Some of the items in the 'Everybody Wins' gift bag from Distinctive Assets. Photo: Distinctive Assets
Some of the items in the 'Everybody Wins' gift bag from Distinctive Assets. Photo: Distinctive Assets
Some of the items in the 'Everybody Wins' gift bag from Distinctive Assets. Photo: Distinctive Assets
Some of the items in the 'Everybody Wins' gift bag from Distinctive Assets. Photo: Distinctive Assets

Culture

Film & TV

What's in this year's Oscars gift bag worth an estimated $180,000?

Packages, including ski holidays and wellness retreats, are only given to those nominated in the main categories as well as the host

Evelyn Lau
Evelyn Lau

March 09, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

Another award show, another over-the-top gift bag.

This year's "Everyone Wins" swag package at the Oscars offers a range of lavish experiences and products. For more than two decades, Distinctive Assets, an entertainment marketing company in Los Angeles, has coordinated and delivered the bags to those nominated for an Academy Award.

However, the gift bags aren’t affiliated with the Oscars. They are instead a private marketing endeavour. Additionally, not everyone nominated gets one as they are only given to the top acting and directing contenders and the host.

This year's haul includes a three-night stay at Chalet Zermatt Peak in the Swiss Alps, the reigning winner of the Best Ski Chalet from the World’s Ski Awards, valued at $50,000. There's also a seven-day retreat to the Golden Door spa in Southern California ($24,000), which offers daily massages, farm-to-table meals, private hiking trails and mindfulness and wellness classes.

Other highlights include in the package include:

  • A three-night stay at a Saint-Barth Paradise luxury villa, where week-long trips go for between $14,000 and $80,000.
  • Private performance by celebrity mentalist Carl Christman ($25,000)
  • Fashion and beauty including an Elboque shearling bag ($311), a Bagceit handbag holder ($55), Jambys shorts ($38) and a bundle of Miage skincare products ($516)
  • Clean beauty offerings of Danucera Cerabalm ($55) and D22 Tonic ($88), Goodal Green Tangerine Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum ($20) and Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray ($34)
  • Skincare products from Instytutum: the Flawless Pads ($95), Hydrafusion 4D HA Water Burst Cream ($87) and Fancy Match Lip Gloss ($44)
  • A micro-needling session from Cynosure ($10,000) and a Helight Sleep device ($139) powered by red light therapy

Balancing the assortment includes more budget-friendly items such as a 50th anniversary Rubik’s Cube ($15) and a sampling of Poppi prebiotic soda ($30).

Who will get an Oscars gift bag?

These are the 26 recipients this year.

From left, Annette Bening, Sandra Huller, Carey Mulligan, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are nominated for Best Actress at the 96th Academy Awards. EPA
From left, Annette Bening, Sandra Huller, Carey Mulligan, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are nominated for Best Actress at the 96th Academy Awards. EPA
  • Host: Jimmy Kimmel
  • Best Director nominees: Justine Triet, Martin Scorcese, Christopher Nolan, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jonathan Glazer
  • Best Actor nominees: Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright
  • Best Actress nominees: Annette Bening, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Huller, Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone
  • Best Supporting Actor nominees: Sterling K Brown, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr, Ryan Gosling, Mark Ruffalo
  • Best Supporting Actress nominees: Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, America Ferrera, Jodie Foster, Da'Vine Joy Randolph

However, one downside of receiving the lavish bags is that some of the items are considered taxable income, meaning recipients will have to pay up to America's IRS.

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Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

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