Britton, Sky Ferreira, Australian twin models Jason & Zac Stenmark, and Public School design duo, Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow. The program also included a live reading of an original work of poetry by Obama Inaugural Poet, Richard Blanco.

In addition to Taylor Swift and a multitude of fragrances, this year’s winners included Allure’s Linda Wells and Perfumer of the Year Lifetime Achievement winner, Alberto Morillas. The after-party was held in the Alice Tully Hall atrium where a lighting change and sleek furniture transformed the room into a luxurious late-night lounge. DJ Donna D'Cruz spun a mix of sexy international songs that perfectly suited the perfumed atmosphere of the evening, as guests drank cocktails and sat outside on lounge furniture in the sunken plaza on Broadway, masked privately by large floral-printed walls. For this production, Empire served as overall producer, coordinating all talent, technical production, stage design, room design (with Buero NY and set designer Philipp Haemmerle), talent, and stage management to ensure an efficient experience.

Empire is a leading producer of events and programs for the luxury brand industry, as well as a leading producer of award shows. Empire congratulates all of the 2013 Fragrance Foundation Award winners.

Open since 1888, Katz’s Delicatessen has been a beloved New York City institution through 23 presidencies, two World Wars, three depressions and many generations of food lovers. More than a century later, Katz’s sits on the same lower East Side corner — serving up heaping piles of pastrami to hungry throngs of New Yorkers, tourists and celebrities. When this iconic delicatessen turned 125 years old, they called on Empire Entertainment to produce their unique three day celebration.Kicking off the festivities Empire produced a 200 person Shabbat dinner, closing the restaurant to the public for one of the very few times in its history. Guests dined under the neon lights while enjoying a four course tasting menu of tribute dishes prepared by some of New York City’s hottest celebrity chefs including Joey Campanaro of the Little Owl, Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese, Bill Telepan of Telepan, and pastry chef Sarabeth Levine. Each chef took Katz's signature ingredients and put their own spin on their notable dishes. Between courses, host Gilbert Gottfried joked with the crowd and shared his own experiences. Katz’s owners Alan and Jake Dell also spoke and provided anecdotes of some of the best Katz's moments over the decades.

All proceeds from the Shabbat dinner benefited Henry Street Settlement, another lower East Side institution celebrating its own 120th anniversary this year (www.henrystreet.org). Among the many notable guests in attendance were Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, NYC Comptroller John Liu, mayoral candidates Joseph Lhota and Adolfo Carrion, Jr., entertainers Marilyn Michaels and Jackie Hoffman, Chef Wiley Dufresne (WD-50, Adler), Chef Marcus Samuelson (Red Rooster), and Chef Daniel Holzman and Chef Michael Chernow (The Meatball Shop) among others.The celebrations continued throughout the weekend with a first-ever main stage that Empire built inside Katz’s to entertain guests with a constant stream of bands, Vaudeville and Catskills performers and talent hosted by American Idol's Devyn Rush.

Capping off the momentous weekend was a full day of activities on Sunday, June 2, which was proclaimed ‘Katz's Delicatessen Day’ by Mayor Bloomberg. In addition to twelve straight hours of live music and entertainment on the in-store stage, the first ever Katz's Delicatessen World Pastrami Eating Contest was held on an outdoor stage at the Lower East Side BID DayLife Festival. Hundreds of members of the media and spectators turned out to watch ten ranked professional competitive eaters consume over 140 half sandwiches in 10 minutes. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the top ranked competitive eater in the world, won the golden pastrami sandwich trophy after consuming a whopping 13 sandwiches. He was absolutely a crowd favorite with all chanting his name.As the weekend wound down, the celebration did not! The restaurant lighting was turned off and the neon signs blazed as Katz’s Deli transformed into a night club where patrons danced to live music and DJs until midnight.Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer, developing the program for the weeken's activities, coordinating all logistics, dinner registration and seating, décor, celebrity chef procurement & talent booking, technical production, and onsite management for the three day series.

Empire is a leading producer of food-related events and is proud to be the producer-of-choice for a variety of New York Institutions.

When a private client sought to celebrate an important birthday party with a unique event in his home, he turned to Empire Entertainment to help him plan a most memorable affair. Working closely with his staff, Empire was able to negotiate and secure the services of Keith Urban, one of the most dynamic performers and all around professionals, we’ve had the pleasure to work with at Empire. Over a period of six months, Empire worked closely with the client and the event’s designer to develop a tented solution in the beautiful waterfront backyard to accommodate the evening’s events.

When the day arrived, the weather was perfect. Guests arrived down a stately gravel driveway, flanked by 10-foot high hedges, and pulled up in front of a cocktail tent overlooking the water in which Empire had programmed light and client’s preferred background music. Guests then moved into a tent to be seated for a dinner followed by remarks and a tribute video. But it was not until the guests moved into the entertainment tent that the full scope of the party’s plan was revealed. Inside this large tent built with a sunken pickled birch wood dance floor and cowhide banquettes, the production and design team had created the perfect environment for an entertainment presentation and after party.

One of the client’s family members performed a 20-minute set with a seven-piece band at the top of the show, wowing the audience. Immediately afterwards, a birthday cake was presented to the sounds of Stevie Wonder's “Happy Birthday”, after which, the main event commenced

Keith Urban took the stage with his full band and played a 90-minute set that included all of his hits, including several covers by artists such as Billy Joel and AC/DC. The audience danced the entire set and Keith Urban even brought some of the guests up on stage to sing with him. At one point, Urban went into the crowd, played a guitar solo, signed the guitar, and gave it to one of the stunned attendees. Towards the end of the set, Urban invited the man of the hour onstage to sing with him to Steve Miller Band’s "The Joker," and ended the show with a special guitar version of "Happy Birthday." After his final encore, Keith Urban left the stage and the evening transitioned into a dance party led by a DJ, spinning tunes until the last guests left at 1:30 AM.

For this ambitious private client project, Empire served as overall entertainment producer. Empire worked closely with the client’s office to secure and contract all performing talent and entertainment, provide all technical production, including a custom lighting rig built to conform to the shape of the tent, and Empire provided all talent logistics, stage management, and onsite production management.

From parties in remote New York locations, to the South of France, Buzios and Bodrum, Empire is the leading producer of private celebrations and events and the world's leading provider of headline entertainment for private events.

When a private client wanted to surprise his mother with a very special 80th birthday performance, Empire Entertainment helped produce “EGOT” (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) Award-winning performer Liza Minnelli, and her trio for the occasion.Taking place at their home in Woodstock, Vermont, outside with the gorgeous scenery of Summertime Vermont, the intimate birthday celebration called for a classy and entertaining show, that the guests ranging in ages from their teens to their 80’s could enjoy.

Following dinner, Liza Minnelli took to the stage, as the birthday girl cheered along in surprise. Sitting on blankets and cocktail tables directly in front of the stage, guests clapped and sang along as Liza performed a 60-minute set of her hits including “Liza With A Z,” “Cabaret,” “Ring Them Bells,” and a very energetic performance of “New York, New York.”

The show culminated with Liza inviting the lovely and musically talented guest of honor to the stage, where she got to join in a duet of Liza’s encore, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

Immediately following the song, a 15-minute firework display was set off, ending an incredible night. For this event Empire was responsible for advancing all technical and logistical details, including driving a truck stage and Steinway piano onto a very narrow private road, and producing all elements in a very remote location. Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of private events and family celebrations in the U.S. and around the world.

One of Empire's private clients recently reached out for help seeking headline talent for his daughter's Sweet 16. Empire was able to immediately secure the birthday girl's favorite band and up-and-coming stars, Timeflies, for this special occasion. The birthday party was held at a popular lounge in Stamford, CT . Although it was not a typical performance venue, Empire worked with the venue and the band to install a stage with professional sound and lighting that could create a concert experience for the guests and have the band shine like their large venue shows. On the night of the party, DJ L, who was also recommended and booked by Empire, opened up the party and then a couple hours later, Timeflies showed up from the back and completely surprised the birthday girl and her 100 friends with an hour long concert of their hits.

Due to complete secrecy in planning, the birthday girl didn't have a clue that Timeflies would be appearing until the moment they were introduced. The band went above and beyond in their performance, inviting her onstage and letting her stay on stage throughout the entire show. All the guests were thrilled to see Timeflies rock the stage. The party ended with a friendly meet & greet and photo shoot with all the guests. Empire is a leading resource for headline talent for all types of private and family celebrations and we have delivered artists that include the Jonas Brothers, Pharrell Williams and Timeflies for Sweet 16 events.

When Korea’s KDB Daewoo Securities needed a breakthrough concept for their marketing campaign, they turned to Empire's Tokyo-based Division.Empire Entertainment, working together with KDB’s agency, proposed artist and photographer Alexa Meade as the ideal solution for their needs. PBS said the following of Alexa “In some ways, artist Alexa Meade is a traditional figure painter. But she works on an unusual canvas: the actual human body. And she takes a classical concept — trompe l'oeil, the art of making a two-dimensional representation look three-dimensional — and turns it on its head. Her aim is to do the opposite, to collapse depth and make her living models into flat pictures." Using her unique painting technique, Alexa delivered a truly attention-grabbing commercial and set of campaign materials, which KDB successfully leveraged for their through-the-line campaign. Empire developed the creative concept for the advertising campaign together with Alexa, and also provided rights management and talent management services on this project. Empire is a leading producer and source of talent and creative elements for major commercial campaigns worldwide. Past Empire commercial projects have included work for clients ranging from Samsung, EA Sports and Asahi.

Empire Entertainment once again had the pleasure of producing the 6th annual Internet Week New York festival, which featured hundreds of events around New York City from May 20 -23, 2013. IWNY returned to Metropolitan Pavilion and the Altman Building for the festival’s headquarters, the location for 2010 and 2011.

With more than 10,000 visitors over the week and hundreds of companies represented, including Google, AT&T Adworks, MLB Advanced Media and Aereo, the space was strategically organized to create more intimate spaces, including two stages, a classroom and a lounge furnished by official design partner Design Within Reach.

Highlights of the week included:· The opening day party at Internet Week HQ featuring Performances by HITS and DJ sets from The Juan Maclean, Benji B and Brendan Fallis· A keynote presentation by Vice Media Founder Shane Smith and former MTV CEO Tom Freston· Keynote presentation by Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times, who answered the question “When Everybody’s a Reporter, What’s a Reporter to Do?”· Surprise appearance by Fred Armisen who had a sit-down conversation with NYC comedian and covered everything from SNL to zoo animals to brunch, with a little bit of Internet thrown in the mix.· Joan Rivers’ brutally honest conversation about the Internet’s impact on comedy, the role Twitter is playing in her career and her entry into producing short-form wed video.· Randi Zuckerberg sat down to talk about her growing media empire, her vision for the future and her passion for helping people untangle their modern wired lives.· Architect David Rockwell shared his thoughts on how to create new experiences through interactive environments and the increasingly dynamic role technology plays in design today.

The festival again include activations in two separate theatre spaces to accommodate longer presentations and conferences. Taking place in the Altman Building, Mediapost held two daylong conferences, OMMA Social and OMMA Data Driven Marketing. CM Summit hosted their 2-day conference on bridging data and humanity. On the 2nd floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion, the second theater hosted #Twitter4Brands Conference and AdAge’s Marketing and Technology Summit.

Empire oversaw the 6th Annual Internet Week New York festival headquarters from conception to completion, coordinating registration for the thousands of guests, stage management and producing all of the presentations in the theater and on both HQ stages, and managing the event sponsors from the design process for their footprints in the space and all of their needs from load-in to load-out.

Empire is a leading producer of trade events, expos and event marketing / presence marketing installations with extensive experience in the technology industries.

For the second year in a row , MTV Tr3s joined forces with Empire Entertainment to help them produce their annual Upfront. This year the event took place at one of NYC’s landmark entertainment venues, Webster Hall.

Hosted by José Guillermo and Rafael Vazquez of Circo Hermanos Vazquez, this event wowed and amazed attendees with both spectacular stage performances and talent roaming the floors. As a finalé to the presentation reggaeton and hip hop star Daddy Yankee performed his hits to an exhilarated crowd, setting the upbeat tone on the dance floor for the rest of the eveningEmpire transformed the venue into a symbol of the brand’s bilingual and multicultural appeal through Tr3s’ new show, Circo.

With a host of stilt dancers, contortionists, fire-eaters, snake charmers, acro-balancers and strongmen, combined with creative technical, scenic and decorative production, Empire successfully turned Webster Hall into a Mexican-themed circus.

Once the stage was set and the ambiance achieved, guests were given a preview of what is to come next for the hit television network. Featured programming included Familia de Circo, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at a forty-year old family circus led by five Mexican brothers. The Divas Del Azucar jumped out of a cake to present their reality series - Bakers for the Stars. Also announced was that the Unplugged series will showcase Ricardo Arjona as he does stripped-down acoustic performances. Colorful uplights and authentic décor accents completed the aesthetic, giving guests a transporting experience in a well-known venue. Mexican food was passed and the open bar kept drinks flowing freely. On an evening in New York City when many competing Upfronts were taking place, guests packed Webster Hall to capacity to enjoy Tr3's much-anticipated party. From conception to execution, the client’s objective and vision was achieved in every aspect throughout the seamless event. Strong partnerships with Webster Hall and Empire’s trusted vendors and crew led to the precise implementation of the event creative and plan. Empire is a leading producer of Upfront events with a strong track record of producing major events for multicultural audiences and clients with diverse consumers.

In its 17 years, The Webby Awards has become the internet's single most important annual event, celebrating achievements within the world's most dynamic and fast-growing industry. Equally important, the Webbys documents the creative culture of innovation that is rapidly remaking our ever-more interconnected world. At this year's Webby Awards, web achievements by celebrities including Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Spacey, and Ben Stiller, were celebrated alongside accomplishments of President Obama’s tech team, GIF creator Steve Wilhite, NASA’s Mars Curiosity team, and others.To begin the evening, guests enjoyed Cipriani’s famed Bellinis while networking across the street at The Museum of American Finance.

When it was time for the main event, attendees crossed Wall Street for the dinner and the show.Patton Oswalt served as host for the second straight year, and began the show noting that “50 percent of Internet bandwidth goes to Netflix and YouTube, another 49 percent goes to porn. And that last 1 percent is what we’re here to talk about today.”Consistent with tradition, it was the Webbys renowned 5-word acceptance speeches that stole the show. Steve Wilhite, accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award for inventing the GIF, cleared up an age-old internet mystery, with his 5 word video acceptance that spelled it out for the audience “It’s pronounced ‘JIF’ not ‘GIF”.Some winners used their five words to more poignant effect, with Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (“Athlete of the Year”) telling viewers to “Treat others with empathy,” and another winner, referring to the legalizing of gay marriage stated “equality…..38 states to go.” Others treated the moment lightly: Ben Stiller, accepting with two other members of the “Burning Love” cast, was introduced jokingly by his colleagues as “Beyoncé”, and he simply said “gracias.”

The evening also featured many humorous videos as well as a brief performance by Tanlines. The most anticipated moment of the night came from comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld. Receiving the award for Outstanding Comedic Performance. He summed up what many think about the Webby tradition saying “Why five words? It doesn’t……” but then waved his hands at the audience in mock frustration, before exiting the stage.But Seinfeld’s question may have been answered earlier in the evening, when Kevin Spacey, receiving a Special Achievement Award for his work in “House of Cards”, said of his brief speech: “The Oscars should do this.”This was the 9th consecutive year that Empire Entertainment has produced the Webby Awards. Empire was responsible for nearly every element of the event including the cocktail reception at The Museum of American Finance, the red carpet and step & repeat, the video lounge where winners recorded their five word speeches, permitting & tenting, registration, signage, talent wrangling, technical production, and stage management. Empire was also responsible for producing the after-party at Amnesia NYC. Together with an A-list team of partners including creative directors Andrew Fried and Tommy Kail, set designer David Korins, talent coordinator Lesley Roy and others. Empire was proud to execute what many called the best Webby’s yet.

Empire is one of the internet industry’s leading event producers.