Columbia University Children’s Health celebrated its annual Children’s Benefit virtually. Empire was honored to produce the first-ever virtual benefit program dedicated to highlighting the accomplishments of Columbia Children’s Health.

The evening program was hosted by Emmy Award-winning television host, Daphne Oz, and commenced with remarks by Anil K. Rustgi—Interim Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine—and Jordan S. Orange—Reuben S. Carpentier Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics—emphasized the importance of technology and care at Columbia Children’s Health. Larry Neubauer, Chair of the Children’s Board at Columbia, also expressed thanks to fellow board members, partners, friends, and supporters of Columbia.

A short film about the Columbia Center for Children’s Digital Health Research (CCDHR) led by Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, presented the Center’s mission and work of designing, implementing, and evaluating digital health tools and strategies that impact child and population health. Compelling testimonials by Melissa Stockwell, doctors, nurses, and patient families highlighted the impact and reach of care for patients before and during COVID.

The evening concluded with a fun, engaging conversation between Daphne Oz and special guest Jill Kargman, New York Times bestselling author, creator, and star of “Odd Mom Out,” on parenting and their experiences during the time of COVID.

Empire worked in close partnership with the Columbia team to direct, film, and produce the CCDHR film, implement design and run-of-show, coordinate and record all speakers and talent, create the microsite, and oversee the technical production and livestream.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual events of every kind, and has been proud to serve leading not-for-profit organizations and initiatives for nearly three decades. We are proud to support Columbia’s Children’s Health.

To learn more and donate, please visit the Columbia Children’s Benefit giving site​

UN Women presented their annual HeForShe Summit as a virtual event, which convened world leaders, global CEOs, activists, and celebrities to share the latest groundbreaking solutions to achieve gender equality around the world.

Hosted by Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the event featured a series of captivating panel discussions of the HeForShe Champions. Topics included “Eliminating The Gender Pay Gap,” “Accelerating Women In Leadership,” “The Role of Men,” “Ending Gender-Based Violence,” “Creating New Cultural Norms,” and “Engaging Our Future Leaders,” to name a few.

H.E. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, H.E. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, H.E. Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, and H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, were among some of the incredible leaders who issued a global call to action for gender equality.

Other notable speakers included the CEO of Barclays, Jes Staley, Chairman of PriceWaterhouseCoopers Bob Moritz, CEO of Vodafone, Nick Read, CEO of De Beers Group, Bruce Cleaver, President of Stony Brook University, Maurie McInnis, Actor and Producer, Simon Pegg, and singer-songwriter, author, and businesswoman, Geri Horner.

Empire is honored to be the overall producer of the HeForShe Summit since 2014 and excited to produce their first virtual convening. Empire worked closely with UN Women to develop and design and run the show, coordinate and record speakers remotely, and oversee technical and video production.

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

For more information and to view the livestream visit https://www.heforshe.org/en

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Empire was proud to help Netflix premier their original Japanese anime series, “EDEN”. The series features a post-human future, in which a pair of robots find and raise a human child. Netflix engaged Empire to help generate additional excitement for the release by producing a one-of-a-kind talk show from within the animated world of Eden with the series’ director, Yasuhiro Irei, voice actors, Marika Kouno, Kentaro Ito, and Kyoko Hikami, and MC’d by Shinsuke Kasai.

Working with source material from the series and animated models from the Eden game, Empire carefully recreated the look and feel of two iconic scenes from the series into virtual sets that our cast could walk onto and explore. The robotic stars of the series were also animated to integrate into our sets and interact with our human cast.

Filming of the event took place on a green-screen sound stage in Tokyo, using multiple motion-tracking cameras each tasked to dedicated Unreal Engine servers, allowing compositing of our cast into a real-time rendering of the Eden environment and the animated characters.

The result was a seamless immersion of the cast into the dreamlike world of Eden, and a captivating talk show providing fans an additional layer of understanding and appreciation into this new hit series. The Special Event can be viewed here, and a highlight BTS video here.

Empire, a leading producer of live, hybrid, and virtual events across the globe, was honored to be selected by Netflix to produce this benchmark project.

The New York Women’s Foundation (The Foundation) held their annual Celebrating Women® Breakfast virtually this year. Empire was honored to help produce the first-ever virtual Breakfast dedicated to honoring women who are leading the way by example, empowering their communities, and spotlighting the importance of women in the world.

The event was hosted on Hopin, featuring an hour-long program with closed captioning and ASL interpretation, virtual breakfast tables, live breakout sessions, two mini-doc style videos focusing on two of The Foundation’s grantee partners, Start Small Think Big, Jahajee Sisters, and an expo hall for grantee partners. The site also featured event branding and graphics prompting guests to watch available live and OnDemand content.

The Celebrating Women Awards were presented to the New York Anchor Women: Pillars of Courage including Amanda Farinacci, Vivian Lee, Jeanine Ramirez, Kristen Shaughnessy, and Roma Torre V; artist Jordan Casteel; and Poderistas, accepted by Co-Founder Mónica Ramírez. The program also included remarks by Ana L. Oliveria, President & CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation, Vision Award recipient, Sheri Sandler, and performances by Fogo Azul and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Empire worked closely with The Foundation’s team to create the overall event, implement design and run-of-show, coordinate and record all speakers and talent remotely, and oversee the technical production and livestream.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual awards ceremonies and fundraisers, special feature video productions, and more.

To learn more about The New York Women’s Foundation and donate, please visit https://www.nywf.org/donate

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Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) engaged Empire to help produce their 20^th Annual Leadership Awards Gala. The event included a virtual livestream as well as multiple VIP Zoom Receptions hosted concurrently before and after the main program. The virtual celebration honored four individuals who have helped unite the world through outstanding leadership while raising funds to provide financial support to SIPA students.

The main program was livestreamed on the Columbia SIPA website and featured pre-recorded remarks from Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University; Merit E. Janow, Dean, Columbia University SIPA; Caroline Kennedy, Trustee, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan; Lan Yang MIA ’96, SIPA Advisor Board Member, Chair, Sun Media Group; and Charles “Chuck” Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York. There were also exclusive messages from SIPA Alumni including Eric Garcetti ‘92CC MIA, Mayor of Los Angeles; Jennifer Morris MIA ’97, CEO, The Nature Conservancy; and many more.

This year’s recipients of SIPA’s Global Leadership Awards recognized Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, for her leadership in helping stabilize the global economic and financial system, and the late Vartan Gregorian, Former President of Carnegie Corporation of New York, for his work in furthering education, democracy, international peace, and security.

The celebration also recognized inaugural recipients of SIPA’s Global Inspiration Awards, Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano and activist, for her activism using music, and Lang Lang, pianist, philanthropist, and cultural ambassador, for his dedication to global arts education. The program also included very special performances by Joyce and Lang Lang.

Empire’s scope of work included run-of-show development, remote and in-person pre-recordings, speaker advance, producing an Alumni feature video and overall virtual gala editing, staff training, technical production, livestreaming for the main gala, and production and management of pre- and post-gala Zoom breakouts for attendees joining from the United States and China.

Empire is a leading producer of virtual, hybrid, and live events.

Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum, and Tracee Ellis Ross, actor, CEO, and producer, engaged in an open conversation on art, culture, film, and design.

Empire filmed and produced the discussion, worked closely with the Museum to develop the creative identity, and hosted a special virtual toast to celebrate the premiere of Beyond the Studio.

Proceeds from Beyond the Studio directly support the museum’s general operations and their growing schedule of digital programming. As they continue to navigate these challenging times, the Studio Museum remains committed to providing meaningful and engaging programs for audiences of all ages.

Empire is proud to support these efforts and assist Studio Museum as they continue to expand into virtual events and programming.

To learn more about the Studio Museum and to support visit this website.

Empire recently presented Malcolm Gladwell for two virtual keynote addresses. In February, Malcolm spoke at an online conference for one of the world’s leading cyber-security software companies. For that program, Malcolm delivered a customized presentation entitled “A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste” in which he shared that, while Covid had obviously created challenges around the world, it had also created new opportunities for innovation for those who were forward-thinking and optimistic. Gladwell shared fascinating anecdotes to support his keynote and was humorously self-deprecating and endearing as he fielded Q&A. In April, Empire again presented Gladwell, this time for a company that develops software and other tools to enable corporate teams to work more efficiently. For that summit, Malcolm spoke about the changing nature of work over the last several generations including the differences between hierarchical and networked team structures and the strengths and weaknesses of each. He explained that workers focused on a common goal should allow differences of opinion, respectful debate, and constructive conflict to deliver better team decisions.

Empire is proud to have presented Malcom Gladwell as well as other thought leaders including Amanda Gordon, Malala Yousafzai, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, Adam Grant, and many more for our clients around the globe.

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Bravo’s Top Chef Drive-In & Dine Experience was the tastiest ticket in town when it was held at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles.

This very special screening of Bravo’s long-running megahit cooking competition show hosted an audience of Television Academy voters, Bravo VIPs and executives, as well as some very lucky fans of Top Chef. The latest season was taped in Portland during last fall’s Covid-19 restrictions and Episode 5 featured an appropriate elimination challenge: The Drive-In. In a very meta twist, guests of Bravo’s Top Chef Drive-In & Dine Experience received a complimentary tasting of the winning creations as seen on the giant 40-ft screens.

Bringing Portland vibes to Pasadena, a custom retro Bravo’s Top Chef drive-in sign signaled attendees to turn into the entrance of the famous Rose Bowl Stadium, where they were led through a drive-up photo booth featuring Portland’s iconic neon White Stag sign. At check-in, guests received complimentary Hedley & Bennett face masks, Top Chef water bottles, and printed menus with a preview of the special tasting that guests were to be treated to during the screening.

Before the show, attendees played Top Chef trivia and enjoyed an exclusive conversation with the series’ host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons.

As the episode started, the special tastings were delivered directly to guests’ cars in Bravo’s Top Chef-branded bento boxes, which included very generous portions of the Sonoran Hot Dog with all the fixins, Korean Fried Chicken with Gochujang glaze, the Unidentified Dominican Object Pupusa, and a Duo of Popcorn with chicken-skin furikake and spiced caramel. Later in the show, guests received the Your Place or Mine chocolate hazelnut milkshake to cap off their meal with a sugary fix.

The screening took place simultaneously with the episode airing on Bravo, keeping the audience shifted forward in their seats, rooting to see their favorite contestant make it to the next round.

Empire is a leading producer, setting industry standards for live and hybrid events in an ever-evolving health and safety landscape. To learn more about our work, please visit: http://www.empireentertainment.com/listing.php

More than 2,500 of the world’s most engaged social entrepreneurs, journalists, civil servants, and social activists gathered together online for the annual Skoll World Forum.

With two plenary sessions hosted by Femi Oke anchoring the three-day program, attendees heard from world leaders, activists, and notable voices including Donald Gips, Ernesto Zedillo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Stacey Abrams, José Andrés, Maria Ressa, Audrey Tang, Gloria Walton, and Mark Ruffalo, among others—all sharing stories and experience to fuel the global audience’s efforts to create social and environmental impact.

The program also included performance segments from Venezuela’s Liana Malva and the UK’s House Gospel Choir.

To bring the Forum’s theme, “Closing the Distance", to life, the Empire and Skoll teams worked hand-in-hand to design and execute the event’s creative motif, using custom animations, curated footage, and creative filming techniques intended to emphasize “a sense of space and place".

Empire managed all aspects of the plenaries’ production, including speaker management and briefings, international filming (on-site and remote), COVID-19 safety protocols, budgeting, creative, host preparation, and video editing.

To learn more and experience the Skoll World Forum content, visit https://skoll.org/skoll-world-forum/2021-virtual-forum/

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

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This April marked the first ever virtual iteration of the Orange County Youth Environmental Summit (YES). Orange County Water District (OCWD) hosts YES annually for up to 8,000 Orange County 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

Due to the pandemic, OCWD engaged Empire to help produce the week-long summit virtually this year. Empire partnered with BuzzCast to develop a safe and secure platform where students and teachers could tune in to daily live presentations, meet with their class online, watch educational on demand content, download worksheets and lesson plans, and view sponsor booths to learn more about OCWD and their partners.

The mission of YES is to educate students about environmental issues, water-related and beyond, that support next generation science standards. The platform hosted on demand content and sponsor booths all week, in addition to two livestreamed sessions each day from Tuesday through Thursday.

To support the live content, Empire built a broadcast studio at the Orange County Water District facility in Fountain Valley to capture kid-friendly science experiments, demonstrations about the groundwater replenishment process, and the animals that make up the ecosystem of the water district. The week included live segments with OCWD, the California Science Center, and Emily Calandrelli, The Space Gal from Emily’s Wonder Lab on Netflix.

Interactive program features engaged students with quizzes and polls throughout the duration of each session, as well as live Q&A segments with speakers to close. Corresponding worksheets and lesson plans were made available for download for each live session, as well as for On Demand video content. Over 60+ educational On Demand videos or Grab & Go worksheets with lesson plans were made available to the students of Orange County for the duration of the week.

​Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership events and virtual events of every kind, and has been proud to serve leading environmental and cause-related organizations for nearly three decades.