Scouted: This Year, Fire Relief Dominates Gifting for Oscar Nominees

Yahoo

01-03-2025

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Oscar nominees aren't just famous for lauded roles. They're also famous for regifting. Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets and the man responsible for the most elaborate of awards season swag, will be the first to tell you that A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence will parlay gifts (like $5000 designer bags) into hookups for family. In the case of this year's 'Everyone Wins' swag—offered to the Academy Awards host Conan O'Brien and Oscar nominees in the best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, and best director categories—a penchant for sharing the spoils is a good thing. Because aside from the $25,000 in services at a Floridian plastic surgery clinic, this year's gifts include big-ticket items meant for providing much-needed relief to those affected by the Los Angeles fires.
Most notably, $1 million in Bright Harbor personalized disaster recovery support (ranging from help with insurance and government assistance paperwork to vetting vendors for remediation and rebuilding) is included and will be shared among 300 families. 'This isn't one of those things that's non-transferable or is just giving a month or two,' Fary says. 'The company gave to each of the nominees a full year's membership worth more than $3,500, so someone who lost their home, like Adrien Brody, can certainly take advantage of having a team of professionals helping walk them through this process.'
What's more, each recipient will receive 10 one-year memberships to give to others who lost homes in the fires. 'It's a true gift that these celebrities can actually share with anybody that they want, and we all want it to reach as many people as possible,' he says. Additionally, Maison Construction, a firm headed by a born-and-bred Angeleno, is offering complimentary project management services and a 50 percent discount on construction services, which can be used by the recipient or passed on to someone who lost their home in the L.A. fires.
For some nominees, this year's focus on supporting those in need while also celebrating the moment may take the sting off an Oscar loss (which for actors, can also mean missing out on six-figure cash bonuses contracted by distribution studios and/or producers or a 20 to 60 percent pay bump for subsequent roles).
For the rest of us, the thoughtful, give-back component helps rationalize the idea of well-heeled celebs getting $216,191 in freebies (including more than $37,000 in vacations that have been hand-selected by a private concierge who caters to high-net-worth individuals). We're talking about a four-night stay at two Joali Maldives resorts known for villas-only accommodations and dedicated butler service, five nights at Santani, a wellness retreat in the hills of Sri Lanka, and a three-night stay at Barcelona's tony Cotton House Hotel.
See what Timothée Chalamet, Cynthia Erivo, Demi Moore, Kieran Culkin, Zoe Saldaña, and others will find in awards season's biggest gift bag ahead.