Our Work

When a major pharmaceutical company wants to inspire its sales team to surpass the previous year's record-breaking numbers, it calls on Empire Entertainment to provide the right entertainment to inspire and energize. For the main entertainment event at a multi-day sales conference for one of the world's largest drug makers, Empire delivered not one but two legendary disco acts to perform in the packed Grand Ballroom of the San Francisco Hilton: The Gap Band and KC & the Sunshine Band. The identity of the two acts was a surprise, and the attendees' astonishment at their good fortune fuelled a long night of exuberant dancing and a trip back to disco's finest era. As the bands played hits ranging from KC & The Sunshine Band's "That's The Way (I Like It)," "Shake Your Booty," "Get Down Tonight," and "Keep It Coming Love," to The Gap Band's "Get Up and Dance," and "You Dropped a Bomb on Me." By the end of the night, there wasn't a dry shirt in the house.

Empire also provided a motivational keynote speaker to rouse the audience during one of the daytime general sessions. 2,300 people sat in rapt attention as Irish Tenor, Ronan Tynan, movingly recounted his triumph over a childhood disability to become a medal-winning athlete, a physician, and a world-renowned singer. Empire worked with Dr. Tynan to ensure that he would include aspects of the conference's theme into his presentation. Following Dr. Tynan's speech, the audience swooned to his a cappella version of "God Bless America" before clamoring to their feet in a standing ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Empire arranged private meet & greets, where guests were able to chat and take photographs, with both acts, as well as Ronan Tynan.

Empire is a full-service talent & speaker booking and production organization, capable of fulfilling all of our client's diverse needs for meetings and events.

In one of the most challenging international projects ever undertaken by our company, Empire was responsible for producing a Chinese New Year's Gala Celebration at The Manhattan center for the emerging, independent Mandarin language global television network, New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV). For this massive undertaking, Empire served as the overall executive producer of the program, managing every aspect of the production and working in collaboration with an enormous group of international volunteers who had never before been involved with a show of this nature or scale. The Global Gala was held in the historic Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom, built in 1912 by Oscar Hammerstein. The two-night program, for which tickets were marketed and sold to both the English-speaking and Mandarin speaking public, was completely sold out.

The program included an extraordinary cast of more than 400 performers in 20 different performing groups that came from as far away as Taiwan, Australia and Germany to participate in the show. Performers included The Ying Tang Dance Company (32 members), The NTD-TV Global Gala Chinese Instrument Ensemble (35 members), The National Taiwan University of Fine Arts Dance Company (16 members), The Juilliard String Quartet, The Peking Acrobats of China, Australia's Returning Group, pianist Oliver Folger Jia, American Ballet Theater performers Gennadi Saveliev and Irina Dvorovenko who performed the Grand Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker, Soprano singer Bai Xue, The New York Repertory Orchestra (56 members), Dancer Wei Yu, the European "I Have Come Here for You" Chorus (90 members), bass vocalist Christian Bischoff, soprano Min Jiang, Erhu master performer Xiaochun Qi accompanied by Changzi Ma, famous tenor Guimin Guan with 21 supporting dancers and the Lotus Arts Dance Ensemble (30 members). The evening was hosted by Mei Zhou and Adam Montanaro and featured many surprises including onstage remarks by New York United States Senator Charles Schumer.

Presenting a live program with over 400 performers presents many challenges in addition to the communications and cultural impediments of working with an English-speaking crew and a Mandarin speaking cast and client. Empire was able to seamlessly surmount these challenges to present a smooth running program that delighted both Chinese and American guests of all ages. Empire managed all production for the program, working with the world class Manhattan Center production team and many outside vendors & sponsors to deliver elements including a 56' wide X 48' deep stage with custom risers & sets, a series of 4 sets of legs & borders, proscenium opening, main curtain and projection/cyc surfaces that needed to be flown on old-fashioned line sets, flying set pieces and scenery, Pani image projections, elaborate sound and lighting installations to fulfill the varied needs of all of the acts, special effects including fog and hazing machines, confetti cannons and electrified scenery, in addition to a 7 camera video crew using jib crane and dolly tracks to cover the live performance for broadcast into millions of homes around the world. The resulting performances were a unprecedented spectacles of color, movement, action and entertainment of every kind. The audience responded with standing ovations and this important program helped to put NTD-TV on the map as a global alternative in the world of Chinese Broadcasting.

Empire is a leading producer of internationally oriented programming for clients from around the world. With longstanding experience and productive relationships with Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other Asian businesses & communities, Empire is the natural fit for international entertainment & media projects of this nature. Empire is a skilled manager of even the most complex and challenging international entertainment projects.

Empire produced the Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealers Holiday Party at the world-famous ABC Studios located at Time Square Studios, in New York City. For this high-end holiday event for Mercedes-Benz Tri-State dealers and spouses, Empire created & brought to life four different themes for the various areas and segments of the evening from arrival to departure. Empire transformed the studio entrance (which is essentially a loading dock), into a classy, warm red & white holiday celebration complete with white drapes, red carpet with gobos projections of the client logo, holiday messages and snowflakes. The flowers were done in varying shades of deep red, accented with multiple arrangements of white calla lillies. These arrangements were placed strategically to mask building features such as the security window and also to adorn the beautifully draped red velvet reception table accented with white votives.

Empire greeting staff, dressed in elegant evening gowns and matching red pashminas greeted guests and directed them to the coat check and into the party. The cocktail reception was based on an "Oraganic Seasonal" theme. All décor and lighting elements worked in harmony to present a winterberry red, forest green and natural wood environment. A band stage was flanked with evergreen Christmas trees that sparkled with green & red twinkle lights and the backdrop was a fiber optic curtain that shimmered with tiny lights that faded slowly from red to green and back. Empire also created a white dance floor that lit in theme colors and featured a bold projection of the Mercedes-Benz logo. Cocktail tables draped in cherry shimmer linens with forest green organza overlays were placed around the dance floor and the room. On top of each of these tables was specialty red & green votive lamps surrounded with floral wreath arrangements. Two bars were created that were draped in these linens, and each held beautiful, impressive seasonal arrangements. Also, arranged on top of the bars was carefully selected glassware in the theme colors. Groupings of furniture consisting of green & red ottomans, side tables with colored votives and area rugs were placed underneath hanging arrangements of Mistletoe and Holly. All catering staff wore green and red bow ties and cumber buns. Live entertainment was provided by Soul Solution who played a wonderful jazzy and holiday themed set, slowly building the music and increasing in size of the band throughout the cocktail party. The dinner portion of the evening was a themed "Winter Wonderland". Empire designed and hand picked all tabletop items including linens, chairs, cushions, chargers, plates, flatware, and crystal stemware, votives and serving trays. Impressive, towering centerpiece were also designed by Empire and featured white branches that held hanging crystal ornaments which reflected light on to the tabletop along with specialty lighting design that put a striking azure blue wash over each place setting.

Mercedes provided one of their newest vehicles, which Empire placed in a winter vignette, in which dozens of Christmas presents were displayed. Utilizing the studios' in house camera and screens, Mercedes-Benz Tri-State branding was displayed throughout the space. All service staff wore silver and blue bow ties and cumber buns. Live entertainment was comprised of a: piano, guitar and saxophone trio who played continuous background music. While guests enjoyed a spectacular meal & wines, selected by Empire and the client and served by Great Performances, Empire completely transformed the cocktail room into the evening's final theme - "Starry, Starry, Night." In this area the color scheme was black, dark blue and gold. All linens, stemware, flower arrangements and lighting elements were completely replaced to create a fresh environment for the final segment of the evening. New furnishings were added including a chaise lounge, couches, club chairs, ottomans, a new floor rug and side tables.

When the Los Angeles based event and catering company, Along Came Mary, was asked to produce the premiere party for the movie "Big Fish" in New York, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and manage the talent for the party. "Big Fish" is an allegorical motion picture directed by Tim Burton and starring Ewan McGregor, Danny DeVito and Albert Finney about the amazing life stories of one the characters. A central component of the motion picture is a series of scenes that take place in the mythical 'Calloway Circus' and involve a variety of sideshow performers associated with that circus. Empire was tasked by Along Came Mary to deliver performers that would complete a remarkable decorated environment and serve as ambient entertainment to entertain and amuse the guests.

Working from a series of production stills and background on the movie, and accessing Empire's extraordinary network of talent contacts, Empire was able to make this vision a reality by finding, booking and stage-managing a cast of 11 acts for the event. The talent included a barker to welcome the guests to the event, a hanging trapeze act, the Wau Wau Sisters (who closely resembled the Siamese twins depicted in the film), Flambeau, the Fire Eater, Ula the Rubber Girl (contortionist), Clark the Magnificent fire juggler, a strong man and his assistant, a stilt walker, a tarot card reader, a palm reader, a graphologist, and a crystal ball reader. All of these artists wore costumes that resembled those of the period depicted in the film and performed on satellite stages in front of painstakingly recreated sideshow backdrops. In front of the big top ring, Empire produced acoustic bluegrass band, Trail Mix, to perform upbeat music that tied together all of the circus elements and established the festive and eccentric mood for the event.

Along Came Mary transformed the cavernous Hammerstein Ballroom into a series of carefully crafted environments including a forest, the picture-perfect town of Spectre and, of course, the Calloway Circus.The event was attended by all of the film's stars including Ewan McGregor, Danny DeVito and Albert Finney, as well as Tim Burton and the other talent & studio executives. The event was an unforgettable evening for SONY Pictures, it's clients and stars.

Empire is a leading resource for booking even the most obscure forms of entertainment.

When The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation sought to produce two time Grammy Award-winning, headline concert act The Wallflowers (featuring Jakob Dylan, son of legend Bob Dylan) at their sixth annual dinner & auction, their event producer, Candace Sands of CS Events, turned to Empire Entertainment to provide all production and technical support in mounting the show. The event was held in the historic event space, Le Capitale, which is the former East River Savings Bank building located in New York's Chinatown at Bowery and Grand. The marble interiors and soaring ceilings are both magnificent and a major challenge acoustically. Empire solved these challenges by selecting the right audio system and calibrating it carefully to meet the acoustical properties of the room.

There were also other challenges that Empire faced including the need to fit the Wallflowers' large stage plot onto a small stage that needed to fit between existing columns of the building and not block any of the fire exits. Empire was able to solve this issue by working closely with the venue and the Wallflowers' production manager to create a solution that worked for everyone. The Wallflowers performed for over an hour and brought the audience to their feet with a set that included all of their hits as well as closing with a cover of the David Bowie song "Heroes." The event drew nearly 1,000 people and raised over $1.6 million for this worthy cause.

Empire is a leading producer of talent for not-for-profits and fundraising events.

To launch 20th Century FOX's DVD for the blockbuster motion picture XMen2, FOX turned to Empire Entertainment to create a highly-themed, celebrity-driven press event in New York City just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. For this event, Empire provided all services from original conception and event design, to site and menu selection, talent booking, activities, video projection, silver carpet staging, step & repeat signage production, decor, lighting, sound, labor, security, sidewalk and lane closure, event staffing, celebrity and sponsorship solicitation and transportation logistics for all celebrity talent. The site chosen for the event was Club 40/40, a hot new event space and club in New York City owned by several partners including hip hop superstar Jay-Z. In addition to the main event space, the club features two private rooms that were used for VIP party areas and one-on-one interviews, as well as a well-appointed cigar room for which Cohiba provided free cigars.

The Studio directed that the main thrust of the press coverage should be based on celebrity attendance by the stars of the XMen films including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romjin-Stamos, Anna Paquin and James Marsden as well as the film's producers and creatives. To supplement the attendance of these stars, Empire performed extensive outreach to the celebrity community through our own celebrity solicitation specialist, as well as leveraging relationships with Club 40/40, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (a beneficiary of the event, arranged through Empire's relationships), and celebrity DJ Marc Ronson.

Empire also created decor for the event that mirrored the film's sleek stainless steel logo and imagery. Instead of a traditional red carpet, Empire proposed and provided a shimmering silver carpet. Silver tables, chairs, rope & stantions and a massive 50' long X 9' high silver 'step & repeat' to serve as a branded backdrop for celebrity photos were also provided. The step & repeat faced a press corps and paparazzi contingent that included more than 50 camera crews and photographers. The step & repeat and silver carpet were lit by a series of five 12' tall aluminum truss sections built on the sidewalk which also provided skytracker blue lights, animated logo projection and up-lighting of surrounding buildings and the Steel X2 logo which was mounted over the club entrance Inside the club, Empire provided a series of internally-lit blue cube tables, blue-lit floral arrangements, silver fabric accents and a dramatic lighting scheme created by blue gelling each of the club's hundreds of existing lighting instruments and accenting surfaces with blue votive candle holders. The event was DJ'd by celebrity DJ Marc Ronson and featured an oxygen bar, plexiglass chess sets featured in the film, and footage from the new XMen2 DVD playing on more than 20 monitors, plasma screens and projection screens throughout the club spaces.

Empire also managed the highly demanding ground transportation logistics, coordinating movements of the many stars and executives in a fleet of silver sedans, graciously donated for the event by Mercedes-Benz as a result of solicitation by Empire Entertainment. The resulting event was a carefully themed, smoothly run, heavily-attended and well-covered press event that generated a great deal of press coverage for a major entertainment property, just prior to the busy holiday shopping period.

Empire is a major producer of creative event marketing programs.

When a global financial services & travel company sought to entertain its' top customers at a multi-day client symposium's offsite event, they turned to Empire Entertainment to secure the right talent for the performance. The dinner and concert event took place in the outdoor courtyard at the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. The entertainment needed to suit this environment in both character and form and provide an intimate concert experience for the 325 seated dinner guests.

Empire Entertainment was able to procure platinum-selling recording artist, Bruce Hornsby, to perform solo at a grand piano. Hornsby is best known as the leader of Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Hornsby is also an accomplished pianist and songwriter. He recorded many hits that reached the top of the Billboard charts. Hornsby has also recorded with Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, and even co-wrote and performed the hit "The End of The Innocence" with Don Henley. He has toured with the Grateful Dead and just a few nights prior to this engagement was in the United Kingdom recording with Eric Clapton and Sting. Bruce Hornsby performed all of his greatest hits, including "The Way It Is," "Mandolin Rain," "Look Out Any Window," "The End of the Innocence," and several other cover songs.The audience responded enthusiastically and the client felt Hornsby was the perfect fit for this engagement.

Empire Entertainment is uniquely qualified to selecting, book and produce the best-suited talent for any audience or event.

To celebrate the release of Avril Lavigne's highly anticipated FOX DVD, "My World," Fox Consumer Products turned to Empire Entertainment to stage and produce a red carpet press appearance to facilitate maximum press coverage. MY WORLD, is the first live concert movie by multi-platinum selling Arista recording artist Avril Lavigne. Filmed in Buffalo, NY on May 18, 2003 - the final night of her headlining five-week North American "Try To Shut Me Up Tour," "My World" Celebrates a mega-successful debut year and reprises all of Avril's hits and favorite album tracks from her six-times platinum album "LET GO. "MY WORLD offers Lavigne fans the only opportunity to own all four of Avril's MTV "TRL" #1 hit music videos - "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," "I'm With You" and "Losing Grip," as well as an added video bonus of "Knocking On Heaven's Door."

For this collaborative promotional event held by FOX and Arista records, Empire handled all of the production and the on-site management, working with AMC Theatres and several other vendors to provide red carpet, crowd control, sidewalk permitting and lighting to facilitate press coverage. As predicted, the teen superstar and pop sensation drew a large turnout on the part of the press as well as swarms of screaming fans.Empire is a leading producer of press events.

When clients need to ensure a smooth running press conference, red carpet appearance or stunt, they turn to Empire Entertainment to manage the details.

To announce the release of Alicia Keys highly-anticipated new album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys," J Records again turned to Empire Entertainment to help create and produce their very important release events in both New York City and Los Angeles. The New York event was held at the fashionable West Village Photography center, Industria Superstudios, and was catered by Washington Park Caterers. The event included a listening and video room in which guests could view Alicia's new music video and a documentary of Alicia around the world, as well as listen to tracks from the new album. The event also featured a main performance room where Alicia performed at a grand piano in front of a photographic cyclorama with backing vocalists, bass and guitar.

For this event Alicia Keys wanted a very specific look & feel to match the vibe of the album. She wanted a loft-like setting with a relaxed and casual environment with visual elements like votive candles, oriental carpets, ottomans, pillows, burning incense and wood furniture. Empire was able to realize this vision and provided all services including site selection and contracting, design & decor, oversight of catering and bar operations, private and NYPD security, sidewalk permitting and street closure, tenting for the registration and oriental 'red carpet' arrival area for press, staging, extremely high quality concert sound, stage & decor lighting (including original lighting design and production based on album artwork), video projection (including live video & audio feed into a spillover room), video coverage of red carpet arrivals and the live performance, stage management and onsite event management.

The event drew a capacity crowd of 400 including celebrities ranging from Quincy Jones, Pink, Tommy Lee, Grandmaster Flash, Chris Judd and Starr Jones among others. J Records Chairman Clive Davis and President Charles Goldstuck introduced Alicia Keys before she wowed the audience with a 30-minute performance of her best-known songs and future hits from "The Diary of Alicia Keys."The following week Empire produced a similar event in Los Angeles at the Highlands Hollywood.

To celebrate their 185th anniversary, Brooks Brothers teamed up with Time Inc. business publication Fortune Magazine to throw a big bash at the Brooks Brothers store on Newbury Street in Boston, MA. Fortune Magazine turned to Empire Entertainment to help make the night a huge success. More than one hundred invited guests gathered at the store for a fabulous evening of drinks, passed hors d'oeuvres and shopping. The high point of the evening was the in-store concert given by jazz great and multiple Grammy nominee, Kenny Garrett and his amazing band. After performing an hour's worth of standards and hits from his eight albums, Kenny and his band were lauded with a standing ovation and, to cries of "One more, one more!" returned to the stage and played a three song encore that nearly blew the lid off of the joint.

Fortune and Brooks Brothers asked Empire to deliver and install first class production services that would compliment the sophisticated charm of the store's décor and not interfere with the store's regular retail operations. Working with the limited space, Empire provided and built a form-fitting stage that fitted around the wood paneled columns on the first floor, and washed the stage with warm amber light using ground supported instruments. Per Kenny Garrett's exacting standards, Empire provided the band's backline, grand piano and drums as well as all other instruments and sound without interrupting a single sale on the floor. The result was a successful show that celebrated Brooks Brothers history, created good will for their customers and strengthened the longstanding advertising relationship between Fortune Magazine and Brooks Brothers.

Empire has many years of experience working within the genre of "Value-added" programs within the magazine publishing industry and is expert at delivering our services in working retail environments without impeding on store operations.

When Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealers became a founding sponsor for Radio City's production of "Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way", they were given the opportunity to present a special preview night for 5,300 of their existing customers as a loyalty and retention initiative for customers coming off lease. This preview performance was a final dress rehearsal to take place two days before opening night.Empire conceived and designed a Sinatra themed event for it's 5,300 attendees which was divided into three periods of Frank Sinatra's extraordinary life that were to be setup in Radio City's main lobby, lower lobby, mezzanine and other "front-of-house" areas.

The Grand Foyer was to be setup as Sinatra's Twin Palms Estate, located in Palm Springs, California. Positioned in the center of the room were to be two 16' Palm Trees, a giant cabana in which staff in cabana shirts served sparkling water and fresh fruit juices.The Grand Lounge was to be set up as the Copa Room of The Sands Casino, Las Vegas circa 1960s complete with Vegas Showgirls and staging, a lounge singer and pianist and casino gaming tables.The Mezzanine level was to be setup as a Sinatra photographic retrospective with images ranging from Sinatra circa 1930's through to 1980's.In addition to the main reception, Empire created a VVIP reception to take place in the Radio City Suite, for the celebrities and Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealership owners.

For this exclusive gathering in the stunning Art Deco era backstage room at Radio City Music Hall, Empire hired caterers Fancy Girl Catering to put together a 30's style hors 'douerves menu to be served by staff costumed in 1930s attire. American Song Book Standards were to be played by one of NYC's premier jazz pianists, Matt Ray.Empire was also tasked with desiging and implementing the communications, invitation, RSVP and ticket distribution plan using Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealership customer databases. Empire set up an RSVP line to receive calls from attendees, updated the existing database with contact information and allocated 1,800 pairs of tickets to recipients. Empire continued to answer inquires and take down information from callers even after the show sold out, to send out gifts compliments of Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealers.

Empire also produced a custom "Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way" show compilation CD in association with Sinatra Enterprises. Empire designed the CD artwork and Mercedes printed 5,000 CD's to be given away to attendees and customers that did not make the RSVP in time.Empire also solicited celebrity attendance for the preview night and had confirmed celebrities including Spike Lee, Moby, Joan Osborne & Wyclef Jean to name a few to add sizzle to the big preview night.Empire was also responsible for several other areas of this far-reaching program including parking, logistics, vehicle placement, staffing and onsite management. Then, just a few days prior to the event, disaster struck. On Saturday night, prior to the Monday load-in for the event on Tuesday, Radio City Music Hall notified Mercedes-Benz that due to technical delays, the preview night would have to be canceled. All elements were in place and 5300 Mercedes customers throughout the Tri-State area were poised to come into attend the much anticipated event. Empire's immediate job was to notify guests who were coming from all over New York, New Jersey & Connecticut and to do so in a way that would limit their inconvenience and ensure that their experience would not reflect poorly on Mercedes-Benz. Within minutes of this notification Empire was working with Mercedes-Benz to avert a major marketing and public relations crisis, and together mobilized a force that sent out thousands of Emails, Fedexes and phone calls notifying the guests of the cancellation with a well-written and thoughtful letter of regret from Radio City Music Hall with an additional incentive for leasing new Mercedes

For the fourth year in a row, Empire Entertainment was hired by celebrity designer Colin Cowie Lifestyle and the Whitney Museum to contract and manage all talent and sound production in connection with the high profile Whitney Benefit Gala at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Each year this gala dinner draws New York City's elite art patrons as well as artists, celebrities and sponsors for a unique evening of entertainment. For this year's dinner Colin Cowie transformed the fourth floor gallery into an exquisite dining room based on the artwork of Ellsworth Kelly. Colin Cowie's unique design provided for square dining tables, dressed with gray linens and smoke colored glass, arranged symetrically on gray carpet at either side of the room. The center of the room was divided by an angular stripe of bold red carpet on which were placed unusually shaped tables, adorned in vivid matching red.

As with every Colin Cowie event, visual aesthetics are of the highest importance and Empire Entertainment's challenge was to seamlessly blend elements of audio production to the color scheme and design, keeping all such elements, including speakers, consoles, cables and gear out of site of the guests. To accomplish this Empire often runs cables days in advance under carpets and set installations and paints speaker cabinets and other equipment in matching colors to blend function with form. The results of this collaboration are visually astoundinging as well as fully functional.

For this year's gala dinner, Empire Entertainment secured legendary R&B singer Dionne Warwick to perform with piano accompaniment. Ms. Warwick performed favorites including "Alfi," "What The World Needs Now Is Love" (a duet with with Burt Bacharach) and "That's What Friends Are For." She also performed a special audience rendition of "Happy Birthday" to artist Ellsworth Kelly who came the the stage to be honored by the singalong. Guests including American Express Chairman Ken Chennault, Dan Aykroyd and Edgar Bronfman Jr. joined Dionne in serenading Kelly and the performance ended with a standing ovation. After the dinner, the after-party began on the lower level of the Museum for younger supporters of the museum. Mirroring the theme upstairs, the cafeteria was transformed into a night club with an energy that lasted early into the following morning.

Once again, Empire Entertainment provided invisible, high end sound coverage throughout all the rooms of the club. Yet, when one of the sponsor's talent cancelled due to illness, Empire moved swiftly to provide cutting edge entertainment with only two day's notice! Empire rose to the challenge and delivered Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, a youthful 11 piece band, and arguably the hottest new funk and soul act in New York City. If the evening's pulse was already heightened by Paris' DJ Kemedji, it was the Dap-Kings who moved the party to a frenzy. Even Colin Cowie himself couldn't resist the dance floor before jetting off the following morning to appear on Oprah Winfrey's show.

Empire is a major producer of not-for-profit events and is a loyal production and talent partner to world class event design firms such as Colin Cowie Lifestyle.

Since leaving office as Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani has published a management book, built a world-class consultancy and become one of the top speakers in the world for corporate meetings and special events. Empire has been fortunate to have many opportunities to present him to various corporate clients ranging from Wall Street banks to global computer companies.

On this particular occasion, Empire secured Rudy Giuliani to speak for the Chairman and top producers from one of America's oldest and most respected insurance firms. For this intimate dinner gathering at the St. Regis Hotel, Empire secured Mayor Giuliani to attend cocktails, to take photos with each couple in attendance and then to join the host and guests at dinner to deliver his inspirational remarks. This was the second time that Empire has presented Rudy Giuliani for this client. Mayor Giuliani is a candid, plain-talking and often entertaining speaker whose lectures typically include many colorful stories of his experiences as Mayor of New York and his career as a crime fighter and the man who turned New York into the safest large city in America. He also talks at length about his personal experiences of 9/11 and it's aftermath and how New York City was able to manage the crisis and return to greatness.

His inspirational speeches contain powerful messages of motivation and how to overcome adversity. He also enjoys participating in open Q&A sessions, which often ranges from his Presidential aspirations and thoughts on the War on Terror to his personal challenges (he is in remission following diagnosis with prostate cancer) and his beloved New York Yankees. Mayor Rudy Giuliani wowed the rapt audience with his remarks and free wheeling Q&A and left them as he usually does, on their feet applauding one of great leaders of our age.

Empire is a leading resource in the identification and acquisition of appropriate speakers for corporate meetings and events.

Whether you are the founder and CEO of a global technology giant or you would just like to party like one, Empire will help you and a couple hundred of your closest friends celebrate in style. From a tent, on a bluff overlooking the ocean, in Bermuda, guests took in the endless views and dined on gourmet food, following days filled with golf and yachting throughout a pleasure-filled weekend on the island. On Saturday night the guests were treated to the brilliant rants and references of Dennis Miller, who not only incorporated his usual panoply of cultural and political absurdities, but also worked with Empire to develop some custom material geared toward our client and his business. Following Dennis' performance the chairs were cleared and a dance floor created, for an inspired 90-minute performance by Hootie and the Blowfish.

Empire arranged for our client, a guitarist, to join the band onstage for the final 2 songs, including a special rendition of Johnny B. Goode. A special meet & greet followed in which guests were treated to photographs and private moments with the artists.The following night the tent was transformed into a beach party, outfitted with palms, surfboards, grills & parrots, for none other than the Beach Boys, who performed a high energy 90-minute set of non stop hits as guests danced the night away. Again, Empire arranged for our client to join the band onstage for the final 3 songs, and for a private meet & greet where guests were able to chat and take photographs with the Beach Boys.

When corporations look to entertain their customers, partners and employees with something extraordinary, they turn to Empire Entertainment to provide experiences that are new, unique and have never been done before for a corporate event. Such was the case when Empire delivered super group Duran Duran for their first ever-corporate event. Challenged by a global software company to deliver a unique concert experience for an international audience of 5,000 of their most important partners and customers, Empire negotiated for and secured Duran Duran just prior to the commencement of their U. S. tour.

Duran Duran featured all five original members, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor and John Taylor. The well-rehearsed and dynamic band performed many of their classic hits including "Rio," "The Reflex," "Hungry Like The Wolf," "Wild Boys," "Ordinary World" and "Notorious" among others. Their high-energy show was held on an outdoor stage on the banks of the Mississippi River and featured video projections, laser light show and plenty of onstage action for the audience. The international audience danced and sang throughout the set and brought the band back for encores. They closed the evening with a dynamic version of "Girls on Film."

Empire is the industry leader in delivering new talent to corporate stages worldwide.

When the world's largest companies take to the stage to launch their newest products, before the watchful eyes of the global technology press, they turn to Empire Entertainment to deliver the right talent.For this particular product launch which was held in New York, Empire assisted our client in identifying and securing the Belgium-based, multi ethnic a cappella group, Zap Mama, to perform their inspiring and powerful world music as a component of the opening sequence. Zap Mama are an ensemble of 5 female vocalists, hailing from Jamaica, Senegal, Zaire, Burundi who are based in Belgium and who perform a blend of Euro-African music in brightly colored costumes. Empire worked directly with the client and their creative agency to integrate Zap Mama's performance into a multi-media extravaganza of video, graphics, lighting effects and stage direction. Empire negotiated for and facilitated the provision of a specially remixed backing track, to which all of the media was timed, while Zap Mama sang powerfully in colorful costumes to underscore the product messages. The collaboration between the client and artist resulted in a colorful, beautiful, memorable and newsworthy introduction of the next version of the world's leading business software products.

Empire is an invaluable partner to businesses looking to match their products and messages to the global talent pool. Our connections to global talent and experience in integrating the art of performances with the science of commerce are the foundations of our business.

When the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, sought to launch their Ten Awards program in New York City, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the awards gala. This singular business event was sponsored by a variety of companies including Microsoft, Accenture, AT&T & EDS and was staged to recognize and reward innovation and business achievement in the New York business community.

The theme of the event was "From Inspiration to Innovation..." The Awards program was hosted by the host of CNBC's Wakeup Call, Liz Claman and featured an, inspiring keynote speech by Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel. This year's award winners were: Shelby Bonnie, CEO, CNET Networks, Inc. Jason Devitt, CEO, Vindigo Hossein Eslambolchi, CTO, AT&T and President, AT&T Labs Donna Iucolano, President, e-Scholastic Sallie Krawcheck, CEO, Smith Barney Kumar Mahadeva, CEO, Cognizant Jim McCann, CEO, 1-800 Flowers Martin Nisenholtz, CEO, New York Times Digital Alan Patricof, Vice Chairman, Apax Partners Kevin Ryan, CEO, DoubleClick Lindsay Nohr, Founder and Executive Director, Fertile Hope (Civic Award). For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection (Gotham Hall), staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of 11 video roll-in packages, graphic design and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, signage, etc.

Empire is a cost-effective, efficient and creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

Working in conjunction with meeting planning & logistics company, Above The Rim, Empire Entertainment procured noted tennis celebrity Bud Collins to appear nightly at Morgan Stanley's hospitality suite at the 2003 U.S. Open. Empire arranged for Bud Collins, who is also an NBC sports commentator and author of several books on Tennis, to interact with important clients of Morgan Stanley's, providing observations and insights into the respective matches and the U.S. Open in general for three consecutive nights of play.

Empire Entertainment is a leading supplier of sports personalities for hospitality, motivational speaking, and exhibition play. Other sports figures Empire Entertainment has booked for corporate clients include Tom Seaver, Tommy Lasorda, Magic Johnson, Peggy Fleming, Carl Lewis and many others.

For the past five years, Empire Entertainment has been an integral part of Kaleidoscope Productions' team in creating the automobile industry's premiere dealer meetings & reveal shows. For this year's meeting, held at Philadelphia's Wachovia Arena, Kaleidoscope Productions designed a stage that made the Academy Awards' stage look simplistic. Empire Entertainment filled the arena with premium talent. The day began with a speech by former President George H. W. Bush who surprised the audience with both his worldly insights as well as his robust sense of humor. The meeting was capably hosted by Jon Stewart, the hilarious host of Comedy Central's Daily Show. The meeting also featured live performances by American Idol's top winners, Clay Aiken and Reuben Studdard. The finale of the show was Elton John's first concert with a full band in almost three years. When Elton John performed timeless hits like "Rocket Man", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Daniel," "I Guess That's Why They Call it The Blues," and "I'm Still Standing," the audience went wild. The centerpiece of Elton's performance was the song "Philadelphia Freedom," a salute not only to the meeting location, but to the overall meeting theme of ‘Freedom.'

There were also other parts of the meeting in which Empire was engaged. As various new car models were revealed over the course of the afternoon, the Wachovia Center throbbed to the driving beats and freak-adelic sounds of The Crystal Method, a DJ team and America's answer to the UK's Chemical Brothers. During The Crystal Method's set, members of the FreeRunners -- French "urban ninjas" featured in recent television commercials for Nike – spilled into the venue like spider-men, leaping from rafters and falling from impossible heights, unhurt. The meeting reveals also featured Kaleidoscope-produced industrial videos starring basketball great David Robinson and Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry, who were also booked by Empire. Empire also worked with The George P. Johnson Company to provide Dick Bright's SRO, an 18 piece dance/show band, for an elegant car salon after-party at which dealers and their spouses danced, ate, drank and viewed the exciting new car models. As with any show of this scale, challenges arose. Elton John was, at first, reluctant to perform with a full band. But the client desired this configuration and Empire was able to persuade him to accommodate their desire through patient and capable negotiation. Said one attendee of the star-studded event, "I thought I was dreaming."

To celebrate the release of Wylclef Jean's highly anticipated new album, "The Preacher's Son," J Records turned to Empire Entertainment to stage and produce a multimedia 'listening party' presentation by music industry legend and RCA Music Chairman, Clive Davis, and live performances by Wyclef Jean and Patti LaBelle.The event was held at the Hudson Theater, an 800 seat former Broadway house adjoined to the Millenium Hotel. The maximum capacity audience for this 'high buzz' event included celebrities ranging from Donald Trump, Kevin Bacon and Tyra Banks, to Julius Irving and Don King.

Empire handled all production & onsite event management, working with the Hudson Theater and Wyclef's production team as well as a host of outside vendors and specialists to put together a state-of-the-art sound, lighting and multimedia projection system capable of supporting the demands of all parties. The presentation by Clive Davis included playback of tracks from the new album as well as his behind-the-scenes observations and projections for the future success of the album and the artist. The presentation also included playback of Wylclef's new music video to support the album. At the end of the presentation, the screen flew out, the curtains parted and Wyclef and his band rocked the dancing audience with a 30 minute set of material from "Preacher's Son" which included a duet performance with Patti LaBelle. In addition to all production and stage management for this event, Empire also provided the video crew & producer to shoot red carpet arrivals, the presentation, the concert, and the celebrity reactions which were compiled as B-roll to help J Records promote the album to the music press. The following week, Empire produced the same event and concert in California at the Conga Room in Los Angeles, CA.

Empire is a leading producer of contemporary music for all manner of corporate and private events.

For the fifth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment produced The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, Kids For Kids charity event which was underwritten by Nickelodeon and the Bandai Foundation and sponsored by People Magazine, InStyle Magazine, Toys R' Us and Mercedes-Benz among others. As event producers of this mammoth, not-for-profit undertaking, Empire Entertainment managed and coordinated all aspects of the four hour event including the construction of eleven major tents on busy New York City streets, the permitting and street closures of five blocks of West Greenwich Village for almost 2 days, staging, sound, lighting, labor, electrical power distribution, labor, cleaning crews, main stage activities and talent, emergency medical service standby, signage, A/V and many other elements. Decor for the event was provided by Robert Isabell who transformed the tented spaces into a Fall carnival with trees and autumn leaves.

More than 1,500 people attended the event which featured a designer Sponge Bob Square Pants fashion show emceed by Whoopi Goldberg, A Nickelodeon Bikini Bottom space in which children went Jelly fishing for prizes in a real pond, a kids dance club created by MTV/VH-1/CMT, delicious foods from dozens of participating New York City restaurants brought together by Jonathan Morr, an Art Room in which artists like Chuck Close worked with children to create original paintings and sculptures, a street carnival where children played games with celebrities like Diane Sawyer, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Gilbert Gottfried, Donna Karan and Al Franken, and a toy redemption area donated by Toys R' Us. The afternoon event also featured several performances on a main stage including Kid Pop, Big Truck Music, Jack Ryan, Strawberry Shortcake, The Power Rangers and Antigravity (featuring the first live performance on Segways personal transporters).

Empire faced the challenges of Hurricane Isabell which threatened to delay or even make impossible the building of tents right up until the day before the event. In the end the the event was a tremendous success for all involved and helped to raise funds for a very worthy cause.

Empire is a key producer of high-end, not-for-profit events and a strategic partner to businesses looking to create event marketing opportunities in collaboration with charitable causes.

In 2003 Empire Entertainment joined with Director/Choreographer Tee Scatuorchio and Musical Director, Mike Levesque (Co-creators of the performance ensemble The Rhythmics) to create LIVE LAB. LIVE LAB is an integrated creative & production team that delivers live performances from every genre for a wide variety of commercial applications. LIVE LAB exists to identify emerging trends & genres in live performances, and to stay in front of the curve to continually deliver fresh creative and the 'Next Big Thing' season after season. LIVE LAB provides an experienced and skilled creative team who not only identify new performers and performing arts genres, but also provide the essential development and packaging of this talent with professional support in script development, choreography & direction, music composition, recording and editing, casting, rehearsal management, costuming, makeup, prop design & fabrication, supporting multimedia production and production design.

LIVE LAB's expertise and organization enable it to secure performers from dance, sports, comedy, music, acting, mime, stunts, and other areas and fine tune their performances to international standards of excellence for specific applications such as trade shows, general session performances, industrial videos, event marketing programs, etc. In one of it's first major projects, LIVE LAB recently completed production of the main stage presentation for PANASONIC at the 2003 IFA exhibition at the Messe Berlin in Berlin, Germany. LIVE LAB was given the challenge to create a 10-minute, high energy entertainment piece integrating content about PANASONIC'S product lines. As PANASONIC is a major sponsor of Formula 1 racing, LIVE LAB was asked to utilize a racing theme for the presentation.LIVE LAB delivered an exciting, percussion & dance-based show based upon a day at the race track. Dressed in official Panasonic F1 Pit Crew suits, the LIVE LAB cast took the audience through the whole race sequence from setting up the car, time trials, & the race including pit stops.The focal point of the performance was the use of an actual Formula1 race car on stage during the performance. The cast used props such as Racing Tires, wrenches, Fast Fill Gas Cans and Large 30 gallon drums wired with electronic triggers. The performance was choreographed to an original music track and included high energy dancing and percussion on a two story high stage. The seamless integration of PANAONIC Flat Panel Displays, DIGITAL CAMERAS such as the D-Snap & AV-100 video camera, the PANASONIC E-100 DVD Recorder and the introduction future vision ideas were all woven into the performance using the racing theme. Playing off the PANASONIC advertising theme "IDEAS FOR LIFE", LIVE LAB, worked closely with PANAONIC'S Tokyo-based Ad Agency, Dentsu, to develop the script, cast performers from Germany, the UK and the United States, and stage the performances in Berlin. LIVE LAB, a U. S. creative team, working for a Japanese client to deliver a performance in Germany, in German to a mainly German audience was a total success.

At the 2003 National Business Travel Association convention, Empire Entertainment was again asked for the 6th year in a row by co-sponsors American Express and American Airlines to secure headline entertainment that would meet a variety of criteria. The chosen talent would have to reflect the values of the sponsoring companies, work in the acoustically 'live' Union Station hall and be appropriate for the Dallas, TX setting for the event.

Empire worked with both clients to manage a selection process that ultimately yeilded all-American artist Wynonna Judd who agreed to perform in an acoustic configuration with the backing of bass, 2 guitars and 3 vocalists. Wynonna's performance was a thrilling highlight to the evening as she alternately seranaded and belted songs that spanned her celebrated career. From country & blues to all-American anthems and spiritual songs, Wynonna managed to bring the audience to their feet several times for standing ovations, sing-alongs and a roaring good time. Wynonna also agreed to a meet and greet with up to 30 of the sponsor's VIP guests and she was exceedlingly gracious and poised, taking time to speak with each guest before posing for individual photos. The timing of the booking coincided perfectly with the release of her newest album, and her performance at this event occured on the night before her new album debuted at #1 on the country charts.

Empire met many challenges in bringing this show about including budget constraints of the challenged corporate travel industry, the need to maximize audience capacity in a finite room space to cope with the overwhelming response to the Wynonna invitation, and the need to maintain the highest quality sound in a tall, stone room that reflected even the smallest sounds. Empire was able to overcome all of these challenges to present a truly spectactular evening that won our clients rave reviews from their customers and was, in a word. 'Awesome!'

When one the world's largest internet brands needed to entertain and meet with their key advertising clients in the middle of summer, Empire helped them plan and execute a flawless weekend in the desirable east end of Long Island. Working closely with the client, Empire helped to develop an agenda to met the client's objectives to combine meeting and networking along with family time and socializing. Meeting in the Hamptons on Shelter Island, known for it's the quiet and remote feel, while being just minutes away from the social happenings in Sag Harbor, Empire was able to create an atmosphere of relaxation on the island and excitement in Sag Harbor. Accommodations and meeting events were at the posh Sunset Beach Hotel and Restaurant.

Activities included a luncheon cruise around the island, family time at the beach and early morning yoga on the sand. The weekend was capped off with a sophisticated dinner at B. Smith's in Sag Harbor and an evening at a famous Hamptons club. All elements of the weekend were planned and executed with the clients needs coming first. Empire managed all the housing, meeting needs, food and beverage, hospitality, staffing, transportation and negotiations easily. Empire provided the onsite staff to help make all arrangements flow smoothly. The event exceeded the expectations of the client and their guests.

Empire is an effective, full service and creative production company whose services include traditional meeting planning services such as site selection & contracting, agenda development, air, room & ground transportation arrangements, destinatin management, theme parties, ticket acquisition, activities, amenities and gift items and onsite hospitality management.

When Seattle-based Maverick Productions contacted Empire Entertainment for secure a well-known television figure to appear in an industrial video for a major technology firm, Empire worked swiftly to deliver "Frasier" co-Star John Mahoney. The purpose of the video was to introduce one of the presenting executives. The talent needed to be widely recognized by the audience, had to work within the context of the creative script developed by Maverick, and had to be an experienced actor capable of some degree of improvisation and flexibility in accomplishing the creative vision. Actor John Mahoney, who plays Mr. Crane on "Frasier", performed an originally scripted role in the very humorous video and was able to schedule the one day shoot within 72 hours of confirmation of the engagement. Empire worked to ensure compliance with Mahoney's existing agreements with the producers of "Frasier" as well as proper contracting of replay rights and payment of union dues and benefits with the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA unions.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for industrial videos, infomercials and commercial projects.

When a global pharmaceutical company sought to match a contemporary headline rock act with their young sales force, they turned to Empire Entertainment who delivered one of today's biggest Canadian Rock acts, the Barenaked Ladies. With less than a month between initial direction and the show date, Empire worked switfly to identify entertainment options that targeted the specific demographic needs of the client's audience. Empire's unrivaled talent database enables us to quickly identify all appropriate candidates for any set of demographic parameters.Once the selection of top choice was made, Empire leveraged it's high level contacts in the ever changing world of contemporary music and managed to quickly secure the Barneked Ladies to perform a 90 minute, greatest hits concert. On show day, the Barneked Ladies rocked the audience with over 100 minutes of high energy pop rock including their biggest hit, "If I Had a Million Dollars." The band also participated in a meet & greet with client VIPs and even agreed to sign 100 CDs as gifts for attendees. Other talent that was booked by Empire and featured at this meeting included comedian Greg Giraldo, speaker Lizzy Simon, Bluegrass band The Suggins Brothers, and members of the DeKalb Marching Band who were featured in the motion picture "Drum Line."

Empire continues to be the industry leader in booking and presenting contemporary talent for corporate meetings and events.