Our Work

On March 9th, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton joined global and community leaders for the event entitled "Not There Yet: A Data Driven Analysis of Gender Equality," featuring the official release of the No Ceilings Full Participation Report and data visualization site NoCeilings.org. Empire acted as the overall event producer handling all technical, staging, scenic and signage aspects as well as the creative framing of the stage program. The event was also streamed live for viewers around the world.

Moderated by Chelsea Clinton, 20 years of global data from the report and NoCeilings.org were showcased through the compelling stories of leaders who are actively advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in their nations and communities. Storytellers, speakers and validators promoted gender equality, making the point that more must be done both at home and abroad.

The event included participation by women leaders across various industries, including Her Excellency Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia; Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia and Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund. For more information on the No Ceilings: Full Participation Project, please visit https://www.clintonfoundation.org/our-work/no-ceilings-full-participation-project.

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​The Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) is where technical experts from around the world, with Microsoft, come together to help educate, facilitate the exchange of ideas and give people a venue to share best practices and discuss future opportunities around Windows. Microsoft asked Empire to help with the production of this year’s Exposition and Reception Party.

WinHEC is a series of technical conferences and workshops that ran from 1992 to 2008, and was brought back in 2015 by Microsoft with the intention of holding multiple conferences throughout the year. For the recent kickoff event they looked to discuss advancements in the Windows platform as well as Microsoft’s growing investments in Shenzhen and China.

Working with the local agency Uniplan Guangzhou, Empire handled the secretariat duties for the Exposition partners which included a number of local Shenzhen IT companies. In all, 22 booths were created for the event, with Microsoft showcasing the latest in Cortana technology.

Empire also planned and produced the Reception Party held on the opening evening of the two day event. The restaurant at the Grand Hyatt was transformed into an amazing party venue featuring IROCO furniture. Wireless LED bracelets were given to guests, adding ambience to the event as they changed color in sync with the music. Beijing-based DJ Juliana entertained the crowd well into the evening.

Empire’s success in Shenzen showcases our ability to produce the highest quality events for the biggest brands anywhere in the world.

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Empire served as producer of a major event at New York's Manhattan Center to advance the global movement on women’s rights and gender equality.

Presented by UN Women and the United Nations Foundation, the evening was attended by over 2000 VIPs and featured participation by many global leaders including Secretary Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Melinda Gates, and many others.

The evening began with red carpet arrivals and a reception featuring installations by all female contemporary visual artists such as Swoon, Kara Walker, AM-NYC, Marilyn Minter, Olek and Ayana Jackson.

Once guests were seated, a powerhouse program of speakers galvanized the room. New York’s WABC news anchor Sade Baderinwa was the emcee for the evening and introduced a series of impactful appearances and speeches. Presenters included Mayor Bill De Blasio, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Melinda Gates, Transgender Rights Activist Geena Rocerro, and Academy Award winning Actress, Patricia Arquette who reinforced the importance of a gender equal society and immediate action.

“Twenty years ago, declaring that women’s rights are human rights was considered ground-breaking – thankfully it’s now routine,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “I see a future where we unlock the vast potential for women. To realize this vision we’ll have to step it up – step up our commitment to finishing this, the great unfinished business of the 21st century.”

After the program and call to action, followed a series of high-energy musical performances by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Farhan Aktar from India, Grammy nominated artists, Les Nubians, Melanie Fiona and Jill Scott. Musical performances were backed by an extraordinary live band led by Musical Director Onree Gill.

A confetti blast in United Nations colors of blue and white marked the finalé of the celebration as the women gathered onstage to sing “I’m Every Woman,” together in unity.​

Pink Ball bringstogether those in the community who share a commitment to fighting breastcancer in Japan, and Empire once again supported the "Run For The Cure" Foundation by producing this year's event.

Pink Ball is ablack-tie gala bringing together those in the community who share a commitmentto fighting breast cancer in Japan, and spearheading greater awareness,diagnosis and treatment among Japanese women of all ages.

The funds raisedthrough Pink Ball go toward the “Run For The Cure” Foundation’s communityoutreach programs that include the “Lemon Project” seminars and publicationof PiNK magazine, a vital media tool for bringing the latest informationabout breast cancer treatments and health-related topics to women living inJapan.

In recent years,Empire Entertainment has been responsible for the overall production of PinkBall, and we continued this worthy tradition for its 12th Anniversary event in 2015. This year's event, themed “The Fruits of Life” featured powerfulJapanese Taiko drumming from Tenrin, flash mob singing by Give 6 and cuisine created by internationally-renowned guest chef Kevin Paul Connell.

Over the courseof the evening, a raffle, silent auction and live auction all raised money for“Run For The Cure” and its important work. Empire is proud to be anintegral part of this event and its valuable contributions.

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On March 25, 2015, Empire presented The Fray for a private event at Tryst in Las Vegas. While the club is designed primarily for DJ performances, we were able to have the band work with far smaller stage dimensions than they usually require. The club atmosphere and the close-knit group on stage added to the incredible energy in the room as the band thrilled the crowd with their hits including "How To Save A Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)".

Empire presents headline concert artists for special events worldwide. We take pride in our ability to work with performers and tour managers to determine their flexibility in order to deliver shows like this one.

​AMC Networks recently called on Empire to produce an ultimate ‘fan boy’ experience in celebration of television’s highest rated series, The Walking Dead.

From the moment guests arrived they were wowed by Highline Ballroom’s electric and clubby décor, complete with the spectacle of themed arcade games, bite-sized snacks and made to order sushi. Nearly 400 ad sales execs partook in skee-ball, ping-pong, and air hockey, printed their very own The Walking Dead T-shirts and made social media photo booth GIFs, all curated by AMC and Empire.

Whilst noshing on truffle Mac & cheese eggs rolls and chicken & waffle bites, AMC presented an energetic stage program hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, with introductory remarks by AMC and SundanceTV President and General Manager Charlie Collier.

Throughout the stage program, AMC’s next generation programming was presented by show-runners and network stars, unveiling exclusive looks of the network’s forthcoming programs. These included Dave Erickson and Cliff Curtis of Fear The Walking Dead; Jonathan Brackley, Gemma Chan and Sam Vincent of Humans; Al Gough, Miles Millar and Daniel Wu of Into The Badlands; and Evan Goldberg of Preacher. The Preacher segment was accompanied by a pre-recorded video message by the show’s Co-Executive Producer, Seth Rogen.

To conclude the stage program, Pete Holmes introduced AMC fan favorites, The Walking Dead’s Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Norman Reedus. After some playful banter about their experiences on the show, the two stars introduced the teaser of the scintillating The Walking Dead Season 5-finale episode, leaving all the guests ripe with anticipation for the season’s conclusion.

After the stage program, guests danced to the sounds of Twin DJs AndrewAndrew, played games and made their own ice cream sundaes.

Empire was proud to once again support AMC and to help the network celebrate the most successful show on television, The Walking Dead, as well as premiere future AMC programming.

​Every year, Los Angeles hosts the Grammy Awards as well as many other high-profile events during Grammy Week. This year was no exception and Empire was once again called upon by recording artist and visionary will.i.am to produce the 4th Annual TRANS4M Gala, benefiting the i.am.angel Foundation. Founded by will.i.am, the Foundation supports trans4mation and revival in distressed East Los Angeles communities by providing STEAM youth educational opportunities.

Traditionally presented as large-scale concert event, this year’s event was designed as a more intimate and high-level gathering with a curated VIP guest list and greater interaction with the Foundation’s programs and students. The cocktail, dinner and after-party were designed around exclusive access to will.i.am’s private studio in Hollywood aptly named “The Future".

On a warm February night, 250 of i.am.angel’s most important supporters arrived to experience the Future. They were immediately greeted by an animated virtual will.i.am represented in an amazing 3D projection mapping installation. As will.i.am’s Technicolor image morphed, will sang to a custom electronic track.

Next guests entered a cocktail space designed so that donors could witness up close and personal demonstrations presented by the very students who benefit from the i.am.angel STEAM programming. Students engaged guests with their life-size, hand-built robots, projection mapping displays, coding hackathon and immersive experiences using oculus rift glasses. There was also a 3D printing lab where guests could print a representation of their own face and integrate themselves into 3D games, videos and photos, all hosted by students.

After cocktails, guests were ushered into the Future’s sleek white contemporary atrium and soundstage space which had been trans4med into an elegant dining room with long banquet tables. Flourishes of color from florals, lighting gobos and projections added to the futuristic aesthetic.

A stage program with a series of videos, animations and speakers underscored the importance of the Foundation’s work while guests dined on hyper-modern tableware. will.i.am, and others were joined onstage by i.am.angel scholars and students to poetically tell the story of the important and successful work of the organization. The program included remarks from Chief Philanthropy Officer Tatiana Litvin, Head of STEAM Programming Lilly Kam, Director of Learning & Development at College Track Tina Kim, as well as student Cynthia Arenas who gave a heartfelt tribute to will for all that the STEAM education programs have done for her.

will.i.am then spoke genuinely about his purpose for creating the i.am.angel Foundation and his commitment and inspiration to give back to the community. As a highlight to the evening, three students who were featured on a 2009 Oprah Winfrey Show with will.i.am where he graciously sponsored them with full scholarships to college surprised him onstage. They thanked him for his dedication to the program and shared personal stories of how the Foundation’s work has helped them become the first college graduates in their families.

International superstar recording artist Moby then closed the program with a performance featuring several of his hits, as well as Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin covers. After Moby’s performance, guests were invited back into the cocktail area for passed desserts and cocktails, while we quickly transformed the dinner space into an after party where DJ Dnice spun and guests danced until the late hours.

By the end of the event, the i.am.angel Foundation had raised over $800,000 for its important programs that trans4m lives though education, inspiration and opportunity.

Empire is honored to continue our long-term partnership with the i.am.angel Foundation and to serve as producer of this exclusive event in this unique Los Angeles venue. For more information on the foundation, please visit www.iamangelfoundation.org

​In January 2015, Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen hosted a “Journey to the Stars”-themed gala dinner for over 800 prominent guests at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva.

A highlight of the evening was a performance by the group enra, cast and produced by Empire Entertainment, to perform two customized pieces in celebration of the 75th anniversary of IWC’s legendary Portugieser watch family. The clients and audience were thrilled by the performance with an overwhelmingly positive reaction and a standing ovation.

Based in Japan, enra is an internationally renowned group of artists who fuse live performance art with projection mapping. They are experts in genres that include martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, juggling and street dance. Examples of their work can be seen at enra.jp.

Guests and brand ambassadors who attended the gala evening included movie stars Emily Blunt, Christoph Waltz, Zhou Xun and Moritz Bleibtreu, filmmaker and screenwriter Marc Forster, sports personalities such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Luís Figo, supermodels Adriana Lima and Karolina Kurkova and musicians Aloe Blacc and Ronan Keating. Additional performances by musician Mick Hucknall and high-tech illusionist Marco Tempest completed the magical evening.

Empire is proud to have produced enra in Switzerland and is a leading producer of worldwide talent.

On Thursday, January 29, BizBash inducted five veteran eventand meeting professionals into the BizBash Hall of Fame, including J.B. Miller,Empire Entertainment’s President and CEO. Chosen by the BizBash executivecommittee for their work, accomplishments, and contributions to the industry,the honorees joina group of some of the most prestigious names in events. Theceremony, held at Urbo in Times Square, drew more than 300 guests.

J.B. Miller has more than two decades ofexperience as a producer in the entertainment industry and since foundingEmpire Entertainment in 1993 has overseen the production of countless corporate,nonprofit, and private events in countries around the world. These include theTIME 100 Gala, the White House's United Nations General Assembly reception, theWebby Awards, and events for Spotify, Viacom, Google, and Microsoft. In 1998 hereceived an Emmy for his work on the feature documentary The Cruise. An extensive traveler, Miller has also served on the boards of ReelWorks Teen Filmmaking and Keep a Child Alive as well as on the performing artsadvisory committee of the Japan Society.

Read more about the 2015Bizbash Hall of Fame here: http://bit.ly/1BjHQ17

When a corporate client wanted to treat their 800 meeting attendees to aspecial night out at the House of Blues in Houston, TX, they turned to Empireto provide the perfect headline entertainer.

Coming off of their headlining NativeSummer Tour, OneRepublic was the perfect act for this group.

Before the show, lead singer, Ryan Tedder and the band participated in ameet & greet with VIP guests.

When it was time for the concert to begin, three of the client’s contestwinner’s took the stage to introduce the band, as the curtain opened behindthem, and OneRepublic began their rocking set.

The audience sang along as the band performed hit-after-hit including “FeelAgain,” “Counting Stars,” “Love Runs Out,” “I Lived,” “All the RightMoves,” “Secrets,” “Good Life,” and afinale of “If I Lose Myself” which ended in a confetti burst over the crowd.

Following their performance, DJ Ravi Drums kept the crowd on their feet,dancing away the night.

Empire was responsible for contracting OneRepublic as well as providing alltechnical and logistical support for this perfect corporate headline act.

From Alicia Keys to ZZ Top and everyone in between, Empire is the leadingsource for headline musical talent.

When the Organizing Committee of Miss Vietnam wanted a world-renowned artist to perform at the final night of the 2014 pageant, they asked Empire Entertainment to secure Kelly Clarkson for her first-ever visit to Vietnam.

The Miss Vietnam 2014 pageant took place at newly-opened Vinpearl Land on Phu Quoc Island and was broadcast live throughout Southeast Asia and the world on Vietnam Television (VTV). The event featured performances by Kelly Clarkson and Vietnam celebrities such as Ha Anh Tuan, Hong Nhung, and others creating a magical night for some 2,500 audience members.

Kelly Clarkson performed her hits "Because of You" and "Stronger", featuring a video of flashmobs from around Vietnam recreating the song's music video. For the finale, she performed "A Moment Like This" (her first single after winning American Idol) as a gift to the 38 contestants who joined her on stage.

Upon Kelly Clarkson's arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, a press conference was held to introduce her to Vietnam. She took questions from the local media, posed for photos with Vietnam's top celebrities, and sat down with Vietnam Television (VTV) and MTV Vietnam for on-camera interviews.

In addition to artist booking and contract negotiation, Empire managed each aspect of Kelly Clarkson's participation for the press conference, performance, and all other logistics throughout her visit in Vietnam. Empire coordinated with the local audio vendors, television and stage directors, lighting, and graphics using Vietnamese translators when needed to ensure that all production aspects were in order. Empire also assisted with press inquiries and press releases, as well as the coordination of air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and visa acquisition.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of international talent and events throughout Asia and the world.

​In December 2014, Empire produced a Las Vegas recognition and awards event series for a top Japanese marketing company. Over 2,500 of the company’s key stakeholders traveled from Japan to be treated to a series of informative, entertaining, and memorable events, all conceived and produced by Empire.

In addition to classic Vegas-themed entertainment and activities, the events featured cutting-edge technology including a 360° “gigapixel” group photo and a 30m (100ft) wide interactive screen. World-class performances, produced and staged by Empire, included those from Jon Bon Jovi, DJ Skee, and Skylar Grey.

Empire was recently honored to once again serve Oprah Winfrey and world-class event designer, Colin Cowie, to produce a historical series of events in Santa Barbara entitled “Legends Who Paved the Way”.

Oprah Winfrey first created the “Legends” Ball in May 2005 based on her vision of honoring champions of equality in America and the African American community and to thank them, celebrate their achievements and recognize them during their lifetimes.

In this spirit of gratitude, Oprah convened a gathering of some of the most influential African Americans living today, including Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Sidney Poitier, Dr. C.T. Vivian, Diane Nash, Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Juanita Jones Abernathy, Marian Wright Edelman, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy Jr., and Julian Bond.

The gala included performances and remarks from Oprah Winfrey, a spoken word performance by the entire cast of Selma (which premiered earlier that evening) led by director Ava DuVernay, and a headline performance by The O’Jays. After the O'Jays performance, the Troy Curtis Band returned to Legends to play an amazing dance music set that kept the celebrity guests dancing until the early hours of the morning.

The weekend concluded with a gospel brunch at Oprah’s home, The Promised Land, led by musical director Bebe Winans and featuring Bill Withers, Kim Burrell, Kori Withers, Kathy Taylor, Joshua Nelson, Marvin Winans, Carvin Winans, Ledisi, AJ Calloway, and Angela Basset. Guests of this December gathering included Oprah and Stedman Graham, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, Cory Booker, Gayle King, Common, Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, David Oyelowo (who plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma), Ben Vereen, Netflix’ Ted Sarandos, Dicovery Communications’ David Zaslov, Ivan Reitman, Rashida Jones, Linda Johnson-Rice, Smokey Robinson, Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi.

For this remarkable occasion, Empire was once again responsible for all talent booking, coordination, contracting and logistics, stage management and run of show.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level and historic events commemorating the events that shape our times.

​Every year, the Turkish government assembles prominent technology leaders who have made significant contributions in the form of innovation to Turkey and the world during the Turkey Innovation Week convention.

On Saturday, December 6, 2014, Empire partnered with ID Creative to deliver scientist and robotics engineer Dr. David Hanson to deliver a keynote presentation for the 2014 Turkey Innovation Week.

Dr. Hanson is the founder of Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based organization that develops and manufactures human-like robots and smart software that brings robotic technology to life. Dr. Hanson creates robots through integrated research into cognitive artificial intelligence, bio-inspired mechanics, materials sciences, sculpture and animation. The results are next generation, walking and talking humanoids with intelligence and faces that effectively simulate human emotional expression.

Before an audience of over 3,000, Dr. Hanson delivered remarks on nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robots in future life, alongside ARTHUR, his newest humanoid robot, who assisted him in his presentation.

Empire is a leading provider of innovation speakers, futurists, technologists and scientists from every field for thought leadership conferences that help to define the future of our civilization.

One of the largest and most influential tech gatherings in the world, salesforce.com brings together businesses and technology leaders who are focused on opportunities in cloud-based and mobile computing. Empire's Asia team and its partners recently produced the Japan stop of the Salesforce.com world tour.

The event hosted over 6,000 attendees at the Prince Park Tower and Toranomon Hills Forum in Tokyo and was watched by over 300,000 viewers online.

Keynote speakers included Marc Benioff (CEO Salesforce), Akio Toyoda (CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation), Yoshiki (a celebrated Japanese musician) and Koji Uehara (Red Sox pitcher). A branded exhibition hall also featured displays by approximately 60 partner companies.

Empire’s Tokyo-based Asia division was responsible for all event production and management, technical production and coordination.

Empire is a leading producer of global conferences and events and our Asia division is the partner of choice for some of the world’s premier and most technically demanding events.

Every year, the Gotham Independent Film Awards bring together the best and brightest in the independent filmmaking world for a gala dinner and awards program.

Taking place each December, the Gotham Awards are a bellwether for how the best independent films will fare at the Academy Awards and the evening is often referred to as the kickoff to the awards season.

Empire was once again proud to help produce the 24^th Annual Awards event at Cipriani Wall Street with a jam-packed room of Hollywood A-listers.

Uma Thurman hosted the program, which featured participants including Meryl Streep, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, Amy Schumer, Will Arnett, Ethan Hawke, Jon Hamm, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei and many others.

Birdman won as best feature, with Michael Keaton winning best actor for the film. Julianne Moore won best actress for Still Alice, and CITIZENFOUR, the Edward Snowden story, took home best documentary.

Tributes went to Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller for his work on The Cruise, Foxcatcher, Capote and Moneyball, Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, and Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton.

This year’s Gotham Awards were livestreamed on variety.com and hollywoodreporter.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile awards programs in film, fashion, technology, the arts and various other industry sectors.

Since its founding, charity: water has been re-inventing philanthropy while working to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet. The organization enlists private donors to fund the operational costs, allowing 100% of public donations to go directly to the field, local partners to implement the work on the ground, and volunteers who donate everything from time to money, campaigning to raise the funds for clean water. This year, charity: water wanted to celebrate and honor these individuals directly, so they created "Tribute".

The invite-only Tribute brought together over 800 people who have helped make their work possible. The raw, construction-like aesthetic of 23 Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop to highlight the inner workings of the organization’s success. Displayed throughout the space were installations celebrating the various constituents: Well Members, Pipeline Members and Campaigners. Juxtaposed over awe-inspiring images captured in the field, lenticular-like installations celebrated the benefits that clean water has on health, safety, time and energy.

The program began as Scott Harrison, charity: water’s Founder/CEO, took the stage to give an in-depth look at some of the great contributions made by the guests. He told moving tales of the trials faced in the field, coupled with the inspiring stories of the changes effected. Finishing the program, guests were invited to help amplify their impact through a custom donation site ran on Valet.io’s online fundraising platform. In just over 5 minutes, over $1.5 million dollars was raised from more than 500 donors, which will give charity: water the ability to serve over 52,000 people clean water.

A big shout out to Pinch Food Design who creatively catered the occasion once again, along with Anthem, Hurst Communications, EventFarm, MB Productions, AVS, 4Wall, Rainbow, The Factory, Taylor Creative, and AFR for their continued production support.

To learn more about their work or to get involved, please visit http://www.charitywater.org/

Established by Blackstone Group’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, and designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century.

Whether in politics, business, civil society, or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. To facilitate this understanding, Schwarzman Scholars created not only the scholarship but has also invested in a state of the art educational facility at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

In order to announce the program and facility worldwide, Empire was engaged to help Schwarzman Scholars produce a series of events in a whirlwind tour of the world, including New York City (The Morgan Library), Singapore (the Fullerton Bay Hotel), London (Tower Bridge), and Palo Alto (Stanford University). Each of the four intimate events consisted of a cocktail reception, screening of an overview video, remarks by Schwarzman, and remarks by VIP speakers local to each region.

Tasked with sourcing and managing local vendors for all events and on-site management, Empire designed a streamlined system to produce this series of events, all taking place within six weeks.

Working through time zone differences, language and cultural barriers, we swiftly sourced venues, technical production, video crews, photographers, catering, and local staff to execute these events.

Each venue was unique to its location yet was appropriate for the VIP audience and consistent with the messaging relating to familiarity with China and higher education.

In New York, the Morgan Library was the perfect backdrop to such a scholarly event. The Singapore event enjoyed sweeping views of Singapore’s harbor, one of the great connecting points of global commerce. London guests were treated to an event in a historical landmark— the Tower Bridge —where speakers drew metaphors relating to bridges between China and the world.

Empire is honored to have played an integral role in what will be one of the most progressive and important educational initiatives shaping the future.

For more information about the Schwarzman Scholars program and its Beijing campus, please visit www.schwarzmanscholars.org.

​Microsoft's developer product division, Visual Studio, brought their “cloud-first, mobile-first” story to life with a bold two-day conference event at Spring Studios in New York City. Drawing 270 attendees to the high-touch, in-person experience and over 340,000 online, the event generated unprecedented engagement from the developer and IT communities.

Led by Executive Vice President of the Cloud and Enterprise Group, Scott Guthrie, and Corporate Vice President Developer Division, S. Somasegar, the Keynote event focused on .NET and Visual Studio product announcements and was heralded as a “milestone moment for Microsoft".

Spring Studios, a recently opened, raw space in NYC’s trendy TriBeCa neighborhood, provided a clean, contemporary environment featuring 22’ floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the perfect setting for an event dedicated to vision, collaboration and the boundless possibilities of cloud computing.

To balance the sun-filled window backdrop with the need to beautifully illustrate the data-driven content, three large-scale LED screens were custom-built to fit within the existing window frames, and the “view” was extended along the sides of the room with backlit scenic skylines. The audience was seated on custom white lounge furniture that delivered both comfort and contemporary design. The space’s design delivered the visually stimulating wow! factor that the client sought as well as uncompromised clarity of the presented content.

The visual aesthetic and brand messaging were integrated into every aspect of the event. Large-scale, interactive screens “codified” passers-by as they moved through registration. The lunch space incorporated campaign artwork into the decor in the form of menu boards and a large-scale light installation on the ceiling to subtly echo the cloud. Afternoon breakout sessions offered custom content tracked to attendees’ varied interests and needs.

Channel 9, Microsoft’s own online video community, broadcast the Keynote and live post-event interviews to tens of thousands of real-time viewers.

From registration, breakfast and keynote to lunch and evening cocktails, every element of this program was custom-designed to communicate brand values and foster a high-touch guest experience. We were proud to once again serve and collaborate with Microsoft to create and execute this top-tier business communication event.

Empire is a leading producer of conferences and business meetings worldwide.

Reel Works is one of the leading digital media educators in the United States. They are the only filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It’s a powerful combination that changes young lives while creating startling and original films that have been seen by over nine million viewers since their founding in 2001.

This year's Reel Works Gala began in the mezzanine level of the Edison Ballroom, where guests were invited to mingle and enjoy cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. Custom posters featuring the movies of the seven teens that were nominated for the evening's award decorated the cocktail area. Guests were encouraged to participate in the silent auction prior to making their way into the ballroom for the program and dinner.

Sade Baderinwa, Emmy Award-winning journalist for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News, kicked of the program by welcoming students on stage and highlighting their accomplishments and history with the organization. The program featured honorees, chair members, and students, with a special surprise from Vice President of Talent Integration and Pipeline Programs at NBC Universal, Michelle Hord-White, who presented Dexter Dugar Jr. the the F. John Outcalt Award for Outstanding Filmmaking and a $5,000 scholarship.

Later in the night, energetic James Donahower took the stage as the live auctioneer, helping to raise a record $380,000. The evening wrapped with a special musical performance by Angela Johnson. Event sponsors included Empire Entertainment, Comcast NBC Universal, A&E Networks, Viacom, Comedy Central, Raine, CNN and HBO.

Empire was proud to work on this year's Gala, Reel Works’ most successful benefit dinner to date.

On November 19, 2014, EBONY Magazine presented the 3rd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African Americans and guest of honor, legendary producer Quincy Jones.

This year’s Ebony Power 100 took place at the historic Avalon Hollywood and Bardot Lounge, and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO, Desirée Rogers, of the Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Melody Hobson & George Lucas, Anthony Anderson, Beverly Johnson, Teyonah Parris, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, David Oyelowo, Jesse Williams, Niecy Nash, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

After an elegant cocktail reception, guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by television star Wayne Brady and musically directed by Rickey Minor. Throughout the night, attendees were entertained by a wide array of musical performances, each one representing Jones’ career and influence in the music industry over the past 70 years. Performers included Terrence Blanchard, Savion Glover, Kem, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Chaka Khan.

At the end of the dinner program, LL Cool J presented the Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award to Quincy Jones. Jones addressed the crowd, stating, "It's amazing to be around and have a career last almost seven decades and watch everything that's happening. Everything's going to be all right." This year's gala focused on issues of race in particular, and Jones said that he was especially humbled to receive the Award because he considered the founder of Ebony magazine, John H. Johnson, to be a mentor.

DJ Kiss spun at the Bardot Lounge afterparty and performed throughout the event.

The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance and other sponsors and partners included Ariel Investments, United Airlines, Ciroc Vodka, Starz, McDonald’s, Vosges Chocolates, Georgia Pacific, Toyota, Fashion Fair, Twitter and Comcast.

Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer for the Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue selection, catering, production, talent booking & coordination, music, registration, videography & media distribution and event logistics and onsite management.

Empire is a leading producer of broadcast and non-broadcast, celebrity-driven media events.

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After their highly successful inaugural gala fundraiser in 2013, the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund chose to honor cultural icon and internationally recognized fashion designer, Stella McCartney, with their Women’s Leadership Award.

Lincoln Center Corporate Fund once again turned to us to design and produce all aspects of the evening.

Held at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with two VIP cocktail receptions with hedge walls lining the entrance pathway. The hedges served both fashion and function, accentuating the “English Garden” design theme, while concealing the 40-table dinner reception that was to follow the stage program.

Stella’s friends who could not be in attendance including Bono, Chrissie Hynde, Kate Winslet, Gwen Stefani, Quincy Jones, Amy Poehler, Reese Witherspoon and Doris Day, gave heartfelt video tributes.

Chelsea Handler surprised everyone by submitting her video in which she claimed to be too cheap to purchase the plane ticket to New York and then appeared onstage as the evening’s host.

The program’s second act featured a sit-down with Stella and Jerry Seinfeld in which the comedian interviewed her as only he could, touching on the important industry issues such as the “shorts epidemic for men” and “angry-faced models”.

Seinfeld then introduced the presenter of the Women’s Leadership Award following their conversation—Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Paul flew all the way from Brazil that morning to surprise his daughter on stage.

The program concluded with a musical performance by Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison, whose acoustic rendition of Love of My Life, a favorite of his “Big Sister”, Stella, set up the finale, which summed up the tone for the entire night. The walls which previous to that had been the backdrop to the “English Parlor” design treatment were quickly rolled away to reveal a full band and 21-piece orchestra who backed Dhani as they performed Live and Let Die to the delight of guests and Sir Paul himself.

The event raised $1.6 million for the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to ten performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and The Juilliard School.

Sponsors for the evening were American Express, Hearst Corporation and Harper’s Bazaar.

To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org

We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts and in strengthening our expertise in the area of high-end fashion events.

On September 30, 2014, Empire presented two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey to deliver the closing keynote at the IAB MIXX Conference in NYC. The MIXX conference is the centerpiece of Advertising Week, and this year the theme was “Digital’s Renaissance Moment”. And who better to speak to that topic than the star of “House of Cards”, the smash Netflix series which may well be the show that finally makes the internet a true competitor to television networks.

Spacey was clearly passionate about the subject, attributing the success of the series to the “creative courage” of the actors, writers, and the executives at Netflix who green-lighted the show without seeing a pilot. And he compared that courage to the integrity of Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty. And he closed with an inspirational note, stating that “if there's one thing that overlaps between business and art, it's that the risk-takers are rewarded.”

Empire’s strong Hollywood relationships have allowed us to deliver incredible talent for our clients over the years, including Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Greg Kinnear, Charlton Heston, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Biel, and dozens more.

Boon the Shop​, well known as the first "modern luxury specialty store" in Seoul, South Korea, reached out to Empire to secure the perfect talent to provide music at the grand opening event of its highly anticipated flagship store located in Cheongdam. Empire delivered the Misshapes as DJs who are in high demand for fashion and luxury brand events.

On October 17, 2014, the first day of Seoul Fashion Week, Boon the Shop opened its doors for the grand opening celebration, inviting over 1,200 VIP clients, celebrities, models, fashion designers and industry leaders, bloggers and media from around the globe.

Notable attendees were Anna Dello Russo from Vogue Japan, the store's architect Peter Marino, Supermodel Lindsey Wixson, Haider Ackerman, Chitose Abe of Sacai, Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, as well as Korea's A-list celebrities such as G-Dragon, Taeyang, Ko So-Young, and Ha Jung-Woo.

Boon the Shop opened up all of its retail floors for the party, displayed its featured merchandise, launched exclusive collections from leading fashion brands, and presented an exhibition for Proenza Schouler.

The Misshapes, including Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol, provided the soundtrack for the entire evening with a cool and classy mix of the latest pop, hottest indie music, and funky dance tunes. They started off on the main floor and then moved over to DJ at the VIP lounge.

It was a special night for fashion in Seoul where international fashion VIP got together at this new Asian luxury landmark.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for retail and luxury events around the world and Empire has worked extensively in Korea for over a decade, providing its world class services through our Seoul-based representative.

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, Empire produced About.com’s Expert Conference for the second straight year at the IAC Building in NYC.

The conference gathers together hundreds of About.com’s experts—the people who write content on the site on topics ranging from travel, health, and tech, to sandwiches, etiquette, and women’s hairstyles. The site is visited each month by approximately 90 million users.

At the 2013 event, new CEO Neil Vogel received applause from the experts throughout the day as he explained the many changes he was planning for the website. He took the stage once again at the 2014 conference, this time to show that he had delivered, taking the once staid website and making it vibrant, exciting, and alive—a site designed to attract viewers to the site and to keep them there. Many images and videos from the new site were displayed prominently on the fantastic high-resolution video wall at the IAC Building (120’ wide x 11’ high).

Vogel introduced other company executives to speak throughout the day and led a panel discussion with some of the site's most popular experts. Attendees also enjoyed catering by Abigail Kirsch, who also provided delectable passed hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail reception that closed the day.

Empire managed all aspects of the About.com conference, providing stage management, registration, TPA procurement, technical direction, catering management, décor. Empire is proud to produce business conferences for some of the world's leading companies.

For the second year in a row, Empire was proud to serve as producer of the Lowline Anti-Gala, which helps raise funds to convert an abandoned, turn-of-the-century trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. Using innovative solar technology to enable plants and trees to grow underground, the Lowline will become a new kind of public green space and a must-see cultural attraction in one of the world’s most exciting urban environments.

The Lowline has attracted visionaries, artists and creators since the concept was first envisioned so it was no surprise that this year’s hosts would be some of the most celebrated creative figures today – Girls Creator Lena Dunham and Academy Award-winning director Spike Jonze.

Working closely with the Lowline team, Empire worked to develop an overall creative concept to reflect the plans for the park itself. The event would take place underground and would provide glimpses of what the Lowline will feel like once it is built. Skylight Modern, with its cavernous, yet minimal subterranean space would be the perfect venue for this concept.

The evening began above ground with a cocktail reception showcasing a circular bar set around a towering tree. Guests sipped Absolut cocktails concocted by celebrity mixologist Dave Arnold from Booker and Dax and Momofuku while VIPs appeared in front of a media backdrop in the form of a hedge featuring a fire-stenciled wooden Lowline logo.

At the end of cocktails guests made their way underground into a subterranean paradise. Buskers and beatboxers played as guests made their way down the stairs and into a walkway surrounded by trees, plants and foliage provided by Terrain.

Emerging at the far end of the venue, guests abruptly found themselves in a cavernous clearing in which was set a dazzling seated banquet served by Neuman’s Kitchen and Chef Julian Alonzo. The dinner menu included a salad of “edible soil” with raw and cooked garden vegetables, herbs in a flower pot and other sumptuous courses.

In keeping with the spirit of the evening, Lena Dunham and Spike Jonze performed custom skits as Vaudeville characters, inviting guests into their “salon”. Dunham recounted, “as a native New Yorker, I am committed to continuing to create public spaces that reflect the ingenuity and diversity of our city. As downtown kids, our safe outdoor spaces were few and far between—it was before the West Side Highway had been done up all fancy, so a rare trip to Central or Prospect Park was my only experience of the magic of public green spaces.”

Co-founders of the Lowline, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, spoke about the exciting developments of the upcoming project, estimating a 2018 opening of the Lowline.

Auctioneer CK Swett began with a bottle of Dom Perignon and a starting bid of $1 to warm up the crowd. Lots included tickets for two to Broadway’s Cabaret, a deluxe Tahoe Ski Getaway, a visit the set of Girls, tickets to the Foxcatcher premiere and after-party, and a night on Larry Ellison’s sailboat. Two of the packages sold for $20,000 each. Lena sold the dress off her back, which featured a custom-designed print of the Lowline itself.

Star-studded communal tables served the likes of Edward Norton, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, filmmakers Bennett Miller and Darren Aronofsky, Celerie Kemble and Boykin Curry, Senator Cory Booker, contemporary artist Tom Sachs, and film producer Megan Ellison, as well as slew of New York’s young and established artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and socialites.

As the evening shifted into afterparty mode, blacklights once again transformed the space into an Avatar-like fantasy world as the dinner guests were joined by a second wave of attendees. A beatbox battle by Too Many Zooz and a percussion funk band set the tone for the evening’s headliners: Jack Antonoff’s band, the Bleachers. After their set, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy DJ’d well into the night.

Empire was proud to once again serve Lowline and help them create another standard-setting, creative fundraising event that perfectly suited their style and message. To learn more about the world’s first underground park, visit www.thelowline.org.

Empire is a leading creative producer of innovative events and fundraisers worldwide.