Our Work

In 2012, Empire collaborated with Benchmarc360, Inc. to contract Sammy Hagar as a surprise performer for a direct marketing and distribution company's annual conference. When that same company wanted to keep things fresh for the 2013 event, Benchmarc360 asked Empire to bring in one of the biggest comedy stars in the world. After considering performers including Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano, Benchmarc360 Empire secure TV and movie star, Kevin James.The star of CBS' "The King of Queens" as well as major motion pictures including "Here Comes The Boom", "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", "Grown Ups", and many more was a huge hit with the 1,500 attendees. Knowing he was a surprise to the group, James started the show by apologizing "to anyone who was expecting Bon Jovi". From there, he performed a 45-minute set of non-stop laughs on topics ranging from the undeniable awesomeness of onion dip and his disdain for hot-tubs to his family life (he told the group that in spite of being told by friends that he would love all of his children the same, he found that he "really doesn't care as much for the second one"). James was happy to mention the client's name a few times during his set, and even worked their conference theme "Game On!" into one of his routines.

Following the set, Empire helped coordinate a meet and greet where Kevin James greeted a number of VIP's and took photos with each of them. Empire also arranged for Kevin to shoot a brief, impromptu video saying some kind words to one of the conference’s production team event who had fallen ill, and was unable to attend in person.

Empire is a leading source of comedic performers for corporate events and has secured many of the biggest names for our clients over the years including Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano, Dana Carvey, Frank Caliendo and Ellen Degeneres among others.

When multinational information technology corporation Hewlett Packard (HP) wanted the support of a truly international production company to unite their most valued customers with partners from across the Asia-Pacific, they once again turned to Empire’s Japan office for assistance. Over 350 of HP’s most valued customers, channel partners, and staff were invited to converge at the Hilton Osaka hotel, where Empire’s team set about the task of creating and delivering a logistically flawless event.

Aspects under Empire’s scope of responsibility included staging, seating, coordination with the hotel, collateral materials and simultaneous. The summit focused on the theme of storage technology and included participation by several important partners such as the Intel Corporation. Over the course of two days, a series of keynote speeches and special breakout sessions, all participants were able to discover and discuss the latest ideas and systems in a comfortable, organized environment.

In addition to the keynotes and breakouts, Empire also designed and directed the build of an HP Technology Showcase area that facilitated learning about HP and its partners, as well as provided a place for guests to mingle and relax. The gala dinner that followed featured the live action and digital dance troop “Enra” performing in synchronization to a computer-generated projected background, custom prepared to highlight the summit’s ideas covered earlier in the day.

Empire is a leading global provider of services for corporate meetings and events with extensive experience in the technology industry. We are delighted to have successfully produced another important event for one of the most highly-regarded clients in the technology industry.

A week before the event, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York contacted Empire requesting headline talent for their 13th annual charity event, Casino Jazz Night. Empire was asked to identify singers who live locally in New York City with established name recognition. Within hours Empire secured Melanie Fiona, a two-time Grammy Award winning R&B artist who recently released a hit album called, THE MF LIFE. Melanie cooperated with the time constraint, in which she had only 30 minutes of rehearsal on the day event with the house band, Hank Lane Orchestra. After the scheduled program, honoring select members of the real estate industry for their philanthropic contributions, Melanie got on stage and performed 3 songs that blew away all the attendees. She sang two covers which were Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" and Sia's "Titanium" along with her original song, "Watch Me Work."

Empire is a leading resource for headline entertainment for not for profit events.

150 years ago, the United States stood at a crossroads. Deep in the heart of the Civil War, the Union and Confederate Armies met upon the rolling fields of Gettysburg, PA in the early days of July 1863 for what has become known as the turning point of the war. The Battle of Gettysburg not only changed the tide of the war in the Union’s favor, but it sent the country on the trajectory that led towards Civil Rights and our current state of freedom.

It was this relevance that the National Park Service (NPS) and The Gettysburg Foundation had wanted to convey to the dignitaries and general public attending the commemorative event on Sunday, June 30 entitled “Gettysburg 150: A New Birth of Freedom.” Empire worked closely with the NPS to produce a fitting tribute to the fallen soldiers and citizens of our nations past who were most directly affected by the battle.

The program began with the Presentation of Colors by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, accompanied by Country Music superstar Trace Adkins singing the national anthem a capella. As guests took their seats, the Superintendent of the park welcomed everyone along with remarks from the foundation’s President and the Director of the National Park Service.“This is one of America’s sacred places in terms of the ferocity of what occurred here, in terms of the sheer drama,” said John Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “Gettysburg is one of the touchstones of the American experience.”Former ABC journalist Charles Gibson served as the evening’s master of ceremonies, introducing the keynote address by presidential historian and Pulitzer prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. Following her remarks, the United States Army Band kicked off the music for the theatrical “Voices Program” led by LTC Jim Keene and composed by SGM Douglas Richard (both from USMA West Point).

Nearly 8,000 guests enjoyed this original theatrical production created across multiple stages, which was directed by Empire CEO J.B. Miller. Empire designed, scripted and created this stunning program with the help of Donna Lawrence Productions that not only entertained the guests but drew media coverage from 50 outlets representing both national and local media. In it’s coverage of the event, The Patriot-News wrote, "[The program's] star being the dramatic readings of the writings of those entrenched in the great and terrible battle that was Gettysburg. The story was told through different forms of media like re-enacted videos and drawings straight from 1863, but the most gripping, no doubt, was the readings of those people whose lives were either taken, or changed forever…” Empire brought on Donna Lawrence Productions to help with the scripting and media creation. The evening culminated with a candlelit vigil, underscored by the thunderous sounds of The Old Guard’s 21 Gun Salute.

Over 100 credentialed media representatives from outlets reaching a worldwide audience covered the event and A&E partnered with NPS and Gettysburg Foundation to webcast the event live on History.com- which can be viewed via C-SPAN's coverage HERE.

Empire served as overall producer and was responsible for all elements of the event including content and creative direction, staging, set design, sound, lighting, video, technical production, casting, script development, music composition and coordinating between the various entities involved.

Empire is honored to be have been given the opportunity to work on this historic and momentous occasion commemorating an important moment in our Nation’s history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Founded over 60 years ago with the purpose of making great opera available to a modern, wide-reaching audience, the New York City Opera is one of New York’s leading cultural institutions. In April 2013, the New York City Opera chose the occasion of the premiere of La Périchole for its annual gala and Empire was honored to serve as the Gala producer.

La Périchole is a madcap comic opera loosely based on the life of a Peruvian street-singer who maintains a love triangle between the Spanish viceroy and her true love and fellow street-singer. The gala began with a Peruvian-themed pre-show cocktail reception at New York City Center.

The reception featured a gallery of printed images of Peruvian textiles and Peruvian floral arrangements and linen patterns. Following the performance, guests made their way to the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel for a French-themed dinner dance. In this grand space, Empire worked with the Plaza Hotel and Great Performances catering to create an elegant environment to complement the French menu. The Avalon Jazz Band played onstage throughout the evening. At one point New York City Opera’s General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel took the stage to deliver remarks and to introduce performances by some of the evening’s lead performers which included a rendition of Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose. The evening’s gala was generously sponsored by American Airlines, Van Cleef & Arpels, Clos du Val and Bellavista.

Empire was responsible for venue coordination, technical production, décor and design, coordination of catering, ground transportation, security, staffing and stage management for both events.

Empire is proud to serve many of New York’s leading cultural institutions including the New York City Opera.

For the fifth consecutive year Empire Entertainment was chosen to produce the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Chaplin Award Tribute. This year's Gala, the 40th annual, honored one of the motion picture industry’s most celebrated and enduring superstars – the incomparable Barbra Streisand.The Film Society's Tribute Gala began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the United States from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's most visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks among others.With a sold out house, frenzied media attention, and Streisand’s own legendary attention to detail in the pursuit of perfection, the stakes were high to deliver a flawless evening.

The evening began with an elegant cocktail reception in the promenade before the guests moved inside Alice Tully Hall for the program. The all-star tribute began with a video of previous Chaplin Award honorees, followed by remarks from the Film Society of Lincoln Center Board Chair Ann Tenenbaum and Executive Director, Rose Kuo.The tribute included a series of remarks interspersed by film clips of Streisand’s motion picture work, both in front of and behind the camera. The presenters for the tribute included past Chaplin Award honorees Catherine Deneuve & Michael Douglas, George Segal, Alan Bergman (who offered a musical tribute to the tune of “The Way We Were”), Kris Kristofferson, Amy Irving, Pierce Brosnan, Blythe Danner and Fockers Co-Star, Ben Stiller.This year’s Tribute also featured a series of extraordinary musical tributes including Wynton Marsalis performing “Hello Dolly,” Liza Minnelli performing "What Did I Have That I Don't Have Now," and Tony Bennett performing “Smile” which was composed by Charlie Chaplin himself and used in the soundtrack to his 1936 film “Modern Times.”

As the final presenter of the evening, President Bill Clinton, who attended with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, delivered heartfelt remarks and then presented Barbra Streisand with the Chaplin Award. Barbra Streisand then delivered her acceptance remarks while all of the evening's presenters stood by her side.The program was followed by a seated dinner at the David H. Koch theater's spectacular second-floor promenade overlooking the fountain in the Plaza of Lincoln Center. The evening raised over $2 million for the Film Society, easily breaking the previous record. At the dinner, Barbra Streisand was asked by cabaret singer Ann Hampton Callaway to sum up the evening in one word. Her choice – “Glorious.”For this year’s tribute Empire served as the producer, working with director Richard Jay-Alexander, Writer Jon Macks, Musical Director Kevin Stites and Lighting Designer Matt Berman. Empire was responsible for creative and production design, talent & presenter coordination, technical production, television facilities, script, stage management and overall oversight of the production of the Tribute.To learn more about the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award and its programs, visit www.filmlinc.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is honored to have had the opportunity to work with one of the world’s greatest talents – Barbra Streisand.

AMC hosted its first-ever Upfront event at the 69th Regiment Armory in a format that was anything but ordinary. As a reflection of the newly-launched tagline “Something More,” AMC and Empire collaborated to create something much more than a typical upfront experience. Opting for an immersive, interactive experience, rather than a typical presentation format, the network and Empire created an environment that literally transported guests inside the worlds of its groundbreaking shows.

A forest full of Walking Dead-like zombies, a functioning meth lab akin to Breaking Bad, and a Venice Beach freak show full of the sword-swallowing, fire-breathing stars of Freak Show were just a few of the experiences within the labyrinthine event. Upon arrival, guests were greeted with champagne and walked down a meandering hallway of illuminated show posters displaying AMC’s extensive slate of original programming. At the end of the hallway, fog rolled out from a draped doorway, and guests stepped into a chilling nighttime forest scene - on one side an overrun campsite, on the other, a rattling shack full of moaning “walkers.” Hunting parties of disheveled survivors would run by suggesting guests go left or right to safety helping to determine the pathway of their experience. Stepping through the next draped opening, guests found themselves in a tent town on a vast prairie, a space designed to echo the 1867 setting of the series Hell on Wheels. To the left, three surly men played a round of poker, while prostitutes in a tent across the way cat-called at passersby. Sounds of blowing wind, and the occasional train whistle along with smells of whiskey, hay, and dirt rounded out the experience.Through another palate cleanser, and another draped entryway, guests walked into a local talent competition set in a YourTown, USA theater. Here, variety acts performed all manner of humorous and inspiring acts, demonstrating the look and feel of AMC’s new unscripted show, “Showville,” where small towns hold local talent competitions and award the winner $10,000 prizes.

Continuing on, guests found themselves walking down a long hallway with fluorescent overhead light and ceiling tiles. Reminiscent of the hallways of Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Price from Mad Men, advertisements from the late 1950s and 60s adorned the walls, and every so often, a secretary dressed in period attire would rush down the hall warning “Mr. Swanson is in a terrible mood today!” Around the corner, guests found themselves in the bustling creative office of a 1967 advertising agency. Creative Directors dressed in period attire stood smoking, brainstorming period campaigns and offering guests whiskey from the bar cart. Continuing on, around the next corner, guests entered into a carnival-esque room, wrapped in red velvet drape and topped with a striped black and white ceiling. Large banners adorned the walls, warning of the “Great Spider Woman,” “Gorilla Girl,” and “Voodoo Mysteries.” From a drum stage, actual cast members of “Freak Show” performed phenomenal acts of sword swallowing, fire breathing, and contortion, while America’s tallest man, George Bell, who is 7’8” tall stood by to meet and greet attendees.

The final stop through the AMC network brought guests in to a “functioning” meth lab, where workers in yellow Tyvek suits prepared the drugs on an industrial scale and then smashed up and bagged blue “meth” rock candy for guests to take home with them. In between each space, guests were served cocktails and hors d’eouvres, and had the opportunity to enter the main, central party space to mix and mingle. Here, the message was simple: AMC, Something More. Tufted black leather couches with gold detailing, black carpet, and 100’ high ceilings with dramatic uplight set the tone of the affair. An abundance of food stations from steak carving to dim sum offered guests a multitude of delicious culinary options. In this main space, AMC President and General Manager, Charlie Collier led a brief presentation stating: “We just have two goals in mind—celebrate (our) brand and thanking you with a real AMC experience.” Following the presentation, the stars of each show descended upon the crowd to converse with guests and partake in numerous photo ops.

As guests left smiling, it was clear that AMC had succeeded in its mission to present the AMC brand in an original and unexpected manner. An industry veteran, working in events for 10 years stated: “Hands down, this is the coolest event I have ever seen!” Empire worked closely with the AMC Ad Sales Marketing and Communications teams as well as executive management for over six months to develop and refine this ground-breaking upfront concept. Empire was responsible for details including venue acquisition, layout and room design, design and décor for each of the spaces, staging, sound, lighting, furnishings, carpet, catering, technical production, casting, costuming, script development and the curating of each space to accurately reflect each series represented.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative Upfronts and other critical business-to-business events.

On Friday, April 19, Empire Entertainment produced the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards Finalists Breakfast. Taking place in the beautiful ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, the newly blossoming Central Park foliage set the backdrop for the morning.Kicking off the announcements and hosting the event was Christine Baranski, known for her work in The Good Wife, Mamma Mia, and The Birdcage. Adding some morning humor and her own flair to the event, Christine announced finalists for several categories, including Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year and Bath and Body Line of the Year.Guests dined on delicious breakfast offerings from the Mandarin Oriental catering team while eagerly anticipating the announcement of the finalists for the premiere category of Fragrance of the Year. The winner of this category was announced at the 2013 Fragrance Foundation Awards on June 12, 2013, which Empire Entertainment also produced.During the stage presentation, the Empire team swiftly worked with a display merchandiser to transform the ballroom foyer in to a chic and surprise display of the Fragrance of the Year finalists bottles. Upon event departure, guests were encouraged to sample the select and esteemed fragrances.Empire Entertainment served as the overall production company for the Finalists Breakfast, managing all aspects of the event including stage decor, AV management, decor supervision, stage and show management, script writing, signage, and catering management.

When event designer, Thomas Noel received a request from his Russian client for an internationally-known musical performance at his upcoming wedding in Monte Carlo, he turned to Empire Entertainment to secure the perfect artist.Taking place at the Sporting Club of Monte Carlo, facing the Mediterranean, the wedding performance would have to be a magical experience equal to the spectacular setting. With that vision in mind, Empire set about securing the always-elegant superstar, Seal, to perform to this very special celebration.With talent secured, Empire worked closely with the EDI team, Seal, and local vendors to ensure that all international logistical and technical elements were advanced properly. This included working out the timing of the performance perfectly, to follow a precisely-timed fireworks display.As guests marveled at fireworks overhead, their attention was diverted while Seal took the stage and began his extraordinary set for the delighted wedding guests, bride and groom.

Throughout the 90 minute performance, Seal sang his hits such “Kiss From a Rose,” “Don’t Cry,” “Crazy,” “My Vision,” and “Love’s Divine,” frequently wading into the dancing audience, and inviting guests up to the stage to dance along the band, and the happy newlyweds.Another highlight of Seal’s performance were songs from his two recent Soul albums, including classic’s such as Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and “Here I Am (Come And Take Me)” and Teddy Pendergrass’ “Love TKO.” Immediately following his set, Seal participated in a meet & greet with close friends and family of the bride and groom. For this incredible event, Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical elements for Seal, as well as working with the design team to coordinate all production elements, schedules and layouts. Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of talent for private events and celebrations around the world and has presented events large and small throughout the French Riviera.

Earlier this year, Japan's No.1 beer, "Asahi Super Dry", wanted their new advertising campaign to reflect the power and dynamism of the brand. To accomplish this they turned to Empire Entertainment Japan as their producer and Empire enlisted award-winning action filmmaker John Woo to direct the commercial campaign. Woo is the director of such action movies as "Face Off", "Mission Impossible II" and "Red Cliff."The campaign would feature one of Japan's biggest artists, Masaharu Fukuyama, and his newly released single "Get The Groove" - which shot to number one on the single charts in Japan following the release of the campaign.John Woo's production team on this project included Japanese set designer Yohei Taneda, well known for his work on films such as “Kill Bill”, and cinematographer Mauro Fiore, who won the Academy Award for his cinematography work on “Avatar.”Empire Entertainment produced this major project - under the guidance of Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Theodore Miller - in collaboration with Hakuhodo and Ridley Scott Associates.Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of notable directors, actors and creative resources for advertising, industrial video and brand marketing projects worldwide. In addition to John Woo, Empire has delivered directors including Michael Bay, George Lucas, Judd Apatow, Spike Lee, and Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) for past projects.

When the BMW Group needed to launch the MINI Paceman vehicle in Japan, they turned to Empire’s growing, Tokyo-based Asia division to produce this important launch. The launch took place in Tokyo at the chic "R-Gallery", and was kicked offwith a press conference led by BMW Group Japan President Mr. Alan Harrisand MINI Division Director, Mr. Andreas Wecke.The launch included several elements including vehicle displays, live entertainment, and innovative food presentation to members of the automotive press. In addition to being responsible for the production of the press conferences, Empire organized a series of exclusive party events in Tokyo and Osaka attended by top names in fashion, design, architecture, and various well-known celebrities.Empire is responsible for a wide variety of launches, press conferences and event marketing activities through Asia.

The Bravo Upfront Party has become one of the most highly anticipated upfront events in the industry. Bravo once again enlisted Empire Entertainment to produce their Upfront Party, held at SIR’s Stage 37. After check-in, guests were whisked into a room and met with a 16-ft wide curved LED video screen. To their surprise, a popular "Bravolebrity", Curtis Stone, appeared in the room to welcome them to the event and to introduce a short sizzle video of Bravo’s upcoming programming.

The video also featured a look at the past “Summer by Bravo” promos and an introduction to this year’s Summer promo and Upfront Party theme, desert island. Doors then opened to reveal a fantastical desert island paradise party filled with luxurious thatch roof lounge cabanas, 14’ high palm trees and Bravolebrities galore, including the ladies of every "Real Housewives" franchise, each member of "Shah’s of Sunset", "Vanderpump Rules", "Top Chef" hosts Tom, Gail & Padma, Andy Cohen, Patti Stanger, Tabatha Coffey, Jeff Lewis and Jenni Pulos.

It was truly an amazing turnout of Bravo star power. In keeping with the evening’s desert island theme, giant stone “Bravo Island Heads” were carved in the likeness of "Flipping Out" design maven Jeff Lewis and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Nene Leakes. Sand mansions were sculpted for properties featured on "Million Dollar Listing" and "Flipping Out."

Guest interactions included a custom "Real Housewives" video for which guests recorded their own sassy voiceover and video to be craftily edited into the opening credits of "The Real Housewives" city of their choosing. Guests could also get their hair and makeup done under the watchful eye of Tabatha Coffey, consult with Patti Stanger on their love lives, upload a gif of themselves styled by Brad Goreski and shot with the Shah’s, or get a drink served by Jax and Tom, the bartenders from "Vanderpump Rules." Pinch Catering passed hors d’oeuvres throughout the night and set up stations with a delectable assortment of rice paper rolls suspended on copper wires, fresh cut sashimi and juicy bao-style buns filled with salmon, beef or vegetable tempura.

DJ Earworm, known for video mashups including “United State of Pop,” spun music throughout the evening and cut in video clips of Bravo’s most memorable on-air moments, expertly sliced into pop music. Empire Entertainment worked closely with Bravo’s Trade Marketing, Creative and Press teams and served as overall event producer and designer for the program. Empire’s responsibilities included overall design & management, coordination of custom scenic, decor, audio/visual, catering, activities, venue, red carpet, travel coordination for talent, graphic design, printing, permits and security.

Each year TIME publishes the TIME 100: A list of the 100 most influential people in the world. To celebrate its highly anticipated release, TIME hosts an exclusive Gala event in New York City attended by current and past TIME 100 honorees. With its extraordinary mix of world leaders, innovators and celebrities, the TIME 100 Gala is recognized as one of the world’s most high-profile annual events and for the 5th consecutive year Empire was proud to serve as the event’s producer.

The 2013 TIME 100 Gala took place at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Participants and performers included Christina Aguilera, Vice President Joseph Biden, Jimmy Kimmel, Senator Rand Paul, Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly, as well as Time Warner Chairman and CEO, Jeff Bewkes, and TIME Managing Editor, Rick Stengel.

The Gala was also attended by a global who’s who of icons from industry, culture, sports, fashion and politics including Steven Spielberg, Justin Timberlake, Lena Dunham, Jimmy Fallon, Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, Jennifer Lawrence, Padma Lakshmi, Daniel Day-Lewis, Frank Ocean, Amy Poehler, Claire Danes, Harvey Weinstein, Aziz Ansari, Michael Kors, Fareed Zakaria, and Ricky Gervais.

The TIME 100 consisted of red carpets on three floors, an elegant cocktail reception, a seated dinner & program that combined keynote remarks, musical performances and toasts by the evening’s honorees, and an after party. The event was sponsored by Chivas Regal 25 and Citi.

As one of the world’s most high-stature events, the TIME 100 draws extensive global media coverage which this year included the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Today Show, Huffington Post, FOX, Forbes and many others. BizBash Media named the Gala the #1 Media Event of the Year.

With the world watching through such extensive coverage, the production of the TIME 100 requires precision execution. Empire was proud to work closely with the TIME team to deliver a flawless evening.

Empire’s responsibilities as producer included event design & décor, talent booking & coordination, venue and catering logistics (provided by Great Performances), technical production, broadcast and Internet stream facilities, stage management, staffing, front of house logistics and security.

Empire is one of the world’s leading producers of high-profile events and is proud to again have been chosen to produce the TIME 100.

On April 24, 2013, Empire delivered legendary rock and roll band Foreigner for a financial services company’s annual incentive program in San Diego. With 2,000 guests in attendance, it was all about the hits and Foreigner delivered. With more than a dozen major radio hits to their name, there was no need for the band to start slow. They opened with the one-two punch of “Double Vision” and “Head Games” and had the entire crowd on their feet from the opening chords. There was no let-up in the entire set, which also included classics “Cold As Ice”, “Feels Like The First Time”, and “Jukebox Hero”. The band was having so much fun with the crowd that they invited several of the attendees up onstage to be the backup “choir” on the blockbuster #1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is”. With the crowd roaring for one more, the band didn’t disappoint, breaking out “Hot Blooded” as the final encore of the evening. Empire also arranged a private meet and greet with some of the client VIP’s and the band, where guests were able to meet the stars, and get autographs and photos as well. As a final gesture, the band also autographed a guitar and presented in to the client’s event planner.Empire has been recommending, contracting, and producing headline entertainment since its inception in 1993. We pride ourselves on delivering the best possible artists for our clients based on their budgets and their audience demographics. Foreigner was yet another tremendous success in this regard.

Createdin celebration of the brand’s 310th anniversary, Mount Gay, the oldest rumin the world, released Mount Gay Black Barrel on February 20, 2013. Tocommemorate the launch and educate press on this new premium rum, BlackbirdPublic Relations called on Empire to deliver an educational and refined experienceto 75 top media influencers at the Soho Grand Hotel.

Guestswere invited to walk through an interactive event experience mirroring the premiumrum’s “Road to Refinement” brand story, illustrating the four distinct stagesof the rum making process.

Setagainst large, beautiful and classic photos of the rum making experience,guests had a unique opportunity to taste the raw ingredients, learn more aboutthe distillation process and engage with Master Blender Allen Smith, whoshowcased the art of blending to create Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum.

Mastermixologists served Mount Gay Black Barrel “neat,” “on the rocks,” and in classiccocktails that included the “Black Barrel and Ginger Ale” and the “PerfectMount Gay Black Barrel Manhattan” to highlight the refined taste of this smoothspirit.

EmpireEntertainment served as the overall event producer and assisted with siteselection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, technical production,and onsite management.

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For the highly anticipated launch of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue 2013, Sports Illustrated again selected Empire Entertainment to provide celebrity entertainment for their marquee event in Las Vegas. At Club SI Swimsuit, the final night of launch week at 1OAK at the Mirage Hotel, Empire secured the "The Bachelor's" Chris Harrison to host the Swimsuit Model reveal and Latin Grammy Award-nominee Pitbull and his band to perform for an audience of swimsuit models, Sports Illustrated guests and sponsors. Following the stage program and Swimsuit model reveal, Pitbull and his band took the stage to perform a 60-minute set of his hits including "Hey Baby," "International Love," "Calle Ocho," "On The Floor," "I like It," "DJ Got Us Falling In Love," and "Hotel" that had the entire club on their feet. Working under the direction of Sports Illustrated's Executive Director of Event Marketing & Talent Relations, Christine Rosa, Empire was responsible for securing Chris Harrison and Pitbull and handled all details relating to their performances with the Sports Illustrated Events team. Empire also worked closely with Team Epic who staged all of the launch week events.Empire is a leading provider of high-profile talent for media events.