Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company, has been distributing its “Everyone Wins” gift bags to Oscar nominees in the four main acting categories as well as Best Director since 2002. Even if the nominees don’t win, they go home with lavish gift bags containing everything from lucrative vacations and jewelry to rejuvenation procedures, including Dr. Thomas Su’s Art Lipo arm sculpting and Dr. Alan Bauman’s hair restoration services.
Distinctive Assets’ founder, Lash Fary, came up with the idea of gifting the top nominees to be a part of the Oscars without doing something with the Academy. According to Fary, “That way, if they lost, they got this awesome consolation prize. And if they win, they get this as icing on the cake.” This year, only 26 nominees will receive an “Everyone Wins” gift bag, including the five people in the top five categories.
Over the past two decades, the outrageous Oscars gifts have ranged from an Antarctic cruise to a year’s worth of Audi rentals, and brands fork over between $4,000 and $35,000 to be included in the annual selection. Being included in the Oscars swag bag comes with a certain risk, but it’s one that brands hope will pay off with a celebrity endorsement.
In 2013, Amy Adams was photographed in a gifted “Strong Is The New Skinny” shirt, and previous nominees, including Viola Davis and Mark Ruffalo, have shared photos from their free trips on Instagram. Some have even become repeat customers, such as Ron Howard, who hosted his son’s wedding at the Winvian Farm in Connecticut after visiting it through his Oscars gift bag.
This year’s haul is worth an estimated $126,000, a 10% drop from last year and nearly half off the all-time high of $225,000 in 2020. However, the bag is still worth more than 300 times the value of Oscar himself – the 24-karat gold-plated statuette only costs about $400 to make.
The 2023 Oscars goodies range from plastic surgery to a bottle of coconut water, and all will be delivered to the homes of A-listers such as Austin Butler, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, and Steven Spielberg this week. Though the concept of a “gift bag” has long been a misnomer, there are so many presents each year that they require multiple suitcases to transport them all.
The choice of packing is apt since often, the most expensive presents are trips to far-flung destinations, the perfect opportunity for a celebrity to be spotted with a gifted carry-on. This year’s selection includes a $40,000 getaway to a 10-acre Canadian estate called The Lifestyle and a three-night stay in a restored Italian lighthouse, valued at $9,000.
“Obviously, [the nominees] can afford to go where they want,” says Fary. “It’s not about the fact that this is free. It’s about the fact that we’ve found a unique place that has built-in privacy for a celebrity. I mean, it’s a hillside lighthouse on an island off the coast of Italy – it’s very private.”
Homebodies can take advantage of the second-most valuable gift – $25,000 worth of project management fees during home restoration from Maison Construction – or they can cash in on feeling at home in their own skin. $41,000 worth of gifts are in the form of rejuvenation procedures, including Dr. Thomas Su’s Art Lipo arm sculpting and Dr. Alan Bauman’s hair restoration services.
Main Image: Andrew Eccles for Variety
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