Empire once again served as producer for Keep a Child Alive’s Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. This year’s 13^th annual Black Ball honored music legend Clive Davis and featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, A$APRocky, Chance the Rapper, Salt-N-Pepa, and Patti Smith.

The Black Ball was designed by Creative Director Earle Sebastian who chose to reignite the spirit of '80s activism for this year’s cocktails, dinner, and stage design theme. Design elements included fabric walls, geometric prints, and a live art installation piece by British visual artist Shantell Martin, best known for her stream-of-consciousness drawings and light projections. Grafitti-covered walls featuring AIDS activism posters covered the space while 13-year old DJ Fulano dropped old school beats, transporting the audience back in time.

Keep a Child Alive’s co-founder Alicia Keys and Keep a Child Alive CEO Peter Twyman took the stage to evoke the spirit of the '80s, when AIDS activists launched the movement to bring access to treatment for millions around the world. Their remarks underscored the courage and bravery of those early days of AIDS, and the need to empower the next generation of activists.

Then KCA honored innovator, creator, and humanitarian Clive Davis, who has impacted the lives of so many people though his tremendous contributions in music and philanthropic efforts.

A star-studded guest list of over 600 came out to support Keep a Child Alive’s mission with guests including Clive Davis, Padma Lakshmi, Mr. Brainwash, Alek Wek, Lupita Nyong’o, Baz Luhrmann, Omari Hardwick, and Russell Simmons.

Guests dined on a delicious dinner designed by guest chef Marcus Samuelsson and catered by Creative Edge.

This year’s Black Ball raised $2 million through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, pledges, and a live auction hosted by CK Swett. The live auction featured a luxurious trip to the exclusive Sugar Beach resort, custom-made Christian Louboutin shoes, limited edition Louis XIII Cognac, plus a guided tour of their cellar in France, and his and hers Audemars Piguet watches. The Black Ball has raised over $30 million sinceits humble beginnings in 2004.

After the auction, Alicia Keys and her band put on an incredible concert performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several amazing musical guests. For the first time ever, the concert was livestreamed on TIDAL, where people all over the world could witness the incredible performances in their living rooms.

Hip Hop Queens of the '80s and '90s, Salt-N-Pepa opened the concert with old school classics, “PushIt”, “Let’s Talk About Sex”, and “Whatta Man” — a tribute to honoree Clive Davis. Chance the Rapper came out to perform “Angels", “No Problems”, and a duet with Alicia Keys.

Grammy Award-nominated artist A$AP Rocky took the stage next, pumping up the crowd with “Fashion Killa”, “Yamborghini High”, “Flacko Jodye II”, and then followed with a duet with Keys on “Blended Family.”

Alicia Keys then sang classics and new song “Holy War” to a crowd high from the electrifying concert. Finally, legendary Patti Smith took the stage to sing “People Have the Power” and “Because the Night” with Keys.

Moments after the concert ended, Swizz Beatz and DJ Runna took to the stage to DJ the Afterglow party, keeping all the guests dancing into the early hours of the morning.

Empire has been proud to serve as the Producer of the Black Ball since its inception in 2004 and to partner with Keep a Child Alive and Alicia Keys to grow it into one of New York’s most anticipated, annual fundraising events. To learn more about Keep a Child Alive and support their mission, please visit www.keepachildalive.org#KCABlackBall

FilmStruck is a new streaming service for movie lovers from Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection. FilmStruck delivers a constantly-refreshed, curated library of arthouse, independent, foreign, and cult films from critically-acclaimed studios around the world. Developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies in partnership with The Criterion Collection, FilmStruck is the exclusive streaming home to the world-renowned Criterion Collection of films.

Held at 404 @ Hudson Yards, a white space in New York City, the event hosted over 250 VIPs from the motion picture, television, digital and media worlds including Dawn of the Dead director George Romero, actress Rose McGowan, and musician Laurie Anderson.

To launch this unique service, FilmStruck called upon Empire to design and create a unique, experiential evening featuring immersive vignettes and experiences based on some of its iconic film titles, including Mad Max, Clerks, Moulin Rouge, and The Seventh Seal.

Guests were able to become a part of Mad Max (1979), as Empire created a green screen production set where once in costume, guests could take the wheel behind Max’s Interceptor, manically drive and create their own trailer for the film. Guests immediately received a completed scene of themselves as Mad Max, which they could post to social media.

For the motion picture Moulin Rouge (1952), Empire created a French boudoir backstage of the famed Parisian cabaret. Cancan girls seduced guests with Absinthe cocktails and a caricature artist offered guests portraits created in the style of French painter, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

To depict Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957), Empire reimagined the film’s iconic “chess match with death”. The brooding black and white sea was the backdrop as two actors embodying death and the knight played an infinite chess match. Guests were able to participate in their own game with an oversized chess board directly parallel to the deadly match.

In the Clerks vignette, Empire replicated the film’s iconic “Quick Stop”. Complete with a cash register, live security camera, and an indifferent store clerk, everything behind the counter was up for grabs. A digital photo booth captured images as guests shoplifted and uploaded them to social media using the hashtag #FilmStruck.

Each vignette had its own custom cocktails and Turner, FilmStruck, and Criterion Collection executives delivered brief welcome remarks in front of a 20’ LED wall displaying footage from some of the FilmStruck titles. Guests also utilized a series of tablets to navigate and explore the FilmStruck app in comfortable living room furnishings, driving home the message that these films are now available in the home.

Empire worked closely with Turner and FilmStruck to design and execute all aspects of the event and engaged media partner Shore Fire to assist with press outreach.

The resulting event generated substantial influencer awareness and media coverage for the FilmStruck launch and the event was highly enjoyed by all attendees.

During the same week, Empire also executed a presence marketing sponsorship for FilmStruck at the Walter Reade Theater at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where guests attending the New York Film Festival could relax in a living room set and explore the FilmStruck platform.

Empire is honored to work with FilmStruck, Turner Classic Movies, and The Criterion Collection to launch this extraordinary new streaming service. To learn more about FilmStruck visit http://www.filmstruck.com​

Empire delivered former Secretary of State, and retired General Colin Powell to speak at two separate engagements for an international financial investment firm in New York City.

At the early morning event, General Powell participated in an intimate fireside chat before an audience of 30 renowned hedge fund and private equity founders. Throughout the interview and open Q&A session, the General discussed and answered questions on a vast scale of topics – from cybersecurity to foreign policy; the state of the American economy; immigration; and, of course, the upcoming 2016 US Presidential Election.

General Powell provided valuable insights to all those in attendance, helping them gain new perspectives on how global markets and investing may shift according to the current geopolitical landscape. Following the Q&A, the General participated in a brief meet & greet with the guests and dispersed signed copies of his book In Life and Leadership.

For the second event, held directly after the morning session, General Powell delivered a keynote presentation before an audience of well over 300 guests. With everyone packed into the auditorium, the General riveted the audience with stories of his childhood, nostalgic memories of his experiences with the Reagan and Bush administrations, and shared his sentiments of continued optimism toward the United States and the direction the country is heading.

It was evident that both crowds were inspired by General Powell’s wisdom and insights; he was the perfect speaker for both events. Empire worked closely with longstanding partner, Washington Speakers Bureau, to contract and coordinate Colin Powell’s appearance.

Empire continues to be a leading resource in delivering keynote speakers, political experts, and speakers of all areas of expertise for a variety of organizations.

During September’s United Nations General Assembly week, Bloomberg Philanthropies presented an important thought leadership conference entitled the U.S. - Africa Business Forum.

Held at the storied Plaza Hotel in New York City, the forum included programming and remarks from President Barack Obama, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, various Heads of State, and C-Level executives from across the African continent.

For the closing performance of the forum, Bloomberg Philanthropies called on Empire to provide the right entertainment to end the conference on a high note and reflect Africa, U. S., and New York City culture.  

Empire and Bloomberg worked together to design and present an original collaboration featuring the African Children’s Choir from Uganda, the world-renowned Harlem Gospel Choir and rising star, Randall Haywood, a Juilliard-educated trumpeter.

The final product came together with an inspired rendition of ‘This Little Light of Mine’, a gospel classic performed in an African style with a New York City trumpet twist. The closing performance brought the audience to their feet and provided the perfect ending to this extraordinary gathering.

Empire is a leading supplier of creative talent and original performances for international organizations, philanthropies, corporations and private individuals.

To Learn more about the U.S. – Africa Business Forum visit http://usafricabusinessforum.bloomberg.org/#/

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The International Bar Association held its annual conference in Washington, D.C. this year. CMS, a law firm located in Frankfurt, Germany, contracted Empire’s New York City office to produce the reception they host each year on the first day of IBA conference. CMS had engaged Empire’s Tokyo office to produce this same event for them in Tokyo the prior year.

Empire’s Washington DC-based Senior Producer toured the city with CMS to find a perfect venue, a classic venue representing both Washington D.C. and the United States. We chose the Organization of the American States, one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in Washington right off the National Mall with views to the Ellipse and the White House front Lawn. Typically this is invitation-only, stand up reception hosts 500 guests. This year’s rolling reception counted nearly 800 throughout the evening with guests from all over the world.

Producing large-scale events in historic venues in Washington D.C. brings a host of challenges, including care for the landmarked facilities, scrupulous observance of rules, and high levels of security. Empire successfully navigated these challenges including implementing a staged arrival of busses to facilitate a smooth and efficient electronic check-in and security sweep.

Guests were directed upstairs to the ballroom where a local jazz band played as guests enjoyed bountiful buffets a huge center bar. An outside bar under the lights allowed guests to view the historic courtyard at OAS.

Empire worked with CMS to carefully choose the menu offering classic American food with many flavors from the Mid-Atlantic region. All food was served in elegant, bite sizes so the international crowd had the opportunity to taste several options of American cuisine. We also featured local beer and Californian wine, serving American flavors.

Empire’s worldwide network of offices and producers facilitate our providing seamless service to top tier clients throughout the world including cultural financial and political capitals like New York, Tokyo, and Washington D.C..

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​Earlier this Fall, Empire was called upon to deliver a special character for a surprise 60th birthday party in New York – the one and only James Bond. Given the birthday boy’s infatuation with the Bond franchise, his family had the idea of surprising him with an appearance from one of the original James Bonds. This materialized into the once-in-a-lifetime presence of the legendary Sir Roger Moore.

As the party began, Sir Roger mingled with family members and close friends in a backroom of the venue, while the birthday boy enjoyed his party in the front – without a clue of what his family had in store.

Upon delivering birthday toasts, the family related their loving father and husband to that of the elusive James Bond character – adventures and injuries aplenty. But toward the end of their toasts, they recognized that only a few people in the world could really talk about what it’s like to be James Bond…

Cue the Bond theme music, and out walks the Sir Roger Moore, tuxedo and all, to grant the birthday boy a wish. To cap it off, Sir Roger ended the surprise with a toast in true Bond style, martini in hand – shaken, not stirred.

Empire continues to be a leading provider of A-list celebrity talent appearances, keynote speakers, comedians, host/emcees, and headline musical acts for private individuals, organizations, and clients of all kinds.

Kid Witness News, KWN, is a global video education program sponsored by Panasonic. The KWN program uses video production to stimulate creativity, build communication skills, and encourage teamwork among children in elementary and secondary schools.

This year the Global Awards Ceremony was held in Brazil, the first-ever in Latin America and during the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. To ensure a smooth and successful event, Panasonic chose Empire Japan to serve as executive producer. Empire's role included venue selection, working with local production vendors, and directing the overall look and feel of the Award Ceremony.

This year, there were seven finalist schools from six different countries including Brazil, Hong Kong, Germany, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. After a full day of exploring Rio de Janeiro (Sugar Loaf Mountain, Athlete Villages, and The Media Press Center) the main event would be the Awards Ceremony.

To commemorate its collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee, the Awards Ceremony began with a greeting from its special guest, Sir. Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee. Other guests included Mr. Xavier Gonzalez, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee; Mr. Duane Kale, Governing Board Member of the International Paralympic Committee; Mr. Mark Wallace, the Chief Content Officer of the Olympic Broadcasting Services; Mr. Renato Ciuchini, Chief Commercial Officer, Rio 2016; Mr. Yukihiko Nunomura, Vice Director General, Chief Operating Officer, Tokyo 2020; and Mr. Junich Kawai, Chairman of Japan Paralympic Committee.

The Awards Ceremony included awards presented by the special guests with Regional Head of Panasonic Latin America, Mr. Shigeo Suzuki, presenting the Grand Prix for the Primary Category to Kowloon Tong School inHong Kong for their work “the Bigger Picture", and special guest, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir. Philip Craven, presenting the Grand Prix for the Secondary Category to Assumption Samutpkarn School in Thailand for their work "Missing Game".

The following day, the finalist schools had an exciting full day of shopping and watching the Paralympic Games.

Empire Japan was thrilled to help Panasonic produce yet another successful KWN Global Awards Ceremony.

For more information about Kid Witness News, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/kwn.html

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Empire Japan had the great honor to organize the launch event of the first Bulgari Hotels & Resorts book, La Cucina Di Luca Fantin, introducing the amazing work of Luca Fantin, executive chef of Bulgari’s famous Il Ristorante Luca Fantin in Tokyo. A press conference, discussion, lunch, and cocktail reception were held at the magnificent Bulgari Ginza Tower.

Luca Fantin offers a contemporary interpretation of the Italian culinary tradition, reinventing the concept of Italian cuisine while using the best local ingredients from producers across Japan. La Cucina Di Luca Fantis introduces the reader to Luca's journey and what inspires him each day to create dishes that are comparable to Bulgari’s famed jewelry.

The book launch event began with a press conference for a select group of 56 Japanese journalists and a panel discussion introducing Chef Luca Fantin; Silvio Ursini, Group Executive Vice President of Bulgari; Andrea Petrini, journalist and author; Takanori Nakamura, journalist, all who partnered to make this adventure possible.

Top media elite, politicians, and other notables were invited to a press lunch, including Domenico Gorgi, Italian Ambassador to Japan. They enjoyed a late summer menu prepared by Luca Fantin.

Later that evening, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts hosted a celebration and cocktail reception for over 400 guests at Bulgari Ginza Tower's La Terrazza Dom Pérignon lounge, with music provided by the famous Italian DJ Nicola Conte. Il Ristorante was transformed into a gallery presenting a selection of beautiful photos from La Cucina Di Luca Fantin.

​Empire is a proud producer of high-profile luxury events around the world.

​One the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games, Empire kicked off the festivities by producing two high-profile reception events for Worldwide Olympic Sponsors Panasonic and Bridgestone.

Panasonic’s reception event took place on top Sugarloaf Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Empire proposed and secured this venue for not only the reception party, but also as a technology showcase called the “Panasonic Stadium of Wonders”, which will be open to the public throughout the Olympic Games. Sugarloaf is also the site of the Empire-produced Panasonic Find-Your-Dreams CityCam web activation featuring Neymar Jr., which can be seen here: http://find-your-dreams-rio2016.panasonic.com/2016/

Guests arriving at the reception via cable car were treated to the vaunted panoramic views of Rio, including Copacabana and Corcovado Christ the Redeemer. Following a dramatic sunset, the party began. Entertainment planned and delivered by Empire included a live Bossa Nova band and performance by 20 Samba dancers and musicians, including the 2016 Queen of the Rio Carnival, Clara Paixão.

At the same time, down on the Copacabana Beach at the famed Copacabana Palace Hotel, Empire helped new Worldwide Olympic Sponsor Bridgestone celebrate their first summer Olympics with live performances by Bossa Cuca Nova and São Clemente Samba School.

What makes a perfect evening? How about a performance by the legendary Andrea Bocelli at the world-renowned Sporting Club in Monte Carlo? Empire presented and produced the beloved tenor as a surprise for nearly 1,000 corporate guests on August 31, 2016.  

His performance was a surprise to the audience and there was an audible gasp from when Mr. Bocelli was first introduced to the stage. The Maestro then enchanted and thrilled the crowd with two sets; the first accompanied by piano and a quartet, and then, after a very quick stage changeover, the second set featured the Maestro backed by the Orchestra Philarmonica Italiana.  

Bocelli mesmerized the attendees with classical pieces, and was joined onstage by Alessandra Marianelli and Ilaria Della Bidia to duet with him operatic renditions of more mainstream hits, such as "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" and "I'm In Heaven". As the audience gave Mr. Bocelli a tremendous standing ovation, the windows and roof of the Sporting Club opened for the final surprise of the evening - an incredible fireworks display over the Mediterranean.  

In addition to his performance, Mr. Bocelli also joined client VIPs for an intimate meet & greet and photo op prior to the show.

Empire has presented many of the world’s elite performing artists at incomparable venues in more than 100 countries around the globe. From Andrea Bocelli, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman to Jennifer Hudson, Tony Bennett, and Norah Jones, Empire is always able to provide classic, elegant headline entertainment for sophisticated audiences.

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