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For the fourth year in a row, the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, chose Empire Entertainment to produce their Ten Awards program in New York City. This program, billed as "The Academy Awards of Business," annually recognizes the best & brightest in the New York business universe. The host sponsor for this important program was Real Estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. Other sponsors of this year's program included NASDAQ, Zagat Survey, Microsoft, Google, OfficeTiger, Accenture, Loews Hotels, IBM and Philips among others. The Awards program was again hosted by CNBC's Liz Claman and featured a keynote address by former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

This year's award winners were: CEO of the Year: Jonathan Tisch, Loews HotelsCIO of the Year: Jack Nelson, Mount Sinai Medical CenterDealmaker of the Year: Jonathan Gray, Blackstone Group and Philip Falcone, Harbinger Capital PartnersBest International Non-Profit: Ami Nahshon, The Abraham Fund InitiativesEducator of the Year: Dr. Deborah Kenny, Village AcademiesBest New Product or Service: Are Traasdahl, ThumbPlay and David Rose, Angelsoft LLCCFO of the Year: David Turner, Thomson FinancialMarketer of the Year: John Hayes, American ExpressInnovator of the Year: Jason Finger, SeamlessWebBest Up and Comer: Jared Kushner, New York ObserverBest Executive Team: Tim Armstrong, Penry Price and Craig Nevill-Manning, Google There was also a special Ten Awards NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony with the winners at NASDAQ's MarketSite in Times Square.

For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection, staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of graphics packages, and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, and signage.

Empire is a leading creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

When a well-respected, Hong Kong-based production company was searching for the ideal talent to headline an important event for an international jewelry company's top customers, they turned to Empire Entertainment. The entertainment for this spectacular event needed to be suitable for a highly discerning group of high net worth individuals and would have to integrate effectively into the sumptuous visual surroundings designed by the production company. Empire worked with the client to identify several candidates and ultimately negotiated with and secured the client's first choice, Portland, Oregon-based orchestra Pink Martini, to perform at the event in their debut China performance.

Pink Martini are a 14 piece contemporary orchestra, led by Chinese-American musical director Thomas Lauderdale and fronted by female vocalist China Forbes. They have performed throughout the world including at the Hollywood Bowl and the Grand opening of the Disney Concert Hall. Pink Martini play elegant music ranging from jazz standards from the 1930s and 1940's to original contemporary originals. The band performs songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Greek, and English. Their music is elegant, sophisticated and ideal for champagne celebrations throughout the world. For this singular event, every detail had to be precisely managed and Empire and the client worked closely with Pink Martini on elements ranging from song list and sequence, to costuming, hair, makeup, and jewelry.

Pink Martini even agreed to learn and rehearse a Chinese song, which thrilled the audience when it was performed as a surprise. After Guests finished dinner at the event, the stage was revealed and Pink Martini played a 75-minute set which soon had guests up and dancing along with several professional dance couples in costume who had been brought in for the evening. Pink Martini's Chinese song brought applause from the audience and their dance-oriented renditions songs like Brasil and Dancez-Vous kept them cheering for encores. The evening ended with a pink champagne VIP meet & greet with the band backstage with the client's managing directors and top customers. For this engagement Empire worked closely with the production company to contract the talent, manage visas and work permits, travel, hotel & ground transportation logistics, production and creative details.

Empire is a leading provider of headline entertainment to production company partners throughout the world. Through its relationships with these companies and Empire's own Asia and Latin America divisions, Empire is able to offer world-class production & entertainment services whether the venue is in Hong Kong, China or elsewhere.

FilmAid International is an extraordinary not for profit organization founded by producer Caroline Baron that partners with Hollywood studio and sponsors to provide motion picture entertainment in refugee camps around the world. For their first ever gala event, FilmAid selected Empire Entertainment to serve as production company. The gala event was held at the Time Warner Cafe in New York City and was attended by over 600 guests. The event commenced a VIP Screening of "God Grew Tired of Us" followed by a panel discussion with Dan Harris. Afterwards guests moved into a cocktails / hors d'oeuvres reception for which Perrier Jouet and Dewars were champagne and liquor sponsors.

Up next was a brief speaking program with remarks by Caroline Baron and the evening's two honorees, Tribeca Films founder Jane Rosenthal and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.The high-point of the evening was a 20-minute, solo acoustic concert performance by legendary musician Elvis Costello who performed hits including "Allison" and "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding?" The event was attended by many celebrities including Ed Burns & Christy Turlington, Danny Glover, Julia Ormond, Matt Dillon and more.For this highly successful, first-time fundraiser Empire provided all production including the Elvis Costello concert, stage management, logistics and coordination and goody bags / in kind andsponsorship solicitation, arranging for sponsorship / donations from HBO, Dewars, Perrier Jouet, Dylan's Candy Bar, Time Out Magazine, Shu Uemura, Judith Ripka, Leading Hotels of the World and others.

Empire is proud to support the efforts of FilmAid International. More information about the charity and information on how to make donations is available at http://www.filmaid.org/

When an important, international charitable organization focused on raising money for education in India needed help, they turned to Empire Entertainment. Pratham USA's Tri State chapter raised over $750,000 during their Annual Gala event attended by over 700 people at New York's Marriott Marquis, Times Square. Pratham is a grassroots non-profit organization that serves over 200,000 children daily in nearly 5,000 underprivileged areas in over 50 cities and 14 states throughout India. The Gala began with a cocktail hour where guests mingled with each other, sipped drinks and indulged in savory Indian appetizers while sizing up the fabulous silent auction items ranging from original Indian artwork to jewelry and even professional photography and spa packages.

Pratham Leadership Sameer Mittal , Sheila Hooda and Anil Shah welcomed the guests followed by the Gala Chairs Drs Leena and Nitin Doshi of Diagnostic Imaging Group who lit the lamp to begin the event in an auspicious Diwali flavor. Emceed by Sreenath Srinivasan, Dean of Students at Columbia Journalism School, the attendees were treated to an electrifying East-West fusion musical performance by the known band Aakruti. The festive event of Diwali added the perfect touch of celebrations to the mood of the attendees. While many got the opportunity to meet their favorite Indian personalities including actor Kal Penn, actress Sarita Choudhury, supermodel Ujwala Raut singer Asha Puthli, socialite Meera Gandhi, Olympian Chetan Baboor, and UN Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor - all sympathetic to organization's goal— to have all the nation's children in school and learning well by 2010.The celebrities demonstrated their commitment to the cause by driving the pledge drive. Socialite Meera Gandhi touched the minds of many with her captivating words as she stressed on the importance of education, "When you educate a child, you're transforming not just one person, but generations to come". Choudhury and Raut, both mothers themselves, expressed how lucky they felt that their children have access to stellar New York City educations and said they wished that the children of their homeland would have the same.

For this major fund-raising event within the New York Indian business and social community, Empire provided all celebrity solicitation, consulting on the overall design and flow of the event and onsite stage management of the program and performances.

Empire is a leading producer of international fundraising events and is an important service provider to India-based businesses and organizations both in the United States and in India.

When a newly-formed charitable organization, led by 17 year old founder Max Cohen, faced the daunting challenges of making a splash in New York City on it's first ever event, they turned to Empire Entertainment and event designer Colin Cowie to make dreams come true. The event would be even more challenging than most on account of the necessity to appeal adult-age donors and sponsors, while remaining cool and relevant to the largely teen audience from all of New York City's elite private and public schools. Empire Entertainment, Colin Cowie and Teens Against Cancer Founder Max Cohen and his committee of friends worked hard to deliver success.

Teens Against Cancer held it's first fundraising event on October 12, 2006 at Gotham Hall in New York City with the goal of raising money for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The benefit featured musical performances by SONY Music artist, Teddy Geiger, a concert by The Roots and dance music by DJ Cassidy as well as a fashion show choreographed by Thrash Creatir Sheryl Murakami for Seven Jeans and LeRock. The event also featured a live auction for items such as a weekend at the Atlantis Resort and a Monday night dinner table at Rao's restaurant. For the teenage guests the event offered a raffle for dinner at Ciprianis, sport jerseys and sports tickets.

TAC was founded in 2005 by then 17 year-old New York City student Max Cohen after his mother overcame a terminally ill case of Cancer. Cohen started the organization in hopes to raise awareness in teenagers about the disease and to show them that they also can make a difference. "After my mother became ill with Cancer her endless display of courage and the pain that my family and I fought through inspired me to begin Teens Against Cancer," Cohen said. "I want teenagers to be aware of what Cancer is and to provide support to anyone who has to cope with it in their life."

The event was designed and decorated by renowned event designer Colin Cowie. Entertainment and production were handled by Empire Entertainment. Robbins Wolfe Caterers graciously donated the catering and Lizzie Grubman handled all Public Relations. The benefit was sponsored by Seven Jeans, LaRock and One Step-up.In the end, the event was a huge success, drawing over 500 attendees and raising substantial funds for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Empire is a leading producer of not for profit events and has the creative flexibility to produce events targeted to any demographic including teen /youth audiences.

Competitive video gaming is poised to become the newest sensation in televised professional sports with the launch of DIRECTV's Championship Gaming Series, a video gaming competition that treats games in the same manner as traditional sports and the players as professional athletes. When DIRECTV sought to premiere its new program with simultaneous press events in New York City and Los Angeles, Empire was called to produce both events. Empire worked closely with DIRECTV's events team to identify and select key event venues that had a buzz factor, a design that fit with the video gaming theme, and a central location. The 40/40 Club, owned by rap mogul Jay-Z, was chosen to host the New York City event because its existing projection, LCD screens and monitors were perfect for client and sponsor branding, video gaming demos, and most importantly, the main presentation.

Since the program will be broadcast in high definition, Empire brought in HD Cam decks and compatible video switchers to upgrade the in-house projection, in addition to bringing in two 63" HD plasmas to air loops of the show after the presentation. Guests munched on a menu of video gamer staples that included miniature cheeseburgers and beef tacos, teriyaki chicken skewers and sweets such as fried Snickers and fried Twinkies. DJ Mighty Mi spun the perfect mix of old school and new hip hop while guests played video games on XBOX 360 consoles hooked up to individual LCD screens around the club.

In Los Angeles, Hollywood nightclub The Ivar, which has been featured on HBO's Entourage and CW's America's Next Top Model, was selected for the West Coast premiere event. To ensure that the presentation looked sharp, the existing projectors were swapped out for more powerful, brighter projectors and Digi-Beta decks were used instead of DVD. Catering was provided by Gourmet Celebrations and featured tasty items such as Chinese chicken salad in mini takeout boxes, mini crab cakes, and mac ‘n cheese bites. Attendees played games including Dead or Alive 4, Project Gotham Racing and Halo 2 on freestanding mobile XBOX 360 gaming kiosks. Hollywood favorite DJ Pesce kept the party going with contemporary hip hop. Empire was responsible for managing multiple elements of both events, including venue, RSVP tracking, guest registration, audio/visual, DJ, catering, XBOX gaming & security.

Many corporations choose Empire Entertainment to produce their high-tech events.

Lift Up America is a collaborative effort of companies including Tyson Foods, Give the Gift of Sight (a Luxottica Group foundation), Starkey Hearing Foundation and Interstate Batteries working with professional and college sports teams and local nonprofit agencies to provide the gifts of food, sight, hearing, hope and comfort to our nation's less fortunate.The objective of the Sept. 12 event in New York City was to encourage individuals and corporations to be "heroes" by reaching out to the less fortunate.

Corporations provided goods and services to Lift Up America that were distributed to the less fortunate at a large, one-day distribution event. These corporations included Tyson Foods (protein), Luxottica (vision care) and Starkey Hearing Foundation (hearing aids) and Interstate Batteries (batteries). Added to this were "hero celebrities", Navy seamen and sport celebrities from the New York Giants and the New York Yankees who helped to load humanitarian aid onto the trucks of 100 "hero agencies" of New York City. These "Hero Agencies" distributed the aid to those in need throughout New York City.

On a sunny, Tuesday morning on the day after the 5th anniversary of 9/11, Empire helped Lift Up America organize a singular aid distribution event at Pier 92. Approximately Seven trailer loads of food and other goods were distributed with the help of volunteers, the US Navy and US Marines who arrived on the USS San Antonio.The distribution event also featured a press conference on the waterfront highlighting representatives from each corporation and partner.The successsful event distributed a great deal of aid in many forms to over 100 local relief agencies.Empire was delighted to be a part of the Lift Up America team and provided staging, sound, lighting, electrical power distribution, rigging, onsite management and stage management.

When one of the world's most sophisticated corporations wanted a keynote speaker who could deliver the right closing message for their important, company-wide marketing symposium, they turned to Empire to recommend appropriate candidates. The chosen speaker would need to be able to hold the attention of an audience at the end of a long day of meetings, entertain and inspire them, and also deliver some important messages that would reinforce and underscore the content delivered by speakers earlier in the program. Empire was able to recommend and ultimately deliver best-selling author and one of the world's leading contemporary voices in marketing theory, Malcolm Gladwell, to deliver the keynote address. Gladwell's insightful best-seller, The Tipping Point, talked about the factors that turn small developments into full-blown cultural phenomena - the holy grail of marketing.

Gladwell's newest book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, is about the power of intuition and the decisions we make based on our first impressions. Understanding of the messages of this book are also essential to understanding the minds of the today's consumers. Gladwell's entertaining speech and question & answer session were able to meet the client's objectives perfectly. Gladwell's anecdotal and often humorous presentations keep everyone engaged until the very end of the marketing meeting and the substance of his remarks complemented the overall meeting content perfectly.

When the Jane Goodall Foundation held a fundraising event on the grounds of the Hampton's home of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and his wife, Empire was delighted to be a part of the all star event team. Overall event management for the event was handled by HWPR's Virginia Coleman while Publicity was handled by HWPR's Paul Lerner. Charles Attal Presents handled overall production management, catering was provided by Robbins Wolfe / Eventeur and the event was photographed by Patrick McMullan. The event took place on a spectacular evening in the Hamptons and featured poolside cocktails, a dinner, program and performance in a large tent on the grounds provided by Stamford Tents. The program included welcoming remarks by Howard & Sheri Schultz, a video on the work of the Jane Goodall Foundation, a rare keynote address by the iconic Chimpanzee researcher, Dr. Jane Goodall, a live auction led by Jamie Niven, a headline acoustic performance by Sarah McLachlan, and dancing with DJ Tom Finn. The celebrity attendees included Candice Bergen, Dina Merrill and Katie Couric. Among the highlights of the evening were the performance by Sarah McLachlan who performed at the piano and on guitar with accompaniment of two vocalists and a guitarist. Sarah's mellow set included several of her hits and covers such as the Beatles' "Blackbird." Sarah's incredible, soothing voice set the perfect tone for the evening.

For this event, Empire Entertainment handled all sound, lighting, video projection, electrical power and concert production management. Empire is a leading producer of high-end not-for-profit events.

When Joe Rigotti, Creative Director of Accent on Cincinnati, the biggest meeting planner and special events company in Ohio, needed a headline concert act to top last year's Hall and Oates performance, he once again turned to Empire Entertainment to secure, book, and produce the talent.There were whispers among the 2300 attendees of the premier insurance company's annual conference that topping last year's entertainment - Hall and Oates, would be impossible. But when the curtain rose and the surprise musical guest was revealed, the crowd roared in excitement and applause as Glenn Frey and his band hit the first notes of the Eagles classic, "Take It Easy," which Frey co-wrote with Don Henley and Jackson Browne.Frey, a member of both the songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, played a greatest hits show that brought the audience to its feet, waving company branded glow balls that were distributed to the entire crowd.

The set list included "Lying Eyes," "Tequila Sunrise," "Take it to the Limit," "Heartache Tonight, " "Peaceful Easy Feeling," as well as several of Frey's solo original hits such as "The Heat is On," "You Belong to the City" and "Smugglers Blues," which is best known for being turned into the smash 80's TV show, Miami Vice.Frey's music, which evokes an endless California desert road trip, was a perfect match for the executive crowd and spouses on hand at Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for The Arts. After receiving a standing ovation, The Glenn Frey Band returned for a rousing encore of "Desperado" and the entire crowd sang in unison for the seventh time.The following evening at the same conference, Empire Entertainment showcased the talents of Greg Fitzsimmons, a stand-up comedian who won four Emmy Awards writing for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and who has appeared on David Letterman 5 times. Fitzsimmons' stories about his family was a huge hit with the family-oriented demographic.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians, and speakers for corporate meeting and events the world over.

For a three day global technology conference in Boston, the client's production company sought to open the each day's general session with an entertaining opening segment that emphasized different aspects of the client's business, all presented with the same general theme. The same musical theme would be used but to have to adapt on each day to reflect the themese of 1) the promise of developing markets, 2) the global nature of urban culture, and 3) the harmony between precision and power. To meet this challenge, Empire and original entertainment solution developer Live Lab worked closely with the creative production company to design, score, cast, costume, rehearse and deliver three different ensembles to former high-impact theatrical openers for each day's sessions.

To add to the challenge, the audiences would be in the several thousands each morning and would have to be highly visual and colorful to have an impact. The first day's general session message was emerging markets. For this, Empire provided the African Children's Choir, a 24 child ensemble made up almost entirely of orphans from the nation of Uganda, ages 9 - 13. This incredible group of singers and dancers led by an adult female vocalist and performin in vibrant colorful costumes, managed to bring the audience to their feet on the opening day with their powerful and inspirational performance of the song entitled "You and Me." On the second day global urban culture was represented in the form of a duet by New York City rap artist Adesola Osakalumi with Indian singer Manjit Devgun. They were in turn backed up by Chinese-American DJ David Chang and Donna D'Cruz, an extraordinary world music DJ whose background weaves together many cultures. Together the four performed a live hip hop / bhangra-crossover version of "You and Me" that took on an entirely different feel than the first day but still maintained the continuity and message.

On the third and final day, the piece began with an elegant string ensemble of 6 violins, viola and cello led by Juilliard graduate Lisa Liu. Midway through the piece E.B. Fraley's four piece rock band joined the number and Lisa Liu removed a tear-away gown to reveal a heavy metal wardobe and a flying-V viper-style electric violin. The piece built in energy and dynamism to an exciting finalé as Lisa and EB Fraley traded solos and brought down the house. Empire, Live Lab and the creative production company worked closely to deliver these original ensembles that met the client's objectives, exceeded the client's expectations and thrilled the audiences on each morning.

On the final night of the three day concert Empire delivered an outdoor concert with Train.

Empire and Live Lab are well-established leaders in the conception, design and production of original entertainment solutions.

The World Education & Development Fund is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to transform lives and reduce poverty by supporting high-quality education for poor children throughout Central and Latin America. To accomplish this, The World Education & Development Fund partners with efficiently run religious and secular private schools, as well as with education projects serving public schools, operating in poor communities.When World Education & Development Fund needed a new video to premiere at its 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, it turned to Empire Entertainment's Film & Video department to produce a five-minute piece.

The video would communicate that the most effective tool to help people help themselves out of poverty is a high-quality K-12 education.The video premiered at the 2006 Education Leadership Award dinner, which took place in the Ballroom on the 36th floor ballroom of New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, overlooking central park. Founder and Executive Director, Luanne Zurlo kicked off the evening by thanking the attendees for raising over $1.6 million and then introduced the video that played to 400 black-tie attendees who were there to honor Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte - Chairman & CEO of Kimberly-Clark de México with the 2006 Education and Leadership Award.The video opened with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and then intercut images of abject poverty with images of children, and startling statistics about Latin American education such as the fact that "Nearly half of Latin American children do not make it past the 5th grade" and "50% of Brazilian 15-year olds are functionally illiterate." A haunting music bed reinforced the stark images of the children, who are the future of Latin America.With the introduction of the World Education & Development fund's Logo and a voiceover discussing World Fund's mission, the mood of the music and images transitioned to an upbeat and hopeful theme to illustrate the success of World Fund's partner education programs.

Poignant on-camera sound bytes by Claudio X Gonzalez Laporte, and his son Claudio X Gonzalez Guajardo reinforced the evening's message that raising the quality of K-12 education in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru, and Brazil will make for a very different, and better future for these children, and their countries.The crowd silently listened while the images played across the multiple screens. With the final call to action, and the fade-up of the World Fund website, there was a rousing and inspired round of applause. Next up was Francisco Rivera, a graduate of Mano Amiga Chalco in Mexico. Francisco told a heartfelt story about his mother's inspiration, and how he overcame his difficulties and fears of learning at Mano Amiga Chalco. Although Francisco admitted some nervousness reading his words to the dignitaries, he overcame all obstacles and demonstrated the set of values he had learned: Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Generosity, Gratitude, Family Values, and Civic participation - all hallmarks of the World Fund's Educational programs. Francisco's speech resulted a standing ovation, and Luanne Zurlo took the podium to award Claudio X. Gonzalez Laporte the 2006 Education and Leadership Award. Keith Sherin, Chief Financial Officer, of General Electric presented Mr. Gonzalez with the honor.Other notables in the audience included Carlos Slim, the Honorary Chairman of Telefonos de Mexico, and Shelly Lazarus, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.

Empire Entertainment is a full-service film & video production house capable of handling virtually any form of film & video project from conception to delivery.

Wynton Marsalis is an icon in the American jazz scene. Having earned eight Grammy awards, a Peabody Award, and a Pulitzer Prize in music before the age of 40, Wynton Marsalis is well on his way to becoming a true musical legend. When an elite international financial services institution sought to present an entertainer whose stature and accomplishments would add luster to the celebration, Empire Entertainment delivered this legendary performer for the closing performance. After enjoying the enchanting melodies of Juilliard's finest instrumentalists during cocktails and dinner at The Museum of Modern Art's exclusive event space, the 300 distinguished guests watched with anticipation as Wynton finally took the stage.

Wynton and his talented quartet hypnotized the audience with their elaborate improvised solos. Wynton's unparalleled trumpeting skills left everyone in awe. Even his improvised whistling led to great applause and a final standing ovation at the end of the night. Empire Entertainment coordinated all talent and production for this prestigious event, working within the demanding production environment of a world class museum that is open to the public until hours before the event began. Empire was also able to arrange onsite for Wynton to be interviewed for the client's commemorative video.

From Jazz and Classical to World Music and Rock, Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for prestigious corporate functions.

When Liberty Event Management, best known as producer of the New York / New Jersey International Boat Show, received permission to hold a public concert at Liberty State Park, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them develop and present an outdoor, concert festival event.The inaugural LibertyJAM concert was conceived and developed to raise money for The Friends of Liberty State Park, a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit charged with the mission to improve Liberty State Park and bring meaningful attention to New Jersey's beloved urban waterfront state park. The Friends of Liberty State Park plan to fund tree plantings and other major developments in the Park, such as a picnic pavilion, and the renovation of a historic rail station where immigrants once disembarked to start their new lives here in America.

Empire Entertainment and Liberty assembled an amazing line-up of talent with a very broad appeal, in only eight weeks. Bands on the bill included homegrown Jersey favorites like John Eddie, Patti Smith and up-and-comer, Exit 105. The bill also featured The Fab Faux, The Smithereens, Los Lobos, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, and Cheap Trick.Leading up to the show date, Empire Entertainment provided production consulting to the promoters and staffed key positions such as Production Managers, Stage Managers, Talent Logistics and credentials personnel.Although the weekend was dampened by some rainy weather, all of the concert performances went off without a hitch, and the promoters are already planning next years LibertyJAM with the goal of creating the NYC/NJ Metro area version of Bonnaroo or the Coachella Music Festival.

Empire is a leading producer and consulting producer of public events and festivals, providing talent booking, production & logistics management, sponsorship activation and onsite event management. All images for this story were photographed by Richard Lynch.

For nearly a decade, Empire Entertainment has been privileged to enjoy a strategic partnership with the world-renowned event designer, Colin Cowie. Empire serves Colin Cowie Lifestyle with industry-leading talent acquisition, entertainment production and stage management services and has worked as a part of the Colin Cowie team on extraordinary special events from the Middle East and the Caribbean to Europe and Mexico. Thus it was natural that Colin Cowie would select Empire to assist with the entertainment components for the 50th Birthday party for Island / Def Jam Records Chairman and music impresario L. A. Reid.

The party was held at the tony New York City Japanese eatery, Nobu57, and was attended by a Who's Who of the music world's A-listers.Guests for the fete included Jay-Z, John Legend, Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Kenneth "Babyface" Williams, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and fiancé Deryck Whibley, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Serena Williams, Spike Lee, Rihanna, Clive Davis, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri, and Sean, 'P. Diddy' Combs among others. The party began with a red carpet arrival area that led from the string of parked Bentleys and Chevy Escalades right up into one of the most sumptuous lounge environments ever created. Colin Cowie's team transformed the interior of the restaurant into a sexy and sleek nightclub complete with orange mirror dance floor, main stage and Cuban cigar lounge. The center point of the event was a series of performances by up-and-coming R&B superstar Chrisette Michelle, followed by superstar Lionel Richie who performed classic hits such as Easy, Zoom and Brick house.

After everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' Empire reset the stage and the crowd of 250 guests danced to music by DJ Cassidy until nearly 4:00AM.For this extremely high profile event, Empire Entertainment coordinated all technical elements of the entertainment, managing all entertainment production seamlessly.

When the most powerful names in entertainment want to be entertained themselves, Empire Entertainment is the producer they call.

In 2005, Empire Entertainment produced the 9th Annual Webby Awards - - the first time the event was held in New York City. The event was a great success, and Recognition Media, LLC called on Empire the very next week to begin brainstorming how to make the gala even bigger and better yet again for it's 10th Anniversary. That mission was accomplished on Monday, June 12, 2006 at majestic Cipriani Wall Street in New York City's Financial District.The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, and "the Online Oscars" by Time Magazine.

On the night of the event, more than 750 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway. Empire created a stage set and lighting design that wowed attendees as they entered the space. A lush, dramatic Austrian drape in a beautiful muted shade of dusty rose created the backdrop for the stage, with a dazzling silver "10th Annual Webby Awards" logo set in the center. Three large video screens were flown, adding to the sleek, high-tech feel of the event. Palm trees set around the room were uplit with rose and amber colored lighting, as were the impressive pillars and columns in the space. Centerpieces of gorgeous white Calla Lillies surrounded by votives, as well as other deco-styled floral arrangements strategically set by the bars, added to the elegance of the event.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour in Cipriani's spacious mezzanine. Hors d'ouvres and cocktails were passed while pink cosmopolitans flowed through an elaborate spiral ice sculpture designed to resemble the Webby Awards trophy at the generously stocked bar. Then it was time to commence the show."The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" correspondent Rob Corddry returned to host the event for the second consecutive year. After a fantastic comedy set, Rob laid the ground rules, including a reminder of the time-honored Webby tradition that winners' acceptance speeches would be limited to just five words (a rule that remains unchanged since the inception of the Award in 1996). Arianna Huffington's speech "darlings, make blogs, not war" was among the best received of the evening.

The program was packed with memorable moments, including a hilarious performance by "Avenue Q", the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Broadway Musical, as well as an appearance by the characters from the virtual band "Gorillaz" whose puppets accepted their "Artist of the Year" award with their 5-words "the future's only just begun" before debating the merits of the internet in hilarious fashion. Other special achievement distinctions presented included "Entrepreneur of the Year" to Mark Cuban whose Dallas Mavericks were in the midst of the NBA finals, "Breakout of the Year" to MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Thomas Anderson, and "Person of the Year" to New York Times journalist and author Thomas Friedman. Dr. Robert Kahn who is credited with co-inventing the modern Internet was met with a standing ovation as he accepted a Webby "Lifetime Achievement Award".

But the highlight of the evening came when musical legend Prince took the stage to accept the second "Lifetime Achievement" award of the evening. The crowd response was so tremendous that he could barely get his 5-word acceptance speech heard, but he eventually told the crowd "everything you think…..is true". He then proceeded to perform an incredible number solo on acoustic guitar, bringing down the house, perhaps an answer to one savvy winner's speech earlier in the evening "Prince, play us some songs".To see video of this extraordinary event, please visit http//:www.cnn.com and search the term "webby awards". There you will find a link for "5-word speeches" that will give you a glimpse of the evening.

It is hard to believe that multi-Grammy winners Los Lobos have been performing consistently for over 30 years. However, this hard-rocking band from East L. A. has earned a reputation as one of America's most highly-acclaimed and successsful Latin / Rock crossover acts. Moreover, they are an amazing party band. When a technology client wanted to hold a major customer event at the Orlando House of Blues, they and their event logisitics team turned to Empire to sscure a nationally-known headline act that would suit the venue.

Empire, in turn, delivered Los Lobos who performed a concert that was nothing short of magical. Los Lobos jumped right into their massive song list that features songs from the La Bamba soundtrack, however, as soon as they launched into The Grateful Dead's "Bertha" the crowd exploded in dance. David and Cesar, two of Los Lobos' principal performers, invited as many attendees as possible to join them on stage for this "classic" and the party kicked into a high gear that lasted the rest of the evening, even after bars closed. After the show Empire Entertainment organized a loose meet and greet without the customary, stiff photo reception line, and instead guided the large gathering of guests to meet the band in an informal reception as the group signed as many set-lists, CDs, T-shirts and jackets as they could before leaving the venue. The band even took their bows on stage with attendees arm in arm and finished their double encore set with Neil Young's classic "Cinnamon Girl". Their triple guitar rendition was a powerful climax indeed.

Empire is a leading producer of sponsored trade events and event marketing parties that take place surrounding major trade shows such as The Consumer Electronics Show, The North American International Auto Show, the Magic Show, etc.

In the world of television advertising, nothing is more important to the networks than the annual "Upfront" Presentations which take place in New York City each Spring. On May 18th in New York City, it was Fox Broadcasting's turn to deliver a knockout performance to impress the most important advertisers. The decision was made to create an opening sequence based on FOX's hit animated series "Family Guy."

Fox producers needed an opening entertainment segment that would start the show in a witty and playful fashion and make use of the show's creator and co-star. FOX needed a creative team with the ability to develop a theatrical concept, cast, choreograph and handle all aspects of a live performance piece, and thus, FOX turned to Empire Entertainment and LIVE LAB. LIVE LAB worked in conjunction with the Fox Creative Services team to produce a Las Vegas-style production number that paralleled the opening sequence of Family Guy, complete with Broadway / Showgirl style dancers! Seth MacFarlane, the creator and star of "Family Guy", along with Alex Borstein, the voice of Lois Griffin, had the lead roles while the dancers turned the performance into a stunning spectacle complete with a Rockettes-style kickline.

LIVE LAB once again proved that they are the premier choice for building and designing innovative and customized performances. FOX Broadcasting relied on the skills of LIVE LAB's team of creative professionals to set the tone for the Upfront event, and LIVE LAB delivered with a piece that started the event in style and with laughs and applause!LIVE LAB: If you can dream it, we can build it.

Matt's Promise is a charitable organization that seeks to make a difference in the lives of young people with cancer and terminal illnessses, both through the funding of treatments and through support & education programs. Matt's Promise was founded by one of Google's earliest employees, Matt Wiederkehr, who pased away at age 33 of colon cancer. When the foundation wanted to create their first-ever benefit event, they turned to Empire Entertainment's innovative not-for-profit division to guide them through the process and to deliver a resoundingly successful first event. Many not-for-pronfit clients turn to Empire not just for world class event planning and execution, but also because we are able to raise money directly through sponosrships, table sales, development and through the creation of auctions and other revenue producing programs. For this benefit, Empire handled all aspects of the event including decor, photography, auction solicitation & production (for both a live and silent auction), invitation / program design, goody bag solicitation & production, sponsorship solicitation / table sales, RSVP tracking, mailing lkist development and updating, seating assignments, registration as well as talent booking and event production.

The event was hosted by Maria Milito, an on-air personality from Q104.3 and honored Tim Armstrong, Vice President of Ad Sales for Google. The event featured cocktails, a dinner, a vcideo / slide show and then an amazing headline performance by platinum-selling artist Seal that had the entire audience on their feet and dancing. Seal's wife, Heidi Klum also attended. Julie Chang of WB 11 News Reporter covered the event as did the Daily News.Empire and Matt's Promise delived sponsors that included The Corporate Edge, HBO, Vitamin Water,MSG and Google as well as donations from The New York Knicks, Kerzner International, Miraval, DKNY, Calypso, Freeze 24/7, Laura Mercier, Equinox, Relais and Chateau, New York Magazine, Best Life magazine, The New Jersey Nets, Superbowl Champion - Roland Williams and The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.By the time the sold out audience left the building, Matt's Promise had raised over $600,000.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of not-for-profit events and programs.

For the fourth year in a row, Empire Entertainment provided headline talent for a major Louisville, KY-based corporations' Kentucky Derby celebration. In the 132 years of the Kentucky Derby there had never been an official sponsor; however, this year Empire's client boasted this prestigious honor. A week of events and activities was was capped off with an inspired performance by Hootie And The Blowfish at a major party on the night before the running of the race. Well known in the corporate concert circuit, Hootie and The Blowfish are a nationally and internationally known concert act who deliver a high energy show of hits and coveers that is perfectly suited for many corporate events. For this engagement, the band added to its already formidable lineup by adding percussion player and a third guitar. The result was a 75 minute, full throttle carnival of dancing and singing along to well known hits by the band like "I Only Want to Be With You" and other surprising contemporary standards like Kool & The Gang's "Lady's Night."

Empire had to overcome the challenge of tight logisitical management for this engagement as Hootie and the Blowfish's lead singer, Darius Rucker, was asked by Tiger Woods to perform at his father's funeral that same morning in California. Ordinarily, this would have been an easy solution with the use of a private aircraft however, in this case because so many private aircraft visit Louisville for this event, special arrangements had to be made to accommodate the landing. This done, Darius arrived in Louisville in plenty of time for the pre-show meet & greet and concert. "Each year we up the ante" remarked their Master of Ceremonies before the concert. When it was over, the client's respose to the evening: "What will we do next year to top it, I don't know".

Empire is a leading producer of major entertainment and hospitality events at sporting events and have delivered major programs at such sporting events as the Kentucky Derby, The Winter & Summer Olympics, the Super Bowl and World Series and World Cup among others.

Homes for the Homeless is a charitable organization that aims to educate and provide housing to those who can not do this for themselves. HFH creates living situations to housethose indiviuals while providing child care and a safe environment for families in need!For their May 2006 gala, Homes for the Homeless selected Candace Sands and Empire's Not for Profit division to producing their important fundraising event.The evebt was chaired by Andrea Stern and honored New York Real Estate and media entrepreneur and well known philanthropist, Leonard Stern. The audience of approximately 500 guests consisted of New Yorkers from the workds of real estate, finance, etc.

The event featured a video, a performance by the Paul Hemmings Jazz Trio, minimalist decor by Wolfgang design and a house of Legos by Nathan Sawaya built to symbolize what the charity does...Among other roles, Empire put together a silent auction consisting of several one-of-a-kind packages including:1. An HBO Heavyweight fight - including 2 tix to a fight in Atlantic City or Las Vegas with stays at the Borgata or hard Rock hotel with airfare2. An HBO Entourage Premiere and after party VIP package3. A New Jersey Nets package that included an opportunity to meet the players during practice and receive signed jerseys4. A New York Rangers Package including 4 premium seats to a 2007 Rangers game - a $100 food per diem and signed hockey stick5. A 2 day stay at the Miraval Resort including food and 2 treatments for 2 people6. A Golf package Twosome @ Atlantic (Hamptons) and Old Oaks including tee times, green fees, caddies, golf carts, etc. and7. The chance to be the New York Knick's ball Boy for one game!!!Empire also arranged for an event gift bag for 500 including donated products such as Home Depot Tool Kits valued @ $26 each, Vitamin Water, Burts bees Lipwax, Black Book Restaurant Guides, etc. The event was a resounding success and raised significant funds for this important cause.

When a private client wanted to celebrate his 50th birthday party in style, he called Empire Entertainment to produce the event. The party would take place in his backyard in Ho-Ho-Kus New Jersey and would include cocktails, a dinner and concert by Blondie. Empire scouted the location and determined that the best setting for the event would be a tented site built on the hard surface of a tennis court on the clients property. Empire created a 50' X 80' tent and built staging, sound and lighting suitable for the setting. Empire also created a catering menu of backyard barbecue and created seating and lounge vignettes before a large dance floor in front of the stage.

On the evening of the event, DJ Jordan Kessler spun a mix of 1970s and 1980s rock & roll, new wave and punk consistent with the clients taste. After the dinner, Debbie Harry took the stage and performed an amazing 75 minute set that included all of her hits like "Call Me," "Dreaming," "One Way or Another," "Heart of Glass," "The Tie is High," "Hanging on the Telephone," "Rapture" and more. After the concert the audience stayed around late into the evening drinking and dancing to the DJ. The client was thrilled with the event. Empire was responsible for details including tenting, talent coordination, production, catering, decor, security and logistics.

Empire is a leading producer of private, tented events at private homes.

A 50th birthday party only comes once in a lifetime, so when a highly accomplished investment banker and New York socialite threw his half-century soiree, Empire was called upon to make it an unforgettable night. Empire's task was to deliver a concert act that would get the Boomer-age crowd dancing with a string of upbeat and recognizable hits. Seeking something fresh, Empire secured The New Cars featuring Todd Rundgren -- before the act had even played their first public/ticketed show! The band performed on a dazzling stage designed by Empire to seamlessly blend with the exquisite, existing decor of Four Seasons restaurant, which is not designed for live performances.

As is often the case, Empire worked with the venue to find solutions to the many challenges of presenting a major headliner in a small space including power, lighting, audio considerations, etc. The New Cars, which features members of the original Cars, played the hits one after the other including "Just What I Needed," "You Might Think," "Drive" and many others and the high-spirited crowd danced the night away.

Empire is a leading producer of social and personal events for discernng clients worldwide.

When one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics wanted some "different and exciting" entertainment to energize their sales team in order to launch their new portable global positioning device, they turned to Empire for help. The chosen talent would not only have to appeal to a predominantly young and male audience, but they would also need to be affiliated with the company's interests in the recording industry.

Working carefully through both corporate channels and the band's representation, Empire was able to negotiate and secure a performance by legendary southern rock and rollers, The Black Crowes. From the moment the Black Crowes exploded onto the stage, it was clear that this would not be your standard corporate show. The band played, loud and loose, like it was a sold-out, 1991 show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, and their lives depended on delivering a memorable performance. The 2500 strong crowd rocked to Chris Robinson and company's long, winding jams and uplifting hits, including "Hard To Handle," "Jealous Again," "Twice As Hard," "She Talks To Angels" and Remedy among others. As the adrenaline-pumped audience exited the ballroom of the posh Westin Kierland Resort, the client quickly declared the concert "A home run!" A casual meet and greet followed the concert, with the gracious band members joking with guests and posing for pictures.

Empire is a leading provider of headline musical talent for events around the globe.

When one of the world's most respected internet brands was looking for a major entertainment marketing property in Japan to sponsor in connection with its Spring 2006 promotions they turned to Empire Entertainment's Japan Office for ideas. Empire Japan, working with advertising agency partner Frontage, Inc., identified the upcoming Rolling Stones, "A Bigger Bang Tour," as the perfect promotional opportunity and one that would offer extremely high visability throughout the Nation of Japan. Through careful negotiations with local partners, Empire developed a robust title sponsorship package and provided support throughout the process from contracting through to completion.

The full suite of sponsorship benefits negotiated for the client included logo inclusion and title mention of sponsor in all official media, on-line usage rights to video and images of the Rolling Stones Japan tour, a corporate client meet-and-greet with the members of the Rolling Stones, as well as on-line concert tickets promotional sweepstakes. The response from customers and clients to the promotion was tremendous, and when the Rolling Stones hit the stage - from Tokyo to Sapporo - there was no doubt as to why. With their unique energy and charisma, the Stones thrilled the nearly 150,000 fans at their 5 Japan shows with their hits including classics such as "Start Me Up", "Jumping Jack Flash", "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in their sets.

Empire Japan is proud to have played a role in the planning and execution of the Rolling Stones 2006 Japan tour sponsorship, and to continue to support an ever-growing field of corporate sponsorship and marketing promotions.

When the world-renowned Schatz-Ornstein photographic studio wanted to throw a party to celebrate Howard Schatz' 16th book of photographs, they called on Empire Entertainment to produce the smash opening party for 150 select VIPs and members of the media. For "In Character : Actors Acting", Schatz photographed 100 actors of stage, screen and television, directing them in one-on-one improvisation, as he snapped beautiful and poignant photographs that captured the actor's portrayal of Schatz' direction. Beverly Ornstein, Schatz' partner and a former documentary producer, created a behind the scenes mini-movie featuring Robert Klein to illuminate how Schatz directed the actors to get his shots.

To represent the photographic work at the event, Empire Entertainment flew a projector system from the ceiling of the studio, and used the hard cyclorama as the screen, creating a visual centerpiece to the party. Empire also strategically placed three other 50" plasma screens in the studio, each featuring different actors being put through their paces by Schatz with his subtle voiceover describing the motivation of each shot.One specific request made by the studio was to create passed hor d'oeuvres that were as visually unique as Schatz' photographs. The tasty and visual treats included a six-hour braised bacon and quail egg with a Guinness beer chaser presented inside the quail shell; tomato fondue with basil sorbet in a wafer cone; bruschetta, red wine mayonnaise and caramelized shallots; apple tart filled with foie gras terrine and caramel; Osetra caviar on smashed Yukon potatoes with lemon; all washed down with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and sparkling waters.

Some of the theatrical & cinematic luminaries in attendance included Robert Klein, Robert Vaughn, Robert Loggia, Bruce Altman, Dan Hedaya, PJ Barry, Christopher Lloyd, Mark Margolis, Giancarlo Esposito, Daniel Sunjata as well as VIPs, and the CBS Sunday morning Crew who are doing a feature on Schatz' work. The event was a complete success and Empire helped to design, plan and implement all aspects from security and décor to catering, production, and room layout.