Empire joined Internews once again to produce FilmAid’s Power of Film Awards at the Standard Hotel in New York City. Set under a semi open-air sky on a crisp Autumn night, the event was a perfect mix of purpose and pleasure. For the first time since the pandemic, FilmAid supporters gathered to celebrate its mission to harness the power of film to educate, inspire and empower refugees and other vulnerable communities around the world.

The cocktail event and program included moving remarks by FilmAid’s Founder, Caroline Baron, and new Director, Gita Saedi Kiely, who painted her vision for tomorrow.

“We are now a global organization with projects happening in communities worldwide, with partnership and support from industry leaders like The Oscars (AMPAS) and Variety, and with life changing work that impacts hundreds of thousands of people every year.”

Tim Blake Nelson presented the Student Award to Nhial Gatriek Deng, a 2020 graduate of the FilmAid training program. Mark Ruffalo shared a heartfelt pre-recorded tribute honoring Ian Urbina with the prestigious Christopher Dickey Award for his groundbreaking work on The Outlaw Ocean Project.

Kati Marton then spoke regarding her late husband’s Richard C. Holbrooke Humanitarian Award before introducing Mariam Wardak. Mariam received the award on behalf of the awardee, Sahraa Karimi, who was unable to attend in person. She shared an incredible story of life as a woman under Taliban ruled Afghanistan, and how Sahraa was a devoted advocate of women and cinema until her final moments boarding an evacuation flight to Europe as the Taliban took over.

Jeanne Bourgault, Internews President and CEO, closed the evening with immense gratitude and pride for Internews joining forces with FilmAid. Their incredible work in training young people in all aspects of storytelling and communications empowers the next generation to advocate for its own rights to effect positive change in the world.

Empire is honored to support the vital work of FilmAid and has been serving not-for-profit organizations for nearly three decades. To learn more please visit https://www.filmaid.org

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The Enactus World Cup took place virtually this year, showcasing and celebrating the work of 72,000 Enactus nextgen leaders from around the globe creating a better, more sustainable world.

The event was hosted by Jeff Houghton and Adesina Sanchez. The four-day programming gathered esteemed business leaders, Enactus Alumni, and 1,000+ students from more than 30 countries to experience Passion on Purpose. Notable speakers included the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, Dr. Agnes Kalibata; IMAGINE Co-Founder and former Unilever CEO, Paul Polman; and Artist Voice Coach, Roger Love.

Sessions addressed pressing issues and actions needed to further advance the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals—specifically the need to rethink plastic and combat the ocean crisis, the climate crisis, and food insecurity.

The Enactus World Cup 2021 was supported by impact partners Ford Motor Company and Unilever; Enactus innovation partners AIG, BIC, DSM, and Harmony; and the Better World Award Sponsor, Ford Motor Company Fund.

Empire worked closely with the Enactus team to create the overall event, run-of-show, and graphics, coordinated logistics for all speakers and talent, and oversaw the technical production and broadcast.

Enactus is the world’s largest experiential platform dedicated to developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators who create a better world. That translates to 72,000 student leaders around the world on 1,700+ university campuses in 35 countries, all focused on creating innovative solutions to the world’s greatest social, economic and environmental challenges.

Enactus believes that investing in students who take Entrepreneurial Action for others creates a better world for us all. You can learn about the work of the Enactus #nextgenleaders here—everything from innovative technology used to alleviate the burden on medical workers during COVID-19 in Australia, to the world’s first zero-waste shower tablets in Canada, to an edible alternative to single-use plastic utensils in Morocco.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual, hybrid, and live events, and has been serving not-for-profit organizations for nearly three decades. Empire is proud to support Enactus.

​SHOWTIME has been a pioneer in LGBTQ-inclusive programming for over two decades and has helped bring LGBTQ stories to the forefront through series including the groundbreaking show, The L Word, which premiered in 2004 and ran for six seasons. Ten years later, the series was revived with The L Word: Generation Q, bringing back some of the original show’s favorites as well as a new, younger cast.

SHOWTIME called on Empire to help promote the 2nd season of The L Word: Generation Q, by enhancing a series of weekly viewing party events in six cities across the US over a nine-week period, leading up to the season finale. In Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Mobile, AL, Houston, TX, and New York City, Empire sent brand ambassadors, custom swag, games, photo booths, and other fun activities, to a total of 50+ viewing events held mainly in lesbian bars.

At Henrietta Hudson in New York City and The Semi-Tropic in Los Angeles, fans were treated to surprise appearances from most of the show cast including Kate Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Arienne Mandi, and Jennifer Beals. SHOWTIME’s enhancements to the weekly viewing parties helped swell attendance to 3x the usual numbers, peaking around 400 guests for the finale episode watch parties in New York City and Los Angeles. The 2nd season of The L Word: Generation Q is available on-demand on SHOWTIME.

When Bravo was looking to promote Season 19 of their Emmy-winning competition series Project Runway, they partnered with Empire to help execute a multi-day outdoor stunt that would engage with fans and fashionistas across New York City.

In this age of social media, nothing gets more traction than a fabulous selfie. Empire built three oversized mirror installations adorned with colorful, eye-popping floral designs, and set them up in key locations throughout Manhattan across three days, kicking off on the premiere day of Bravo’s Project Runway Season 19.

The largest of the three mirrors was set up as a thee-day flagship location in the heart of Flatiron Plaza next to Madison Square Park. With the Flatiron Building as the backdrop and the Empire State Building caught in the mirror’s reflection, thousands of passersby, including Real Housewives of Potomac’s Wendy Osefo, came by to check themselves out and take a snap.

The other two mirrors ‘popped up’ each day with fresh new floral ‘looks’ and sassy new mottos (e.g. “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO SLAY”) in different locations including SoHo, Columbus Circle, the Meatpacking District, and Union Square. Additional notable visitors included Real Housewives of New York’s Leah McSweeney, and current S19 Project Runway contestant, Darren Apolonio.

Blessed with beautiful, sunny, and warm mid-October weather, the mirrors were seen by tens of thousands of New Yorkers and enjoyed interactions with thousands of selfie-takers.

Empire secured the location permits, worked with florist East Olivia on the installations, and managed a team of Brand Ambassadors outfitted in branded black denim jackets and white T’s.

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The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Aspen Institute co-hosted the 2021 Global Inclusive Growth Summit. The day-long, virtual event was attended by a global community of purpose-driven leaders from across sectors who came together to take collective action towards rebuilding an economy that works for everyone.

Participants included Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris; Former President, William Jefferson Clinton; H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, United Nations Secretary General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Director-General, World Trade Organization, Ajay Banga; Executive Chairman, Mastercard, Reeta Roy; President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation, Vera Songwe; United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Brad Smith; President and Vice Chairman, Microsoft, Alan Jope; CEO, Unilever, Ivor Horn; Director of Health Equity & Product Inclusion, Google, Ashish Jha; Dean, Brown University School of Public Health, Makhtar Diop; Managing Director and EVP, International Finance Corporation, Michael Froman; Vice Chairman, President, Strategic Growth, Mastercard, Dan Porterfield; President and CEO, Aspen Institute, Shamina Singh; President of The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Ida Rademacher; and many more. The multi-session program was hosted by Marketplace correspondent, Kimberly Adams.

Conversations catalyzed new partnerships, spotlighting solutions that advance inclusive and sustainable economies around the world.

The virtual event platform hosted main stage content on topics including inclusive and sustainable growth, financial security, putting technology to work for the common good, digitizing small businesses, corporate intrapreneurship, crypto-currency, building financial security after Covid-19, live demos on groundbreaking tools for advancing inclusive growth.

Additionally, a live social feed was created to provide guest interaction, the full program agenda, a list of speakers and their biographies, and more.

Empire worked closely with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Aspen Institute in the months leading up to the Summit, consulting closely on content and program development, speaker advance, event marketing, and audience development communications. Empire also oversaw all technical production and management of the livestream program and pre-recordings, virtual event platform development, creative and visual design, editing, and overall project management.

Empire is a proud production partner for the 2021 Global Inclusive Growth Summit, supporting the goals of inclusive and equitable economic growth.

About The Global Inclusive Growth Partnership: The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth & the Aspen Institute

Launched in October 2019 with an inaugural summit, the Global Inclusive Growth Partnership (GIGP) combines the expertise and networks of both the Aspen Institute and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to address systemic issues across a range of topics including financial security, the future of workers, portable benefits, growing micro and small businesses, and commercially-sustainable social impact.

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth:

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders, and doers on the frontlines of inclusive growth.

The Aspen Institute:

The Aspen Institute is a community-serving organization with global reach whose vision is the creation of a free, just, and equitable society. For 70 years, the Institute has driven change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute has offices in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City, as well as an international network of partners. Learn more at www.aspeninstitute.org.

To learn more and view the programming on demand, visit https://globalinclusivegrowthsummit.com

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Empire was proud to produce World Food Program USA’s livestreamed panel discussion entitled US Against Hunger: The Future of Hunger & Global Food Systems. This engaging conversation was moderated by award-winning international journalist, Femi Oke, and featured Dr. Martin Frick, Deputy to the Special Envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021; Volli Carucci, Director of Food Systems and Resilience, U.N. World Food Programme; and Chef Andrew Zimmern, chef, writer, & Emmy-winning TV personality.

The virtual panel focused on the U.N. World Food Program’s work of fighting food insecurity and addressing how food waste impacts hunger. The discussion was livestreamed through the World Food Program’s social media accounts as well as a Vimeo player on the World Food Program USA’s website.

Empire worked closely with the World Food Program USA team and served as overall producer of the virtual event, which is the final program in a series of four.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual events of every kind, and has been serving not-for-profit organizations for nearly three decades.

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After a year hiatus, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans decided to bring together their newest cohorts of Fellows for their annual Fall conference in Nashville, TN. Their leadership and Board of Directors called on Empire once again to serve as their production partner for this important gathering.

The Fall Conference hosted the three most recent classes of Fellows, as well as members of the Board of Directors, and a select group of alumni. The weekend was strategically designed as a multi-day retreat consisting of social, educational, and conversational sessions and activities. Its goals included bringing the newest classes of Fellows together, recognizing and celebrating the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States, and fostering the sense of community and direct connections between Fellows.

To accomplish this cohesion, event programming was built around common themes of immigration, leadership, innovation, and mental health, targeting to attendees across multiple cohorts and disciplines, age ranges, and professions.

Nashville was chosen as the host city both for its rich history and role as a cultural center, but also for its metropolitan government’s work with New Americans to engage and empower immigrants to participate in government and community.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday evening with Fellow arrivals and registration at the Sheraton Grand Downtown, followed by a welcome dinner and private performance by American singer-songwriter, Joy Oladokun.

Friday morning began with breakfast and optional morning activities including an outdoor exercise bootcamp at Capital City Park and a tour of Nashville’s New American communities.

Programing took place at the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition with food truck activations for lunch and a panel discussion with Robert Fisher, Senior Advisor of Results for America, Dr. Stephanie King, the Director of Health Equity Bureau for Nashville’s Metro Public Health, and Fabian Bedne, Senior Manager of Community Development in the Office of Nashville Mayor John Cooper. The opening session was followed by a special blue grass performance by PD Soros Executive Director, Craig Harwood.

Curated one-on-one conversations amongst the Fellows ended the day’s program. Friday evening included a cocktail reception where Fellows had the opportunity to meet and greet with Mrs. Daisy Soros and family before heading out to their individual class dinners at restaurants in the city. One group of Fellows went to Lyra, a restaurant in East Nashville, and the chef shared his New American story with them in the private dining room. The evening closed with an epic line dance party with cocktails and a DJ in the Skye Lounge at the top of the Sheraton Grand.

Saturday afternoon included tours at unique locations around the city of Nashville including Thistle Farms, Cheekwood Botanical Garden, Nashville Food  Project, The Healing Trust with Jen Bailey, and The National Museum of African American Music. The evening’s dinner was held at the Grand Old Opry where Fellows had a chance to experience the variety act performances in one of America’s longest running radio broadcasts and shows. The event featured Carrie Underwood as the closing performer.

The weekend came to a close on Sunday starting with a conversation between four  Fellowship Alumni who are making an impact in the South and concluded with closing remarks by Mrs. Daisy M. Soros, whose heartfelt words created a shared moment for the Fellowship and instilled a sense of legacy in each attendee.

The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans Fall Conference was a celebration of diverse cultures and a touchstone for the newest classes of Fellows that make up the growing Fellowship community.

Empire worked closely with The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships team, the various departments at The Sheraton Grand Downtown, and the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition team to plan and execute each component of the weekend. Empire managed every detail of this occasion, which included concept development, programming, venue acquisition, budgeting, technical production, catering, décor, guest transportation and accommodations, and overall guest experience.

Empire is proud to have partnered with The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans to produce their Fall Conference to celebrate the Fellows, foster new Fellow bonds, and showcase the growing New American population in Nashville, TN. Empire is also honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the impact of Mrs. Daisy Soros and their family, and to reflect on the life of Mr. Paul Soros.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events for many of the world’s leading educational institutions, associations, and foundations.

To learn more about the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans visit https://www.pdsoros.org

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Over two days at The Shed, a cultural center in Hudson Yards, New York City, Unfinished Live convened leading voices in tech, media, art, policy, and the spaces-in-between for vibrant conversations about the decentralized future.

The discussions during Unfinished Live fostered a movement toward an equitable and sustainable future for all. Hosted by Baratunde Thurston, participants included Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder in Residence at PolicyLink and the Chair of the Unfinished Network; Nabiha Syed, President of The Markup; Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan; Claire Evans, author of Broad Band; Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs; Ian Cheng, Artist; Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute; Rashad Robinson, American Civil Rights leader; Gavin Wood, Founder of the Web3 Foundation and Parity Technologies, Co-Founder Ethereum; Gary Liu, CEO, South China Morning Post; Yasmim Green, Director of R&D, Jigsaw; Anil Dash, Co-Founder and CEO, ThinkUp; Rumman Chowdhury, Founder, Parity AI; Alex Kantrowitz, Founder, Big Technology; and Anna Sale, of Death, Sex & Money, who hosted live audio experiments; along with many, many more.

With two main stages, a podcast studio, a dedicated Clubhouse social audio lounge, and interactive art spaces with a special presentation from the artists of Unfinished Camp, the multi-day program was packed with meaning and experiences. Additionally, the Project Liberty Experience—a monumental, immersive, interactive art installation by Refik Anadol—and a projection environment in The McCourt invited guests and members of the public to envision a world where individuals own and control their data.

Empire worked closely with the Unfinished team and various Unfinished partners to deliver an inspiring and seamless experience for this high-profile convening. Empire roles for Unfinished Live included technical production for the program spaces within The Shed (staging, rigging, audio, video, livestream), design, layouts, and production management. Empire oversaw show running for the main stage programs for the live show days as well as livestreaming to a virtual audience. Empire worked closely with T Strategy and Plan Experiential on all aspects of show production as well as Chilean strategy and creative agency, Felicidad, to deliver an extraordinary display of Unfinished Live’s design assets and imagery.

Empire, alongside the Unfinished and Shed teams, collaboratively developed and managed a thorough on-site Covid safety plan for all staff, crew, talent, and guests, ensuring the health and safety of all present at the event.

Empire is a proud production partner for Unfinished Live.

About Unfinished

Unfinished works to strengthen our civic life in the digital age. With a network of partners in technology, academia, social impact, and the arts, Unfinished is imagining the future of technology, culture, and our economy to create a thriving multiracial democracy.

To achieve this, Unfinished is advancing a very concrete solution through Project Liberty, an initiative with the potential to transform how the internet works and who benefits from the digital economy. Project Liberty aims to create a new civic architecture for the next generation of the internet that prioritizes people over platforms, returns the ownership and control of personal data to individuals, reflects a commitment to ethics and shared values, and expands economic opportunities for both users and developers.

Unfinished has partnered with an unparalleled, impact-driven partner network that includes: The Aspen Institute, The Shed, For Freedoms, Ford Foundation, Imperative 21, Ashoka, Georgetown University, Citizen University, Common Goal, Guild of Future Architects, Heartland Forward, Independent Sector, New_ Public, Sciences Po, Serpentine, Amplifier, MilM2, and PolicyLink, and which continues to grow.

To learn more visit: https://unfinished.com/

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Empire was proud to partner with Leaders on Purpose to produce the 4th Annual CEO Summit, a hybrid event taking place in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly. The annual event convenes the world’s most prominent CEOs, academics, multilateral leaders, and business visionaries, all with the goal of integrating purpose and profit.

The theme of this year’s CEO Summit, "Advancing Systemic Leadership & Shaping a Better Future for All—Together", consisted of 12 hours of programming including over 100+ leaders participating in keynote sessions, fire side chats, and intimate breakout sessions, all taking place on a custom-designed virtual platform.

Among the many highlights of the program were remarks by Leaders on Purpose CEO, Christa Gyori; Co-Founder and CSO, Dr. Tatiana Kazakova; UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore; Partners In Health Co-Founder, Dr. Paul Farmer; Unilever CEO, Alan Jope; Paul Polman; and many more.

Sessions from the day included a panel discussion on “Earthshot Partnerships–Breaking Silos, Building New Capacity to Problem Solve Together” with Christian Klein, CEO SAP; Dawn Nakagawa, Executive Vice President Berggruen; and Arlo Brady, CEO of Freuds. There was also a Keynote Session, “Transparent Communication & Building Trust” with Mark Read, CEO WPP. And finally a panel on "Economic Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Enabling a Purpose-First Environment”, in partnership with Meridian International President & CEO, Ambassador Stuart Holliday, included H.E. Rosemary Banks, Ambassador to the US, Country of New Zealand; and Karan Bhatia, Vice President Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google.

Leaders on Purpose is where purpose and strategy meet for better business and a brighter future for all. The organization supports multinational businesses in becoming future-fit, more resilient, and sustainable through embedding purpose at the core of their organizational strategy. They do this by focusing on four areas: research into strategy practices; a peer-to-peer community of CEOs; advocacy for policies to create an enabling environment for purpose-centered business; and advisory on business transformation that delivers on purpose and performance. The annual CEO Summit is the organization’s flagship event bringing together leaders across sectors in support of a purpose-first economy.  

Empire’s role as producer included overall project management, virtual platform development, sponsorship sales, all aspects of the technical production for the hybrid event, registration management, content development, and virtual speaker coordination.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual, hybrid, and live events and has been proud to serve leading not-for-profit organizations and foundations for nearly three decades.

To learn more please visit https://www.leadersonpurpose.com

During the relatively slow summer month of August, Empire was anything but slow, presenting four globally-known, superstar artists for live and in-person events in a period of four days for various clients in various locations!

Country sensation Dierks Bentley thrilled with a performance at a corporate event in Las Vegas.

Back on the east coast, Pitbull and his dancers had the entire audience on their feet at a spectacular private party.

Jason Derulo appeared for a lucky corporate conference crowd, mirrored on monumental projection screens, while the iconic Christina Aguilera sang some her greatest hits and ballads at a private function.

Empire secured and contracted all of these artists and managed the logistics of their performances within a four day period.

Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent and are thrilled to bring these and other artists back to the stage for in-person live events.  

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