Creating meaningful connections between Uber Eats and its partners was a common theme throughout the recently-held Future of Food Summit in Hong Kong as the company continues to invest in Asia Pacific where consumers order more Uber Eats than any other geography in the world!

Empire Japan x Pico TBA were proud to produce this two-day summit, partnering with Uber Eats Global Creative team, which hosted around 300 industry and opinion leaders from Asia Pacific as well as notable F&B figures from around the region including Coca-Cola, Cafe Coffee Day, Burger King, Baskin Robbins, Guzman y Gomez, Chai Time, and more.

The summit was kicked off by Mr. Raj Beri, Head of Uber Eats APAC who talked about the state of food on demand in Asia Pacific, followed by a fireside chat about how technology is changing the way we eat, keynotes, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. There were also various experience zones, workshops, and food drops for the attendees to enjoy.

Empire x Pico TBA was involved in the concept development, planning, venue management, production, and operations.​

Empire recently welcomed Health Catalyst, a Utah-based data analytics company, to New York City for the exciting launch of their IPO. The group was treated to an action-packed day for over 300 of their employees and guests.

After ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ, the group boarded six double decker buses for a customized tour of New York City, including a walking tour of the World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial.

The bus tour culminated at Pier 40, where guests boarded a private dinner cruise showcasing the Manhattan skyline, including a trip under the Brooklyn Bridge and a close-up viewing of the Statue of Liberty.

Empire is a leading producer of launch events, campaigns, and announcements, and is proud to support innovative ventures like Health Catalyst.

​

Sometimes an event venue just screams out for a particular type of artist. Such was the case when a longtime corporate client asked Empire for a concert act to perform an outdoor, summer night amphitheater show at the San Diego Symphony. Empire suggested James Taylor as the perfect performer for the setting and the client readily agreed. Empire contracted the five time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, who has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, to perform a greatest-hits set that included mellow classics like "Fire & Rain", "You've Got A Friend", and "Sweet Baby James". His more upbeat hits such as "Your Smiling Face", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", and "Mexico" had the 1,000 plus attendees out of their seats dancing and yelling for multiple encores. With the sun setting behind the stage, and a full moon rising, there was no doubt that James Taylor was the perfect performer for the evening.

Earlier at the same conference, Empire had also secured The Honorable Newt Gingrich and Valerie Jarrett (Senior Advisor to Barack Obama) to engage in a moderated conversation about the state of the American political system. The two proved that politicians from opposite sides of the aisle can speak civilly to one another, listen to one another, and discuss real solutions to modern challenges such as immigration, the "tribal" news media, and economic disparity.

Securing keynote speakers and headline entertainers is one of the many services available to clients in Empire's overall portfolio of event production services. Empire has delivered an incredibly broad range of many of the world’s leading artists and thinkers for private events. We pride ourselves on collaborating with clients to determine the best performers and presenters based on deep understanding of attendee demographics, event budgets, client goals, and project setting.​

​

J. B. Miller, President and CEO of Empire Entertainment, Inc., and Mark Poncher, President of PeakXVGlobal Events, announced the union of their two global event production agencies. After many years of collaboration, Empire and PeakXV agreed to merge in order to expand their capabilities and global footprint to best serve the mission-driven needs of existing and future clients. The combined entity will now be known simply as Empire.

Miller and Poncher have more than 60 years of live and broadcast event production experience combined, bringing clients’ brands and stories to life with lasting impact. The companies they’ve built have each become industry leaders in the design, planning, and execution of global media and experiential events worldwide.

“All of us at Empire are thrilled to welcome Mark Poncher and his team to our family,” says Miller. “From our first collaboration in 2007 on the ClintonGlobal Initiative Global Citizen Awards at Carnegie Hall, it was clear that Mark and his team were consummate professionals and extraordinary producers who share Empire’s commitment to excellence and client service. We know that combining our two stellar teams into one organization will provide all our clients in the corporate, private, government, and not-for-profit arenas with unparalleled capabilities to create and produce events that matter.”  

Poncher, now COO of the company, added, “I’m really excited, as is everyone on the PeakXV production staff, to join forces with the great team that Empire has built. Together we look forward to strengthening capabilities across the organization and expanding our West Coast team to support current and future clients.”

Empire recently marked its 25^th anniversary with another consecutive year of record growth. The New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong-based firm has executed projects in over 100 countries, including high-profile events like the TIME 100 Gala, Tribeca Film Festival, the Black Ball, and the Grand Opening of Palm Island Dubai. The union with PeakXV will contribute greatly to increasing momentum and growth. And with Poncher taking on the role of COO, Miller, long recognized as one of the event industry’s top executive producers and creative visionaries, will dedicate substantially more time to client management and creative direction.  

“Our plan is to leverage our respective strengths and prioritize three areas with great growth potential for us,” says Miller. The Empire plan calls for:

1. Increasing focus on noteworthy thought leadership programs, summits, conferences, and exhibitions of international stature and gravitas.  

Empire’s experience on projects like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers, Eurasia Group’s GZero Summit, and Smart Cities NYC, is now supplemented by the team behind the Clinton Global Initiative, C40 Johannesburg, Solve at MIT, and others.

2. Expanding Empire’s west coast presence with full, local production capacity from Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Empire has long served west coast clients in the technology, media, entertainment, automotive, digital, and fashion/lifestyle industries. This move immediately transforms Empire’s existing west coast team into a large-scale operation capable of full-service client management, creative development, and execution for all types of projects.  

3. Expanding capabilities to produce large scale sporting and civic events, particularly surrounding the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.  

Poncher and his team bring unrivaled experience in large-scale sporting events to supplement Empire’s work with sports brands that include FOX Sports, Sports Illustrated, Nike, and adidas. Poncher’s deep experience in the sports space includes the Pan Am Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Rio and Guadalajara, the Pyeonchang handover during the Closing Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, The Paralympic Games, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, and serving as Executive Producer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Special Olympics at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

This expansion also serves as an important step in Empire’s long-term global growth plan, which includes creating a formal presence in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, where both Empire and PeakXV have extensive capabilities and past experience.  

J. B. MILLER, PRESIDENT & CEO

J. B. Miller founded Empire in 1993 and has grown it into a dynamic, full-service, New York City- and Tokyo-based experiential and entertainment production agency that designs and produces projects for corporate, government, association, not-for-profit, and private clients.

Led by Miller, long recognized as one of the industry’s leading executive producers and creative visionaries, Empire has executed projects in over 100 countries. These events have included broadcasts, parties, conferences, launches, festivals, and awards programs such as the White House U.N. General Assembly Head of State Reception, the TIME 100 Gala, The Tribeca Film Festival, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch, The Webby Awards, The Clinton Global Initiative’s Global Citizen Awards, The Gotham Awards, the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award Gala, the Fitch Ratings Why? Forum, the Robin Hood Investor Conference, the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball, Microsoft Connect Developer Conference, Internet Week, and the Grand Opening of Atlantis, Palm Island, in Dubai.

Empire projects have also included participation by artists and leaders such as Adele, Jay-Z, Bono, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Prince, Sting, David Bowie, Andrea Bocelli, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Blue Man Group, and David Copperfield, among others.

* * *

MARK PONCHER, COO

PeakXV was formed at the beginning of 2017 as a partnership between Mark Poncher and Chris Wayne (who passed away in January 2019). Their clients include the Clinton Global Initiative, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Third Way, Solve at MIT, the Soufan Foundation, the General Entertainment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HuffPost, and the Above the Noise Recovery Fest Concerts.

Prior to PeakXV, Mr. Poncher spent more than 30 years producing events, creating experiences, and managing environments for audiences large and small. He has served as the Executive Producer of the Clinton Global Initiative conferences worldwide since 2006, C40 Annual Meeting in Johannesburg, the Bloomberg Tobacco Awards in Abu Dhabi, and the U.S.-Africa Business Forum.

Mark was also the Business Producer for the ceremonies for 2007 Rio and 2011 Guadalajara Pan and Parapan American Games, Rio Réveillon (New Year’s Eve), and the Cinco De Mayo 150th Anniversary broadcast special. He was Head of Production for the Baku 2015 European Games Ceremonies and the Executive Producer of the 2014 and 2015 Rose Parade Opening and Closing Spectaculars. He produced the Handover Ceremonies for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the Executive Producer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.

For more information, contact:

J. B. Miller

President & CEO

jbmiller@empireentertainment.com

Mark Poncher

COO

mark@empireentertainment.com

​

​Empire delivered a private concert by legendary rock musicians for a birthday celebration at a client’s private estate in Northern New England.

For this intimate event of approximately 70 guests, Empire secured a 75-minute headline performance of John Fogerty, the Co-Founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Rock ’n Roll Hall of Famer, alongside a special guest performance by Billy Gibbons, guitarist and lead singer of ZZ Top and Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer.

The event took place in a constructed tent in an open field. Following a dinner, a surprise reveal of the stage introduced the evening’s headline entertainment.

When Fogerty and Gibbons hit the stage, everyone got up to sing and dance to their classic hits including, “Proud Mary”, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, “Centerfield”, "Sharped Dressed Man", and “La Grange”.

Prior to the performance, the guests enjoyed an intimate dinner and an exciting 20-minute drone show. Empire worked closely with the event décor team to orchestrate a seamless performance for this special birthday celebration.

Empire is a leading producer of private concerts by celebrities, megastars, and icons.

Playworks celebrated their fifth annual Get in the Game Gala, hosted by Nickelodeon, in the Viacom Building rooftop overlooking Times Square on a beautiful summer night.

This year Playworks New York/New Jersey expanded their impact to serve more than 125,000 girls and boys in over 200 schools across our region to ensure safe, healthy, and inclusive play which helps reduce bullying, increase physical activity, improve learning, and promote social and emotional skills.

In addition to their full-time Playworks programming in local New York City and Newark schools, this winter they launched daily programming in four Rochester schools as part of their Western NY expansion, funded in part by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

There was much to celebrate as Playworks' NY/NJ Board Chair, Laura James, and Team Up Program Manager, Luis Guerra, presented the Most Valuable Principal award recognizing Dina Ercolano, and honored five Playworks Junior Coaches.

The evening featured inspiring remarks from Playworks NY/NJ Program Director, Henry Appiah, Director of Development, Deborah Brodheim, and Founder and CEO, Jill Vialet. A live auction led by CK Swett raised funds to support the expanding efforts of Playworks to bring the power of play to every child in New York and beyond. A special highlight was Sponge Bob Squarepants greeting guests and congratulating the Junior Coaches on their awards.

Attendees enjoyed stunning views of Times Square and experienced play through immersive activations of traditional recess games like Four Square and Switch, along with life sized installations of Jenga, Hop Scotch, Ground Pong, and a rousing game of Ro-Sham-Bo Rockstar.

Working closely with Playworks, Empire served as the overall event producer, managing elements including venue, décor, programming, and technical production. Empire is a leading producer of fundraising events and we are honored to have produced all five years of the Annual Playworks New York Get in the Game Gala.

To support or learn more about Playworks, please visit www.playworks.org

​

Third Way, the national think tank, in conjunction with the Black Economic Alliance and Winston Fisher, gathered Democratic officials, strategists, constituency leaders, campaign staff, and influencers from early and battleground states to chart the way to win in 2020.

Opportunity 2020, The Way to Win, was held in June 2019 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina, and built on Third Way’s 2018 strategy session in Columbus, Ohio, where Democrats coalesced around a message of economic opportunity that delivered the House majority and helped rebuild the Blue Wall. Empire installed environmental branding throughout the venue to create a sense of place for all attendees so that everywhere they turned, carefully-curated images would remind them of their goals for 2020. These included a 3D display at the ballroom entrance, scrolling images on built-in screens, and strategically placed banners and graphic walls.

Third Way Opportunity 2020 kicked off with a plenary session in the smaller of the two ballrooms set in a theater arrangement supplemented with soft seating for networking and a custom stage branded for the event. The two-hour plenary featured presentations and panel discussions with University of South Carolina Director of the Center of Education and Equity of African American Students, Dr. Jennifer Reed, Senator Chris Coons, and New Mexico Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. Immediately following the session, attendees moved upstairs to the Galleria for an opening reception.

The next day, the plenary was held in the large ballroom where Empire built a three-tier amphitheater to create a more intimate setting for the presentations. Presenters and moderators included Executive Director of the Black Economic Alliance, Akunna Cook, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, Congressman, Joe Cunningham, President Obama’s 2012 campaign manager and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Jim Messina, and former Obama White House Communications Director, Jen Psaki.

The conference wrapped with a reception on the roof deck of the nearby Dewberry Hotel.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, based in New York, is a non-partisan organization dedicated to addressing America’s long-term fiscal challenges to ensure a better economic future. Founded by Peter G. Peterson and led by Chairman and CEO, Michael Peterson, the Foundation works with leading policy experts, elected officials, and the public to build support for solutions to put America on a sustainable fiscal path. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation engages in grant-making, partnerships, and research to educate and involve Americans across a variety of perspectives.

While the Peter G. Peterson Foundation presents several events throughout the year, the Fiscal Summit is their marquee event. Empire’s Los Angeles based team (formerly Peak XV) has been producing the Fiscal Summit since its inception.

The Fiscal Summit brings together leaders, experts, and policymakers to discuss how to build a sustainable fiscal future to put America on a path for prosperity, leadership, and growth. In 2019, the headlining speakers included Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, interviewed by CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent, Manu Raju, and Director of the OMB and acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, interviewed by CNBC Correspondent, Eamon Jamers.

Other notable speakers included Congressman John Yarmuth (KY), Congressman Kevin Brady (TX), Senator Heidi Heitkamp (ND), and Director of the Congressional Budget Office, Phillip Swagel.

The event kicked off with a cocktail reception in the POV Lounge and Terrance of the W Hotel overlooking DC and the Washington Monument. Peter G. Peterson Foundation CEO, Michael Peterson, welcomed guests and gave a quick synopsis of the next days’ schedule.

The conference was held at the Newseum in Washington DC and consisted of panels and presentations in the main plenary room on the 7^th floor followed by lunch and additional discussions on the 8^th floor. Both rooms were webcast and included interactive polling and online Q&A to the moderator via a private email system.

After the main conference concluded, a special session called “The Solutions Initiative” was hosted on the 7^th floor, which had been rearranged during the lunch hour. This session brought together leading think tanks from across the political spectrum to put forward comprehensive plans to set America on a stronger, more sustainable fiscal path. The Solutions Initiative session provided attendees an opportunity to learn more about the initiative and interact directly with the plans’ authors about their policy choices, recommendations, and tradeoffs.

This special session included speakers from seven Centers and Institutes and was moderated by Jeff Holland from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

​

Red Bull Japan was recently looking to produce a television documentary about Japanese technology that spoke to its youthful audience, highlighting how Japanese products like the Technics SL1200 turntable contributed to the birth of hip hop and the Sony Walkman led to the “Personal bubble phenomenon.”

Empire’s staff film producer/director, Bruce Nachbar, worked with Strategy SET, a Tokyo-based creative agency, to produce and direct a film that told the story of the cultural upheaval brought about by these technologies, and how music creation and consumption were changed forever.

The 44-minute long, feature documentary included interviews with artists, historians, and many of the players who witnessed the transformation first-hand as well as vintage footage and music.  

Check out Playing it Old School: How Japan changed the world at:

https://www.redbull.com/int-en/films/AP-1PB6VN4ZH1W11

​

Empire produced a wedding celebration for a Russian client at the historic Plaza Hotel. The bride and groom welcomed over 200 guests from Russia and around the world to the iconic New York hotel for an elegant evening punctuated by performances from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Affiniti NYC, and Gloria Gaynor, among others.

The evening began with an elegant cocktail reception in the Palm Court. In spectacular formal attire, arriving guests enjoyed caviar and champagne under palm fronds and a domed glass ceiling as the Todd Londagin trio played jazz standards.  

Suddenly the enormous mirrored panel doors swung open and guests moved into the Terrace Room for the wedding ceremony. The Terrace Room had been transformed with hydrangeas and peonies and the room glowed with thousands of candles lit as the wedding party entered to a string and woodwind ensemble for the ceremony. At the top of the steps stood a huge floral Chuppah.

After the smashing of the glass, a Russian violinist struck up a lively song of celebration as guests followed the wedding couple to the Grand Ballroom which had been transformed into a vision of old Hollywood glamour, with lighting and florals that accented the decadent gold interiors.

Empire secured the world-renowned Duke Ellington Orchestrato perform for the newlywed’s grand entrance into the ballroom. The 17-piece orchestra crooned American jazz classics as guests enjoyed a seven-course meal and numerous toasts from the wedding party. Two Russian hosts emceed the evening in English and Russian.

Towards the end of dinner, Gloria Gaynor, the soulful disco singer, was welcomed to the stage by the cheering guests and performed a full set including her hits “I Will Survive” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” Her soulful voice and classic hits had guests on their feet throughout the performance. Affiniti NYC closed out the night with modern dance classics, keeping guests on the dance floor into the early hours of the morning.

Empire worked closely with The Plaza and a team of florists, lighting designers, and engineers to orchestrate every moment of the wedding. Photo's credited by @vertdegris

Empire is a leading producer of both corporate and private concert events.

​