Carlos Allegri | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
There is no greater honor in Hollywood than receiving an Oscar nomination.
For established actors, it can be the cornerstone of an illustrious career. For newcomers, it can launch them into stardom. But in addition to the critical acclaim and higher earning potential, there’s another perk to getting an Oscar nod: the goodie bag.
For the 21st year in a row, Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets is delivering its infamous “Everybody Wins” goodie bags to nominees in the acting and director categories.
The 2023 edition of the bag — which is not affiliated with the Oscars — is valued at around $123,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, and includes more than 60 freebies ranging from a $16 pack of coated pretzels of chocolate at a $40,000 visit to a luxury Canadian estate.
There’s nothing quite like a first-time candidate’s excitement about getting that gift bag.
Lash Fary
Founder, Distinctive Assets
Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets, told CNBC Make It that once Oscar nominations are announced, the bag delivery process begins.
In the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, the Distinctive Assets team contacts nominee representatives to see if they are interested in receiving the goody bags and to plan logistics.
“There’s nothing quite like a first-time candidate’s excitement about getting that goody bag,” Fary said.
In some cases, the Distinctive Assets team needs to determine not only which hotel applicants are staying at, but under which alias their room is listed.
Due to the large quantity of products offered, Distinctive Assets delivers everything packed in two suitcases.
“A lot of these people are traveling or going to transport it somewhere else,” he says. “So we would like it to be as convenient as possible for them.”
Michelle Yeoh is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
A24
This year’s biggest deal is a $40,000 three-night stay at remote luxury property The Lifestyle in Ottawa, Canada.
Applicants who decide to visit the all-inclusive estate will enjoy a well-stocked fridge stocked with gourmet foods, a home theater as well as the ability to drive a 1965 Shelby AC Cobra 427 Roadster as well as a McLaren 2023. Arthur.
Bags also include dozens of other items and vouchers. Here are some highlights:
- A $9,000 three-night stay at Faro Punta Imperatore Lighthouse in Ischia, Italy for the contestant and up to 7 friends.
- One square meter piece of land in Australia as part of the Pieces of Australia conservation project, valued at $50.
- A $12,000 arm liposuction procedure from Dr. Thomas Su promising to “give women an instant, toned look” with “smooth shapes and perfectly defined contours.”
- Shinery Radiance Wash, a hand soap on Oprah’s favorite things list that cleans your jewelry while you wash your hands.
- A private hair restoration consultation with Dr. Alan J. Bauman, hair transplant surgeon, valued at $7,000.
- Up to $10,000 worth of Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich procedures including chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing and Botox.
It is up to each recipient to decide whether he wishes to use the vouchers given to him.
The IRS considers valuable gift bags to be taxable income, meaning the more trips and procedures a candidate decides to accept, the more they will pay on tax day.
In the 21 years that Fary has been providing luxury vacations to Oscar nominees, no one has taken them all.
“If they’re swapping a trip, that’s all they really have time for with their family of movie times, all that kind of stuff,” he says. “In my experience, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll make two trips.”
Director Steven Spielberg has received numerous “Everybody Wins” goody bags for previous Oscar nominations.
Gilbert Flores | Variety | Getty Images
Because the “Everybody Wins” bag isn’t officially Oscar-sanctioned, it’s up to Fary to decide which nominees will receive the sought-after bag.
This year’s bag recipients will be nominees for “Best Director”, “Best Actress”, “Best Actor”, “Best Supporting Actress” and “Best Supporting Actor”.
In the case of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, which was directed by the team of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Fary will send them each a gift bag.
“It’s the first time this has happened to us that I can remember,” he said. “But there is plenty to go around.”
Here are the 27 recipients of this year’s goodie bag:
- Host: jimmy kimmel
- Best Director nominees: Martin McDonagh, Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, Steven Spielberg, Todd Field, Ruben 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
- Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Brendan Gleeson, Brian Tyree Henry, Judd Hirsch, Barry Keoghan, Key Huy Quan
- Best Supporting Actress nominees: Angela Bassett, Hong Chau, Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu
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