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There is no greater prize in Hollywood than being nominated for an Academy Award.
For established actors, it could be the culmination of an illustrious career. For newcomers, it could launch them into superstardom. But in addition to the critical acclaim and higher earning potential, there’s another perk to getting an Oscar nod: the gift bag.
For the 21st year in a row, Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets is giving out its infamous “Everybody Wins” gift bags to nominees in the acting and directing categories.
The 2023 version of the bag — non-Oscars — is valued at nearly $123,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, and includes more than 60 gifts ranging from a $16 package of chocolate-covered pretzels to a … $40,000 Canadian estate visit luxury.
There’s nothing quite like the first-time candidate’s excitement to receive this gift bag
Lash Vari
Founder of Premium Assets
Once the Oscar nominations are announced, the process of handing over the bags begins, Lash Vari, founder of Distinctive Assets, told CNBC Make It.
In the weeks leading up to the Oscars, the Featured Assets team reaches out to the cast for the nominees to see if they’d be interested in getting gift bags and planning the logistics.
“There’s nothing like a first-time candidate’s excitement to receive this gift bag,” says Fary.
In some cases, the Privileged Asset team needs to know not only who will be staying at the hotel, but also what their room alias is listed under.
Due to the large amount of products that go for gifting, premium assets offer everything packed into two bags.
“A lot of these people are traveling, or they’ll move it somewhere else,” he says. “So we like to make it as comfortable as possible for them.”
Michelle Yeoh was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere at Once.
A 24
The biggest offer of the year is a three-night, $40,000 stay at the remote luxury hotel Lifestyle in Ottawa, Canada.
Candidates who decide to visit the all-inclusive property will enjoy a fully stocked refrigerator stocked with gourmet foods, a home movie theater as well as the ability to drive a 1965 Shelby AC Cobra 427 Roadster as well as a 2023 McLaren Artura.
The bags also include dozens of other items and coupons. Here are some highlights:
- $9,000 USD, for three nights in a hotel Faro Punta Imperator Lighthouse In Ischia, Italy, for the candidate and up to 7 friends.
- Square meter plot of land in Australia through pieces from Australia Conservation Project $50.
- The $12,000 arm liposuction procedure from Dr. Thomas Su promises to “immediately give women a slim, toned appearance” with “smooth shapes and perfectly defined lines.”
- Shinery Radiance Wash, a hand soap on Oprah’s favorite list that cleans your jewelry while you wash your hands.
- Private hair restoration consultation with leading hair transplant surgeon Dr. Alan J. Bowman, worth $7,000.
- Procedures worth up to $10,000 from Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich, including chemical peels, laser dermabrasion, and Botox.
It is up to each recipient to decide if they want to use the coupons they have been given.
The IRS views the value of the gift bags as… taxable incomewhich means that the more trips and procedures the candidate decides to accept, the more he will pay, come tax day.
In the 21 years that Fary has been giving luxury vacations to Oscar nominees, no one has ever taken them.
“If they take one trip back, that’s all they really have time to do with family, their movie schedules, all that stuff,” he says. “In my experience, it is very unlikely that they will make two trips.”
Director Steven Spielberg has received several “everybody wins” gift bags for past Oscar nominations.
Gilbert Flores | Miscellaneous | Getty Images
Since the Everybody Wins bag has not yet been officially endorsed by the Academy Awards, it is up to Fary to decide which nominees will receive the coveted bag.
This year’s bag winners are the nominees for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.
In the case of “Everything Everywhere at Once” directed by the team of Dan Cowan and Daniel Scheinert, Vary will send each of them a bag of gifts.
“It’s the first time I can remember this,” he says. “But there is a lot to walk around in.”
These are the 27 gift bag recipients this year:
- Host: Jimmy Kimmel
- Best Director nominees: Martin McDonagh, Dan Cowan and Daniel Scheinert, Steven Spielberg, Todd Field, Robin Ostlund
- Best Actor Nominees: Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Paul Mescal, Bill Nighy
- Best Actress Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Andrea Riseborough, Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh
- Nominees for Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Brian Tyree Henry, Judd Hirsch, Barry Keoghan, Ke Hui Kwan
- Nominees for Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett, Hong Zhao, Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu
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