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When the rich and powerful celebrate, they do it in legendary style and in the most beautiful places on earth. So it was when one of the world's leading business leaders and entrepreneurs wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday with family and friends in the fairy tale Kingdom of Monaco, located between the French and Italian Rivieras. For this anything-but-ordinary birthday party, the client chose superstar event designer Colin Cowie to create a legendary event in the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. Colin Cowie, turned to Empire Entertainment to help coordinate and produce the massive entertainment components of the evening.The event began with cocktails in the luxurious gardens of the Sporting Club, overlooking the beach and Mediterranean. The 350 guests were serenaded by Los Paraguayos, a France-based ensemble whose music is reminiscent of that of the Gipsy Kings.

The guests then entered the stunning Sporting Club venue for dinner in which Colin Cowie had designed and installed sumptuous table settings, ringed by a series of five giant, floor-to-ceiling rear-projection video screens on which graphics and animation shifted and moved to enhance the setting. A jazz ensemble played from the stage.After the appetizer course and a speech, the curtains opened to reveal a cast of 14 stunning French showgirls in specially-made feather costumes and headdresses, who performed an original, high energy Moulin Rouge-style dance number to a track of 'Copacabana' for which Empire had recorded custom vocals written in collaboration by the birthday boy's wife and recording artist Corey Hart.

After dinner, toasts and speeches, a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance floor and Bebe Winans led the audience in a special rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' While this happened and the guests of honor prepared to cut the cake, the entire roof of the Sporting Club was opened and, just as the cake was cut, an incredible fireworks display began with fireworks embedded in table centerpieces, spreading to fireworks on architectural elements and then revealed to the guests directly overhead as a massive pyrotechnic display was launched from barges in the Monte Carlo harbor.No sooner did the last fireworks of the finalé fade then the guests turned around just in time to see Bebe Winans introduce the incomparable Dame Shirley Bassey who then performed her hits "Diamonds Are Forever," "Big Spender" and "Goldfinger" in front of an orchestra led by keyboard legend and musical director Greg Phillinganes. As Shirley Bassey performed, images of falling diamonds and gold were projected onto the screens surrounding the room.

Next Natalie Cole stepped into the spotlight to perform "This Will Be" and "Unforgettable" to the awestruck audience.Bebe Winans then performed two songs including "It All Comes Down to Love" and the "Legends Theme" which he had first performed for Oprah Winfrey's Legends Weekend in Santa Barbara 4 months earlier.Then pianist Billy Stritch began the telltale piano intro to "New York, New York" as a skyline images came up on the screens and the great Liza Minnelli stepped into the spotlight - bringing to their feet an audience that included U2's Bono and REM's Michael Stipe among many others. Liza looked and sounded fantastic as she performed "New York, New York" and "Cabaret" before turning over the mic to the host to address the audience.

As the host thanked his family and friends and reminisced about his extraordinary fortunate life, an army of workers scrambled behind the curtains to reset the stage for the the next phase of the event - moving an entire orchestra and band set offstage and setting up a huge new stage set for the next performers. Just as the host concluded his remarks, he introduced his musically-talented grandson who stood onstage as the curtains parted with Wyclef Jean and his band. They performed a reggae version of "Hotel California" as the guests took to the dance floor and then Wycl

For the 2nd consecutive year, Empire Entertainment booked and produced another stellar music lineup for the Rochester MusicFest. The MusicFest is a City of Rochester-sponsored event and thus has a limited budget. Each year it is an enormous challenge to bring national level talent to this festival within the budget that is allocated while also trying to position the festival as an important part of the Summer tours for these artists. Through Empire's relationships with artists and their agents, we were able to produce the best possible lineup for the best possible price across the board.

This year, under the direction of Empire, the bookings concentrated on the younger genre of R&B acts, which resulted in national media attention by MTV.com & Radio, Vibe Magazine and BET. This lineup put The Rochester MusicFest on the map as one of the 3 major R&B festivals in the US, representing the North East completely.

THE LINEUPSaturday July 17

Black August (local Rochester BOB winners)Nina SkyJagged Edge112CiaraJohn LegendBoyz II Men

Sunday July 18

Statiq (local Buffalo BOB winners)Fatty KooRaheem DevaughnLyfe JenningsCommonFaith EvansBrian McKnight

Empire is constantly looking for more ways to promote the festival and help in the overall effort of its success, so we conceptualized and spearheaded a Battle of the Bands competition in both Rochester and neighboring city Buffalo with local radio stations WDKX (Rochester) & WBLK (Buffalo). These competitions were held to determine the best possible local talent to open both days of the festival. This resulted in an enormous amount of local radio publicity and live performances by finalists that generated great audience interest and attendance in both cities.

This year Empire also booked BET reality series group Fatty Koo, who ensured presence from BET and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. This tour bus is a mobile recording studio where the band was discovered. With the addition of this group, the MusicFest was ensured great national press.

Empire made an additional effort in promotion and arrange for local ‘Step' winners and runner ups, perform between artists on both days. This allowed for cross-promotion at their annual Step Off competition which draws over 6,500 attendees just a few short week before the festival. These performances added to the color of the festival and served to bring additional thrills to the audience.

To add to the excitement, Empire arranged for the inclusion of a ringtone company that made music of all artists on the lineup available for attendees to purchase either prior to or during the festival at very reasonable prices. This added some hi-tech coolness to the festival and brought together companies that collaborated to help promote the festival.

Empire was also responsible to manage all talent logistics, dressing rooms and backstage design and management. Unfortunately on both days of the festival, we had to evacuate due to extremely dangerous lightening storms. On Saturday the concert was stopped midway during John Legend's set and also prevented the headliner, Boyz II Men from performing. On Sunday, the same thing happened and both Faith Evans and Brian McKnight were unable to perform. During both days, Empire was responsible for evacuating approximately 200 people (talent and crew) from the backstage area in flooded and pouring conditions. The evacuation was performed quickly, professionally and the job that Empire did was highly commended by the local officials and client.

Empire Entertainment pays attention to up-and-coming (pre-Grammy) R&B artists and leverages its relationships with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artists and their agents. Empire prides itself that we are quickly becoming one of the leaders in the industry of festival bookings in the US.

This Summer, at one of the largest annual corporate events held in America, Empire had the privilege to book, contract & manage several elements of entertainment & content for one of the world's largest global corporations. These included a spectacular opening meeting sequence staged by director Andy Bew and featuring aerialist/acrobatic troupe Antigravity with Classical Crossover superstars, Bond, Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human alive, Michael Johnson, DJ / Model Sky Nellor, House Band The Rupert's Orchestra and host / emcee Rodney Sherwood among others.But the entertainment highlight of the multi-day conference was an outdoor concert by Australian hard rock group, Jet. This band, led by brothers Nic & Chris Cester, are best known for their U. S. breakout hit "Are you Gonna Be My Girl" which was featured in the original Apple iPod commercials and was the first season theme song for HBO's series, "Entourage."

Empire was able to negotiate a deal with Jet that allowed them to fly from Los Angeles, where they were in the studio recording at the time, to Atlanta to perform for a young business audience, thousands strong, from around the globe.The band performed in an outdoor amphitheater at the Six Flags amusement Park. Although it was a hot Atlanta night where the temperature reached into the 90's, the heat didn't begin until the band tore into their high energy set which was a combination of AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and the Ramones.The band delivered a powerful performance that included their hits "Are you Gonna Be My Girl," "Get What You Need" and "Cold Heart Bitch" and also a first time-ever live performance of a new song from their forthcoming album. At one point during the show, One of the band members climbed atop the speaker stacks Johnny Ramones-style to play a blistering guitar solo. The audience went wild.The band blew away the audience who responded with cheers long after the band had left the stage for their ovenight flight on a chartered Jet, back to the studio on LA for the following day.

Empire is the leader in securing contemporary musical talent for business meetings and events.

When a well-known figure in the financial services world chose to get married in picturesque Sundance, Utah, Empire Entertainment was called to plan, design, manage and execute the concerts and production for a spectacular three day extravaganza with approximately 200 guests. The Salt Lake City Tribune dubbed the affair "Wedding of the Year".

On the first evening, Empire delivered and produced contemporary rock act Maroon 5 (winner of the 2005 Grammy for Best New Artist), who performed an upbeat set that included all of their hits just hours before they flew to Philadelphia to perform at the global Rockfest Live 8. Maroon 5's set was customized for the bride & groom to include a romantic cover of the Beatles song, "If I Fell". Maroon 5's performance took place at sunset in an open meadow surrounded by soaring mountains and 40 foot pine trees. Empire's lighting designers added drama to the surroundings by adding smartly placed lighting instruments with colored gels to, and beneath, the Pine Trees and meadow circumference, and the managing power connections and distribution for the accompanying barbeque, dinner band and mechanical bull ride.

Following the outdoor wedding ceremony on the next day, Rockin' Dopsie, the New Orleans Zydeco band, performed while the guests sipped cocktails outside the Screening Room at Sundance Resort. The party continued as guests moved to the reception hall and boogied between courses to a 15-piece dance orchestra, flown in from New York. The band performed on a custom deck builtover a flowing stream, outfitted with a dance floor including western style décor, such as leather sofas, native American tapestries and coffee tables.Following dinner the guests were again treated to special concert, this time by Hootie and the Blowfish, who performed on a custom stage built over a flowing waterfall. Empire's lighting designers again transformed the environment by adding strategically placed colored gels and up-lightingsurrounding the waterfall, as the guests danced and sang while enjoying wine, champagne and spirits.Following Hootie's performance, the guests went into a dance frenzy into the wee hours of the morning, as DJ David Chang mixed together a masterful play list, ideally suited for the the audience demographic.

On the following morning Empire helped wrap the weekends' festivities by producing the Soul Rebels at a Cajun Brunch, as guests filled their bellies with Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffee and Bread Pudding.For this unique wedding celebration, Empire's Private Client Services division provided entertainment booking & contracting, logistics management, power distribution, lighting design, staging, sound, labor, generators and power distribution. Empire met and overcame all unforseeable challenges to ensure that this event ran smoothly and came off without a hitch.

Empire's Private Client Services division is a leading producer of high-end events for the most discerning of clients. Whether it be a wedding, anniversary, special birthday, bar mitzvah or a personal celebration of any kind, Empire can transform a mere party into a legendary production thatwill be remembered for a lifetime.

When Reader's Digest wanted to commemorate the publication of its 1,000th Issue, it called on Empire Entertainment to bring the landmark publication to life in a gala celebration. The order was tall: not only did Reader's Digest want the party to look as though it was torn from the very pages of the 1,000th Issue itself, they wanted the party to be an unforgettable excursion into the future.

Empire, well schooled in the art of magazine parties, quickly assembled its team of experts and designed a party that inspired this note from our client: "I just wanted to thank you for making my event so spectacular! It even surpassed my own imagination. You guys are amazing!"

The centerpiece of the party, thrown at Skylight Studios in downtown Manhattan, was an airy House of the Future delicately suggested by a stainless steel frame and windows that appeared to be floating in mid-air. The "house" looked out over a virtual backyard created w/video projection and suspended birch trees. Inside the house, caterers served bizarre and delicious "meals that heal". The outdoor Carport of the Future contained two Mercedes Benz concept cars/conversation pieces. In a special area deemed Life on an Asteroid, attendees subjected themselves to virtual reality rides, snorted oxygen, and swilled pomegranate juice-and-lavender martinis. State-of-the-art, humanoid robot "Millennia" greeted guests, sweeping many off their feet (literally!). Christian Slater, Alan Alda, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Reader's covergirl Alicia Keys all stopped in to sample the sights, sounds, and flavors of tomorrow.

Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge business events for media & communications clients the world over.

Empire Entertaiment was honored to produce a high profile gala event for top independent hotel marketing company, the Krisam Group. The event was held at the majestic Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey and was developed around a Motion Picture theme and an invitation that welcomed guests to 'Get ready for their closeup'. As guests entered the event, they were whisked off to the soundstage on the lawn for a cocktail hour where three fully operational motion picture sets were busy shooting scenes from Austin Powers, Titanic and Casablanca. Guests were put into wardrobe and makeup and then directed by professional directors in screen tests which were videotaped. While guests shot their screen tests, the onlookers were entertained by the Todd Londagin Trio. Todd's silky smooth vocals and virtuoso trombone playing was a perfect fit for the sophisticated audience and provided just the right atmosphere for the rest of the evening.

After cocktails, guests walked down a red carpet and into a sumptuous main rotunda hall which Empire had set up and designed in the style of an Academy Awards gala. Ivory linens, green florals and gold accents painted the room in luxury. A large stage set featuring two 13' tall gold statuettes stood between two angled projection screens.The dinner was organized as an awards gala was hosted by Marco Tempest, the world's most high-tech magician. Using his amazing artistry and unbelievable multimedia skills, Marco was able to blend the digital, virtual world of technology with our everyday reality. As host, Marco wowed the audience with his "magic touch" by pulling the awards envelopes right out of a television monitor! Other mind-boggling illusions included sketching the company's logo and conjuring it out of the sketchpad into a heavy 3-D object that rolled right off the stage! Marco Tempest's charm, humor and hi-tech magic made him the perfect host.While the audience was being served their dinner, the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir took the stage for a short but spirited and joyful performance. Entering from the back of the banquet hall, they made their way to the stage singing their crowd favorite, "Higher & Higher". By the time their powerful rhythm section joined in on the second verse, the audience was on their feet clapping and singing! Wearing their traditional Kente robes, the choir gave a dynamic and uplifting performance!

After the dinner, Empire screened the three winning screen tests for the audience who howled with laughter as the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Film Awards were given and attendees delivered impromptu acceptance speeches before claiming their awards.After the awards ceremony, The Eturnity Band took the stage for a night of music and dancing. The audience immediately felt the energy of the 11-piece dance band and rushed to the dance floor. With a repertoire ranging from funk and soul, to disco and rock and roll, the Eturnity Band got people moving! This NYC-based band left no doubt in the audience's minds as to why they are one of the most sought-after corporate dance bands in the U.S.A.!The event was, in the words of the client: "Spectacular, amazing and perfect....all rolled into one. Our customers were dazzled, yet allowed to relax. Invigorated, yet allowed the quiet time to converse with our sponsors. Just what was needed."

Empire is a leading producer of turnkey events, managing all details from concept development and decor to production and entertainment.

When a major technology company wanted to provide a party-oriented send-off to a large group of their business partners, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the right entertainment for their partner celebration event.

Empire presented the client with a variety of recommendations and options for party bands and worked with them to ultimately secure 1980's party super band The B-52's to headline the party.

The B-52's were the ideal choice for this audience because of their large catalog of dance-oriented hits, their irreverant and energetic stage show, and because their internationally-known music and demographic appeal perfectly matched this audience of 30 and 40-something technology employees. Moreover, Empire had worked with the B-52's on many past occasions and were confident in their abilities to ensure a successful event.

When the B-52's took the stage at the Minneapolis Convention Center, the audience immediately began dancing to hits that included "Love Shack," "Rock Lobster", "Roam," "Strobe Light," "Private Idaho" and "Planet Claire" among others. Original band members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland were supported by keyboards, bass, guitar and drums and performed in perfect form.

From the moment the band took the stage, the audience of almost 4000 people dancing caused the entire floor of the convention center to bounce gently, causing lighting trusses to sway and images of the band on a series of enormous screens flanking the stage to shake. The bouncing floor was felt by all including the band on stage who had fun with it.

The show was an amazing success with the audience calling wildly for encores as the band left the stage. This was one corporate event where the band and the audience truly rocked the house.

Empire is a leading producer of major business events and wild parties for audiences of just a few people to up to thousands of guests.

For the 2nd consecutive year , Empire Entertainment Japan was chosen to book and produce all entertainment for a major financial services company's corporate awards conference for it's top Japanese distributors. The company sponsored this trip to reward 300 of the company's top selling agents and their families, bringing them together from various locations in Japan to Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas for 5 days and 4 nights of sightseeing and entertainment.For this conference, Empire booked and produced the entertainment over 3 evenings for the Welcome Party, the Awards Ceremony and the Farewell party. In addition, during both the planning and execution phases, Empire provided Japanese/English bilingual logistical support between the Japanese client and their other Japanese vendors, and the many local vendors responsible for various aspects of the conference events.

Although the Japanese guests were coming to an unfamiliar land and feeling the effects of jet lag from the 14+ hour international flight, they were very quickly made to feel at ease, because of the well-planned and relevant program that was produced especially for them by Empire Entertainment and it's partners.During the Welcome Party, the guests were entertained by familiar Dixie Land and Bluegrass songs performed by the Steve Dwiggins Band and a Country Line Dance performance by a local dance troop. For the Awards Ceremony, the highlight of the week's activities, Empire Entertainment answered the client's request to create a very memorable show for their guests. Using the restored Civil War era Columbus Iron Works facility, now the Columbus Convention Center, Empire created a very southern facade - working with a local production company to construct a stage resembling an old Southern Plantation House, outfitting the ceremony's Japanese MC's in full Rhett Butler and Scarlett Ohara costumes, and providing escorts dressed in Southern Belle attire. And to make memorable first and last impressions, Empire arranged for a Ray Charles look-a-like to open the ceremony with a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", and arranged for Rupert's Orchestra to finish off the crowd with a rousing set of classic R&B dance tunes.

For the Farewell Party on the final evening, the entertainment started with guests being treated to a traditional southern dinner at the renowned Pitty Pat's Porch Restaurant in downtown Atlanta, followed by musical entertainment provided by ….. And finally for those who still weren't ready to call it quits, Empire decorated a conference room in the guest's hotel for all to congregrate, view a video diary of the week's activities, reminisce and say good bye to the new friends that they made over the past few days.

Empire Entertainment's Asia-Pacific office, located in Tokyo Japan, enables Empire to better serve the needs of it's clients in Japan and Asia. Empire Entertainment Japan adds to Empire's international reach by providing a high level of local expertise and on the ground support for it's clients in the Asia Pacific region. Whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event locally within the region, whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event somewhere else in the world, or whether you are an international organization from another region planning an event in Asia-Pacific, Empire Entertainment Japan is your best source for booking local or international talent, and producing events in the Asia-Pacific region or anywhere else in the world.

Empire Entertainment's expertise in production, logistics, and securing sponsorships paired with epop International's event conception and management combined to create a memorable evening of tribute on the occasion of Anne Frank's 75th Birthday. The event, a gala dinner held at New York's Chelsea Piers, was attended by approximately 300 guests and benefited The Anne Frank Center USA.The event celebrated Anne's legacy by honoring individuals who emulate her courage and desire for an inclusive, non-discriminatory society. Buddy Elias, the last remaining relative of Anne Frank, presented the Inaugural Anne Frank Human Writes Award to Arthur Miller's son whom accepted it on his behalf of his father. The event also featured a series of special readings and performances by literary figures and artists from all walks of life. Readings from Anne Frank's and Arthur Miller's works were done by Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Gere, Natalie Portman, Lou Reed, Laura Linney, and Amy Irving. The audience was soothed by the incredibly touching performance by Cyndi Lauper of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" and "Time After Time," and by Michael Feinstein's adaptation of "Bie Mir Bist Du Schoen" and "Somewhere," and lastly Lili Haydn's "The Last Serenade." The event was supported by the Simon Wiesenthal Center / New York Tolerance Center, Le Parker Meridien New York and by Coca-Cola.Empire is an effective production partner to innovative fundraising and cause-related organizers like

When an automotive company wanted to entertain their dealers at a key announcement show in glamorous Cannes, France, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure a headline concert act that would suit the upscale audience and the fashionable surroundings.Leveraging its music connections, Empire was able to reunite three of the original lead singers of the five time Grammy Award nominated group En Vogue, to play the party.En Vogue, who are an internationally-known, female-led R&B act, performed a high energy headline concert for this exiting vehicle unveiling which took place at the same time of the annual Cannes Film Festival.Onstage, En Vogue performed all of their hits including "Hold On", "You're Never Gonna Get It", "Whatta Man" and "Free Your Mind" while the audience became a sea of backup singers & dancers. En Vogue's performance was a home run for the audience and the group are performing a follow up engagement for the same client.

From Cannes to Tokyo, from Buenos Aires to Sydney, Empire Entertainment delivers superstar talent for every setting.

Called "the Academy Awards of the Internet", The Webby Awards recently chose Empire Entertainment to produce their most important program to date, The 9th Annual Webby Awards. This unique awards program recognizes excellence and innovation in the growing area of web design creativity and functionality. With a reputation of presenting state-of-the-art creativity to an audience representing some of the greatest living creative minds, Empire's challenge was a great one.Empire created an extraordinary evening program that featured a networking cocktail hour, a three-course gala dinner, an exceptionally complex and dynamic awards ceremony featuring over 80 award winners, and a buzzing after party.

The Webby Awards were held at Gotham Hall and featured a diverse and amusing program. Founders Tiffany Shlain and Maya Draisin opened the show with inspiring words of the spread of thought across the globe with each website that is developed. Rob Corddry, correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," matched the program's animated design with his wit and charm.In keeping with Webby tradition, winners kept their acceptance speeches to five words which highlighted and distilled the ingenuity and humor of the winners. Even The Honorable Al Gore, who received the Webby's Lifetime Achievement Award, initially honored the tradition, bringing down the house by saying "please don't recount this vote". The Former Vice President then added some more serious commentary, noting that the Webby Awards had "reached a critical mass" and stepped past a "tipping point" with the 9th Annual event.Other special honorees included Person of the Year, Craig Newmark of craigslist.com, Artist of the Year, The Kleptones at kleptones.com, Breakout of the Year, and Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield of flickr.com.

The after-party, held at The Cellar Bar of Bryant Park Hotel, was sponsoredby 2Advanced Studios, creators of the graphics for the program. Their president also supplied the sounds of the affair by spinning music as the afterparty's DJ while guests socialized and networked with other creative minds. Empire provided turnkey design and production of the Webby Awards including site selection and acquisition, catering and bar service, an elegant yet bold décor scheme in red & yellow, efficient registration of almost 600 guests and members of the media, signage, staff, set design, script writing, all video, sound, and lighting, as well as stage management.The hugely successful event was covered extensively in the media including extended features on CNN, Good Morning America, FOX News, the BBC, CNBC, Inside Edition, and the New York Times among dozens of others.Empire is a leading producer of innovative award programs and media events worldwide.

For more information about The Webby Awards, including how to register as a nominee for the 10th Annual event, visit http://www.webbyawards.com.

When Oprah Winfrey decides to throw a party, she turns to World-leading event designer Colin Cowie to pull off something magnificent. When Colin Cowie needs entertainment for his amazing fetes, he turns to Empire Entertainment as his preferred entertainment partner.So it was certainly no wonder when Ms. Winfrey decided to throw her most brilliant and spectacular party to date, that Empire received the call to produce the talent, handle all of the logistics, and stage manage the events for this three-day extravaganza.

The event was Legends, a weekend designed to honor African-American Women who are legendary in what they do and are not only inspirational in Miss Winfrey's own life, but to millions of people around the world. Some of the Legends were Coretta Scott King, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks. And to not only did Oprah want to honor legends but opted to honor the next generation of women to reach Legendary status with all of their achievements, who Oprah affectionately referred to as the Young'ens. Young'ens included Oprah, Halle Barry, Alicia Keys, Angela Bassett and many others.The festivities kicked off on Friday afternoon (after several days of advanced preparation) with a brunch in a magnificent gazebo on the grounds of Oprah's Montecito, California home called the Promised Land. The women dined on a delicious five star meal. Just after lunch and before dessert, the ladies needed to be entertained. Who better to entertain some of the most amazing minds and wonderful women, than the very cute and extremely talented, John Legend. John flew in that day from overseas to perform his hit songs "Live It Up" and "Ordinary People" solo at the piano.The brunch was amazing, but the event on Saturday was designed to top it. The event was held at the beautiful Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. The main ballroom and surrounding areas were transformed into an elegant, modern and stunning space for The Legends White Tie Ball. Empire was on hand to stage manage the entire evening, working together with sound, video, projection, lighting and talent to ensure a seamless and smooth running evening. Empire's Production Manager, Jim Corrieri, called the show. The evening featured speaking by Oprah Winfrey and Illinois Democratic Senator Barack Obama.

The Young'ens headed to the stage together to read the Legends a beautiful poem. In the background, a 25-piece orchestra led by conductor Gil Goldstein played throughout the event. Guests and honorees were treated to additional entertainment by jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, Bebe Winans who performed a special song that he wrote especially for the occasion called "A Legend" not long after Bebe's performance Michael McDonald and his band hit the stage, and once they finished getting everyone off of their feet and some guests up on the stage, everyone remained on the dance floor for DJ Frankie Knuckles who spun tunes until the wee hours of the morning!The event closed with a Gospel Brunch on the grounds of Oprah's home. Guests were treated to beautiful Gospel Music led by Bebe Winans and a custom band that he put together with Musical Director, Tony Coleman. Such Gospel greats as Wintley Phipps, DeNetria Champ, and The Hawkins all performed and had guests singing in what was a glorious revival of music. The gust list for this weekend was star-studed and included attendees ranging from Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, John Travolta and Barbara Streisand to Usher, Diana Ross and Tina Turner.

Empire is a leading producer in securing and managing talent logistics for events around the world, and we are honored to be a part of such a memorable event and experience.

For the first time ever, all the children who lost a parent on September 11th, as well as children from schools neighboring the former World Trade Center and emergency service personnel families, were united for an afternoon of laughter, music and magic in a unique 90-minute interactive show called "FundaySunday," produced by Empire Entertainment.The show was created by cancer survivor and ComedyCures Foundation founder, Saranne Rothberg, and was sponsored by Rotary International. The matinee performance took place on a Sunday afternoon at the historic Town Hall in New York City.

Leading entertainers such as New York City's percussion and hip hop dance troupe the Rhythmics, Antigravity's renowned hula hoop artist Anna Jack, basketball tricksters the Harlem Wizards, Velcro percussionists the Bang Group and international circus comedy sensation Karl Saliter were among the many artists who agreed to perform at this unprecedented gathering.Other featured acts included the ComedyCures Humor Ambassadors Slideshow Comics, vocal celebrity impersonator Rick Younger, blues harmonicist David Harp and crowd motivator MC Darrell and dancers who maintained high-energy throughout the show.Saranne Rothberg hosted the program with her ComedyCures signature remarks. Thirteen year old Star Search winner and Sony recording artist, Tiffany Evans brought the crowd to their feet with a soulful rendition of the song, "Tomorrow," and the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir sang a powerful and uplifting "Higher and Higher," as a finale leading the dancing crowd down the aisles.

For this unique event, Empire booked, contracted, coordinated all talent and handled all production and logistics.Empire understood Rothberg's vision to create a fun and exciting environment for the children, as this was their special day. Empire secured all the décor, a custom colored "yellow carpet," for the kids to walk down along with guest celebrities, and a step and repeat area for press coverage of the event. Empire booked and helped coordinate various talent, magicians, costumed performers and stilt walkers who welcomed the families to their fun- filled afternoon. Surprise guests, Johnny Davis of the 49ers and Bill Willoughby of the Denver Rockets came to support ComedyCures and to share in this wonderful experience to unite the 9/11 children.Rothberg founded ComedyCures while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer recognizing that comedy and laughter served as a great coping strategy. Since then, Rothberg and the ComedyCures Foundation has brought joy, laughter and therapeutic humor programs to kids living with illness and life threatening illnesses for thousands of people. Rotary International District 7230 NYC/WTX Relief Fund recognized the ComedyCures mission and gave a generous grant to fund this live event program, dedicating the day to therapeutic humor in celebration of their centennial year. Thanks to Rotary, Rothberg was able to give families directly impacted by 9/11 an afternoon of laughter.

Empire is a leading producer of creative programs for unique charitable events.

For the 5th consecutive year, Empire produced the annual client conference for one of the world's largest financial company's retirement group. For this 4 day / 3 evening long event, Empire booked and produced all entertainment and provided keynote and topical speakers including: actor, business owner & entrepreneur Robert Redford, PBS financial advisor Cassie Seifert, anchor and managing editor of CNN's Moneyline Lou Dobbs and America's best-known financial expert Jane Bryant-Quinn.The opening evening featured world-renowned flamenco artists Fuego Flamenco, who thrilled the audience with their amazing Spanish Gypsy form of music, song and dance.Empire again designed, built and installed the conference's Resource Center in which twenty client participants / partners were provided custom-designed spaces to showcase their latest materials to the conferences 350 attendees. This space also served as a place where attendees could relax, network and check email between general sessions.

Empire completely transformed a 100' X 50' ballroom space into a hacienda themed / Spanish colonial design, that featured custom-built stations around the rooms perimeter, complimented with colorful and bright Mexican furnishings and floor rugs. These elements were used to house computer monitors, laptops, print materials as well as wireless internet connections for participants. The set was so impressive that the hotel purchased the entire build from the client to use for their future hotel clients.Empire also booked, contracted, coordinated and provided onsite management for various Southwestern themed entertainment elements for the attendees to enjoy while relaxing in the resource center. At a cocktail reception on the opening day of the conference, a Spanish classical guitarist set the ambience as three festively costumed senorita greeters passed out brightly colored paper flowers and cascarones, which are hollowed out egg shells with confetti inside, to incoming guests.

The next day, a pinata artisan skillfully demonstrated how to craft and complete a piñata, customized as the Merrill Lynch bull. Then, a woman demonstrated the art of Papel Picado, which means "punched paper" in Spanish, a traditional folk art used in Mexico to decorate altars, tables, ceilings and plaza during festivals. This artform was also used to decorate the resource center. Lastly, Empire booked a skillful, sly card trick handler to demonstrate slight of hand tricks to the attendees.In the evenings, Empire once again booked, contracted and coordinated all logistics for after dinner entertainment for the attendees returning from their offsite dinner festivities. The second night at the conference, Empire booked a traditionally costumed mariachi trio to perform and sing in the hotel bar.

On the eve of the last day of the conference, Empire booked the Nick Hernandez Band, a rockin' country western cover band, playing well-known favorites to perform from the clients return from the rodeo. The attendees danced the night away until the early hours of the morning in the hotel bar, Charlie's Longbar.As a tradition, Merrill Lynch's CFO likes to open each morning session with a satire of the last evening festivities. Every year, Empire provides the costumes and different components for him to do so. One morning, while dressed as a Mexican peasant, Empire hired a well-trained show donkey named Aesop, to accompany him onto stage. The next day, he dressed in a full-blown mariachi costume, pretending to skillfully play the classical guitar, while classical Spanish music played in the background. On the last day, Empire booked an authentic country western singer to sing customized karaoke to the CFO's own rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

Empire enjoys providing these various costume elements as they provide an enjoyable experience for the attendees during their business conference.

When a leading Fortune 500 firm wanted to treat its employees and strategic partners to an unforgettable arena concert, it called on Empire to secure the notoriously hard-to-deliver, Platinum-selling act - Bon Jovi.After a lengthy meet-and-greet that saw company VIPs chatting casually with Hair Band royalty, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and the band hit the stage of Boston's Agganis Arena and launched into a solid 90 minutes of hits that included "Living on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Bad Medicine," "You Give Love Bad Name," "I'll be There For You" and many others.The band's high energy onstage antics had row upon row of esteemed executives behaving like frantic teenagers.

After the show, VIPs trickled backstage for a post-show "hang" with the 100-million album selling superstars.As if that wasn't enough star power, Bill Belichick, the two time Superbowl winning coach ofthe New England Patriots, also joined the backstage party. Truly a night to remember.

Empire Entertainment is the world's leading producer of top name headline concert acts for corporate meetings & events.

When a global corporation sought to hold a high level client event on the eve of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them secure the right talent for this very special event.Empire worked with the client to help guide the selection of talent based on a variety of criteria and ultimately helped the client decide upon a fabulous Motown show featuring two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, the Temptations and the Four Tops.The show took place in a tent and followed a sumptuous barbecue dinner.

First up were the Four Tops who performed a 60 minute set that included many of their greatest hits such as "Baby, I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugarpie, Honeybunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Reach Out (I'll Be There)," "Bernadette," "Walk Away, Rene," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "Shake Me, Wake Me," and "Still Waters Run Deep."Then, after a set-change of just 4 minutes, the Temptations took the stage and got the crowd dancing again with a high energy, 60 minute set that included "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl," "You're My Everything," "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "(I Know) I'm Losing You," "Cloud Nine," "Runaway Child, Running Wild," "Ball Of Confusion," "I Can't Get Next To You," "Masterpiece" and "Just My Imagination."Both acts displayed their distinctive Motown stage choreography and both bands performed with the backing of a powerful 10 piece horn section provided by the Tuscaloosa horns.For this engagement, Empire provided all talent contracting and coordination, air, room & ground transportation logistics, production coordination, backstage wrangling and onsite stage management.

Whether a classic oldies act or today's newest musical superstars, more companies turn to Empire Entertainment than any other company to help them secure the right talent for their events.

At a recent multi-day technology conference for high level customers in Seattle, Empire presented former Doobie Brother and five time Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter Michael McDonald. For this intimate event which took place at the Triple Door Club in Seattle, Michael performed a greatest hits concert with a band consisting of keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, a hirn section and backing vocals.Michael performed a career retrospective concert including Doobie Brothers hits as well as his more recent Motown work. The 90 minute set included such hits as "It Keeps You Runnin,'" "I Keep Forgetting," "Reach Out," Grapevine," "I Second That Emotion," "You Belong to Me," "Minute by Minute", "What a Fool Believes," "On My Own" and "Takin' it to the Streets" among many others. Michael's distinctive voice was in perfect form as he thrilled the audience and ultimately got them up dancing before the encore. For this event, Empire booked and contracted Michael McDonald, provided all air, room and ground transportation logisitics, coordinatied production and stage managed the show Onsite.

Empire is a leading producer of headline entertainment for corporate meetings and events.

When a certain a Fortune 500 firm with global presence wanted to wow its European division's diverse audience with a precedent-setting concert, it called on Empire to help them source a contemporary, affordable concert act with undeniable Euro-appeal. Empire put its research and relationship skills to work and found a perfect, routed opportunity for international chart-topper SealWhen Seal hit the stage, the multinational crowd went mad. Almost 5,000 attendees wandered to the show along the misty cobblestone streets of Copenhagen, arriving at the Forum — one of the city's premier venues — for cocktails and dinner before Seal took the stage.

The audience stood shoulder to shoulder throughout a high energy show of almost 90 minutes, dancing and singing along with the pop-star as he performed all of his hits along with a couple of cover tunes. Following the show, Seal graciously gabbed with VIPs for almost 30 minutes before gathering his lovely wife, Heidi Klum, and heading back to the hotel. Empire's client, indecisive before the concert about whether to have a follow-up concert the following year, has vowed to make it an annual event.

Each year one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer products holds a supplier recognition awards gala to honor and recognize achievement in partnership among their largest suppliers. In 2005, this multinational corporation turned to Empire Entertainment to help them produce their event and raise the quality of every aspect of the production. Working with a new client, in a new venue, on a new program and in a city in which Empire was relatively unfamiliar, Empire was quickly able to grasp the client's needs and design and execute a flawless, high quality event that exceeded the client's expectations.

Empire worked to coordinate all aspects of this program including catering, design and decor, logistics such as check-in, valet parking, security, tenting & guest flow, cocktail and dinner entertainment, stage design, lighting design, audio, graphics production, audio visual and stage management of the evening. In addition to a cocktail hour at which the Tommy Whitten Trio performed and a dinner at which the University of Richmond vocal harmony group the Octaves performed, Empire also arranged for a surprise appearance of the popular "Three Waiters" opera singers whose performance was a smash success. The awards program recognized achievements of 8 major suppliers to the client company and ran smoothly, in perfect sync with meal course service and ahead of schedule. In the end, the glorious event was a success on every level and the clients were thrilled with the success of the evening and Empire's contributions to the event.

Whether in Richmond, VA or Cairo, Egypt, whether a black tie awards gala or a street festival, Empire Entertainment is a partner that can be relied upon to deliver beyond a client's expectations.

When the National Geographic Channel sought to bring their channel to life and to express their message of "The Difference Revealed" to their target audience of advertisers and media buyers, they turned to Empire Entertainment to make it all happen. Working to the client's brief to secure a location that had plenty to reveal, Empire was able to secure Charlie Palmer's Metrazur space, located on the East Balcony of the historic Grand Central Terminal. The event space was designed with a beautiful lighting plan that up-lit the Terminal's 100-foot walls in the Channel's colors of red & yellow. Red & yellow floral displays, votive candles and fabrics complemented a giant 18' wide X 7' high lighted logo billboard that overlooked the main concourse of the terminal from atop the venue's marble stairs which were modeled after those at the Paris Opera House. Inside the cocktail area, Empire designed and created a series of "Video Tables" consisting of 51" flat-screen monitors built to display face up inside cocktail tables made of material that matched the marble of the terminal's grand staircases. These six bar-height Video Tables were capped with a non-scratch Lucite surface and surrounded with bar stools. Empire created a series of yellow and red animations for these tables to tie-in with the lighting and decor in the venue. The tables were also used to display the presentation, and to loop 'video wallpaper,' an animated logo and a slide show of National Geographic Channel images throughout the event.

To complement the amazing food and specialty cocktails provided by Metrazur, Empire arranged to have two large ice sculptures created for the bars: one of a tornado and one of a volcano that emitted dry-ice steam from its caldera. To promote the channel's programming, there were a series of interactive activities, each themed to a different series or special. For Relentless Enemies, an animal station featured a red kangaroo, a black leopard cub, two Syrian black bear cubs, and a 5' green iguana. Handlers fed and cradled the animals and answered questions from guests. A large-scale version of the Operation game with a life-size Bigfoot called "Yeti Operation," was a fun a tie-in to the channel's "Is It Real?" series.

The channel promoted its Spartacus special with a photo booth, where guests donned gladiator, Athenian citizen, and other costumes and posed for digital snapshots printed on-site. A sculptor created small-scale versions of famous buildings and ships featured in the "Mega Structures" series out of white clay. Also on hand was a space-themed ride to promote "The Space Race."As an extra special treat, Empire arranged for guests to have special VIP tours led by Grand Central chief historian, Dan Brucker, which included Grand Central's top secret underground power station, Manhattan's deepest point, which will be featured in the channel's Inside Grand Central special. Following a presentation of channel programming by senior executives, guests were beckoned to the balconies, where Empire had arranged for a choreographed stunt featuring 36 people to suddenly unfurl yellow strips of fabric on the floor of the terminal to create the shape of National Geographic's yellow border logo. The perfectly timed stunt generated spontaneous applause. In the words of the client, the well-attended event "Was truly a unique experience for our guests. It even caught the attention of local and national media."

Empire is a leading producer of event marketing programs and is an essential partner to businesses seeking to create experiential, tangible and interactive representations of their brands.

When Hakuhodo DY Media Partners (an affiliate of Hakuhodo - Japan's 2nd largest advertising agency) contacted Empire's offices in Tokyo, Japan to help them create and develop concepts for a series of short films that their client NTT Docomo (largest wireless carrier in Japan) could use as the central piece for the launch of the stylish new Sony premini-II phone, Empire knew exactly what to do.Working with the client, Empire identified and contracted Jordan Rubin, an accomplished comedy writer for such comedy television shows as Comedy Central's "The Man Show" & "Crank Yankers" and NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly," to develop concepts for the series of vido shorts.

Empire then helped to translate the comedy and worked with a Japanese director, writer and local production team in Tokyo to localized the humor for the campaign. The comedic shorts focused on both style and comedy and helped make sales points about the stylish Sony premini-II phone. The short movies were launched in serial volumes to maintain interest throughout the launch period of the new phone. To view the clips and see Jordan Rubin's profile, visit http://premini.tv

Empire Entertainment's Tokyo office is a fast growing resource of talent, speakers and integrated production and creative services for Japanese clients earching for talent from outside Japan as well as for all corporations looking to execute projects in Japan, China, Korea and throughout Asia.

When a multinational corporation hired a leading production company, DEVLINHAIR Productions, Inc., to plan and produce one of their largest annual sales incentive meetings, they then turned to Empire Entertainment for help in securing the evening headline entertainment. The client wanted an upbeat, headline performer who could deliver a fun, dance-oriented show that would include many hits familiar to an international audience. Through Empire's longstanding relationships with talent, Empire was able to deliver the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, to perform four outstanding dance concerts for audiences of approximately 900 guests each. And what spectacular concerts they were. Singing a 75 minute show including such hits as "Last Dance," "MacArthur Park," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls" and "On the Radio," Donna Summer had the crowd up from their dinner tables and dancing within minutes. The guests were so thrilled with Donna Summer's performance, that she was rated one of the best performers they have ever had for this annual program.

Empire is the leading source of headline entertainment for corporate meetings and events and often works in partnership with production companies from around the world to assist them with identifying, booking, contracting and producing headline talent of every type.

For the third straight year, the Syndicated National Television Association turned to Empire Entertainment to help them close their day of presentations to the New York advertising community with an amazing, star-studded party. The Syndicated Network Television Association, whose members include Buena Vista Television, King World, NBC Universal, Paramount, Tribune Entertainment, TwentiethTelevision, Warner Brothers, MGM and Entertainment Studios, again chose Empire Entertainment to produce their main event, a dinner and cocktail event that followed their day of presenting their 2005 programming offerings.

The event, which took place in the ballrooms & foyer of the New York Grand Hyatt, was designed to fulfill the client's vision of a winter wonderland. Empire worked with designer Michael Kowalski to create a cool winter vision that heated up into the hot party of the Upfront season. Upon arrival, guests walked into the ballroom, which had been mostly re-carpeted in white. The first vision was a colonnade of tall, silver birch trees lit in blue and white that led to a giant towering ice sculpture. A giant white curtain served as a wintry backdrop. Throughout the space large, white bars, white table settings and chair covers, white stages and furnishings decorated with white floral arrangements lit with winter blue completed the winter vision.

On one stage pianist Bill Graves performed on a white piano, and on another DJ David Chang laid down a dance track for the evening behind a white DJ console. A vodka bar staffed by female vodka specialists served a selection of dozens of vodkas by pouring them through a giant, ice vodka luge track. Empire also provided a 4-screen video projection system that ran changing slideshows of the various programs being promoted by the partner companies and also served to put guests on the big screens while they mingled with the various television stars attending. The 600 - 800 attendees ate, drank, danced and mingled with some of the hottest stars of syndicated television including Ellen Degeneres, Tyra Banks, Regis Philbin, Chris Matthews, Tony Danza and many others.

When NTDTV sought to produce their second annual Chinese New Year Gala event, they again turned to Empire who served as Consulting Executive Producer for the live event and global broadcast into over 200 million Mandarin-speaking homes around the world. Empire oversaw a production team of dozens of individuals and over 400 performers to present a smooth running, sold-out gala event at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Attended by more than 5000 guests, the Gala (conducted in both English and Mandarin) included dozens of acts such as famed Chinese tenor Guimin Guan, The Empire Brass Quintet, the National Taiwan University of Art Dance Ensemble, soprano Min Jiang and the Ying Tang Lions and Dragon Troupe among many others.

The gala program took place on an enormous stage decorated with lanterns, columns and featured an enormous rear wall projection screen with animated graphics and video that set the scene for each artist perfectly. Empire's high level production guidance on this program included venue selection and contract negotiations, the development of a staffing, logistics and communications plan to coordinate the efforts of hundreds of workers and vendors on a demanding schedule, providing direction and oversight in the areas of production management and stage management and providing legal, financial and sponsorship advice throughout the course of the project. The resulting gala was a hugely successful event and the program began worldwide broadcasts and webcasts three days following the live event. NTDTV is a unique, independent broadcast network that provides Mandarin language programming around the globe. NTDTV's programming is available in tens of millions of homes in the People's Republic of China via satellite.

Empire acts as a consultant to and production partner for a variety of major televised entertainment projects each year worldwide.

When the CEO of one of the world's oldest and most respected insurance companies sought a speaker for an extremely high level management group meeting, his company turned to Empire Entertainment to identify and secure the right speaker. Empire was able to deliver George Tenet, the recently retired Director of the U. S. central Intelligence Agency, to deliver a fascinating look at the geopolitical situation as it stands today in a riveting 45 minute speech. This was one of the very first bookings that George Tenet took upon leaving office. Tenet provided the management team with real insights from his unique perspective as the man at the center of U. S. intelligence for many years.

After the speech, Tenet made himself available for a lively question & answer session in which guests could receive their own briefing on the current state of world affairs from the U.S.'s foremost spymaster. In the words of the client, George Tenet was: "A smash success. Everyone enjoyed his candor , openness and intelligence. He fielded questions for at least 30 minutes after his speech. My CEO wasecstatic with his performance."

Many corporate clients around the world turn to Empire to provide the world's leading expert voices from all walks of life to inform, educate and entertain their management audiences.

Since 1997, event designer Colin Cowie has called upon Empire Entertainment to stage and produce A-list talent and superior audio/visual for many of the events he designs worldwide. This time, Empire was asked to provide even more support, executing not only technical production and talent handling but also implementing details of Colin Cowie's exceptional creative vision. Each year, Cosmopolitan honors a select group of women in the entertainment industry at their Fun Fearless Females luncheon and awards show. For Cosmo's 40th anniversary year, they decided instead to honor their favorite men including Josh Duhamel (Win a Date with Tad Hamilton), Kevin Bacon (Footloose), Simon Cowell (American Idol), Ben McKenzie (star of FOX's hit series "The O. C.") and David Spade (Saturday Night Live).

Colin Cowie turned what is traditionally a conventional awards luncheon for 400 into a fabulously classy and exciting spectacle. Upon arrival, guests were lead past 20' high black velour drapes which completely shrouded the dining area. During cocktails, guests enjoyed Cipriani's signature white peach Bellini's and passed hors d'oeuvres while ogling celebrity honorees as they were interviewed by Access Hollywood and other media behind a one-way black scrim, which created a voyeuristic thrill and conversation piece for star-struck guests who could see in, while the celebrities working the red carpet could not see out. Dramatic music signaled the grand reveal of the dining room as the drapes opened for guests to take their seats. The greatest set piece and stunner was a 70' long, raised, white catwalk emblazoned with "COSMOPOLITAN" in thick red letters, slicing down the center of a dining floor filled with elegant, long black tables laid out with sculptural red floral orbs on top of Pucci silk runners in vivid swirls of red, black and white.

The awards show itself was equally as compelling as the event's design. After welcoming remarks from Cosmo's Editor, Kate White, and Publisher, Donna Lagani, sexy rapper Traci Swain and songstress Kelly Levesque took to the stage to perform a specially written duet for the honorees. Appearing at the start of his custom serenade, each Fun Fearless male strut his stuff atop the white catwalk through a room full of gasping young female clients. Specially produced video segments and music kept the show's energy level high until the end.

Empire was responsible for coordinating production of décor, rentals, staging, lighting, video, sound and logistics. Empire also produced and stage-managed the awards show portion of the event by writing and calling all cues throughout the show as well as hiring the rapper and singer and commissioning the custom music and lyrics through live performance solutions group, LIVELAB. Whether producing a turnkey event or realize a client's vision to their exact specifications, Empire's flexible range of services can be applied to almost every event project.