The creator of the $175,000 gift bags Oscar nominees receive: ‘You’re never too famous to enjoy getting free stuff’

Hollywood tallies its traditions, in not just years, but dollars. For a city as expensive and complex as Los Angeles, money moves careers and mountains alike. And over the last two decades, a new classic tradition has taken hold: the famous gift bags given to the Academy Awards’ nominees. Every year, the total value of the bag (really, a gigantic sack) is made public. This year, its worth tops out at nearly $180,000. The 2024 bags feature dozens and dozens of products: hydrating creams valued at nearly $500, soft drinks, purses, cookies, facial cleansers, kitchen accessories, aprons, pet food, tequila, pillowcases, chocolates, personalized 3D figurines, undershirts, books, mouthwash, a portable infrared grill worth $1,300 (to be placed in one’s backyard), and all kinds of gadgets. The most valuable of its items are trips. This year they include three: a getaway to Switzerland for 10 people, a week-long wellness retreat in Southern California and three nights in St. Barts, one of the Caribbean’s most luxurious settings.

But, who is behind all this largesse, and why have they spent 22 years producing the bags, one round of deliveries after another, without even so much as an official affiliation with the Academy? That would be Lash Fary, founder of the company Distinctive Assets, who has mastered one of LA’s most daunting areas of expertise: contacts. In this case, the doling out of brand visibility via the beautiful people, the optimization of the delicate art of word of mouth. 52-year-old Fary, who was born in Virginia and began his project around the same time he moved to Los Angeles some 25 years ago, started out on a much smaller scale, but brands quickly warmed to the concept. Their deal is straightforward: for months, Fary searches out the chocolates and facial toners; their companies donate about 26 of their products (a drop in the bucket for most of them), and also pay him a fee. Then, he is in charge of getting the products to the most famous celebrities in the world in advance of the famous gala in the world. In the end, everyone finds out the stars have and use the products and the sales of the products reflect that boost in their status. Everybody wins.

When Fary joins our videocall, it appears as though we have inadvertently tuned into the Home Shopping Network. He is surrounded by dozens of products on a gigantic table, which he proceeds to display and describe. After all, it is he who is responsible for this famous sack (pardon, bag) that will be sent to the 25 most famous nominees at this year’s Oscars, in addition to presenters of the prizes for Best Actress and Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Actor and Best Director. What if they don’t want the bag? He smiles. Almost always, almost everyone wants it. If someone declines (never more than one or two people, he says), he has a plan B: he sends it to an Oscar snub, or to a deserving acquaintance, as he sees fit. They began to deliver this year’s bags last Wednesday, and his team has yet to receive a single “no.” If there are any left over, he’ll pass one along to Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie.

This all began 25 years ago with the Grammys. Fary set up a pop-up shop for the music awards where they sold “clothing and jewelry for television shows here in Los Angeles,” he recalls. But the idea for another business model occurred to him: he would offer up items that had been donated by the brands, which would in term pay him a quota for his work getting the items into the right hands. “They get quite a bit of value out of it, and then the talent gets all this free stuff. And let’s face it, you’re never too famous to enjoy getting free stuff. It’s a win-win,” he says. They still give out gifts to 150 Grammy artists, but those have a lower value — $36,000 this year. When it comes to the Oscars, Distinctive Assets is more selective, and its gift bag’s value reflects that exclusivity. “This one is $178,000. But that’s mainly because of the trips. You know, folks can’t give out 150 $50,000 ski chalet trips, they’ll go bankrupt, and they wouldn’t have enough space on their calendar for paying guests. It’s because the quantity is so low for this one that we get those super-expensive items that pop up the value,” explains Fary. This isn’t even the most expensive year; in other moments, the gift bags have been valued at $225,000. “No one would know the difference. The difference among these special trips make the difference in the value. All the products are pretty much consistent from year to year, usually about 50 physical products and then a handful of gift certificates,” he says in reference to, for example, donations that can be made in the names of the celebrities (this year, animal advocacy organization PETA will donate 10,000 meals for dogs through the gift bags) or in the name of someone else they designate.

Fary does it all with a “handful of collaborators,” without mentioning exactly how many people are on his team, who are hired on contract for Oscar season. At times, he’s the one putting the bags together, calling the brands, making connections. He has a team dedicated to deliveries — “We literally just walked out the door to deliver Jodie Foster’s gift bag, it was the first one” — and to keeping track of where each nominee prefers to receive their gifts. For example, Sandra Hüller, who is nominated for Anatomy of a Fall, asked them to send her bag to Germany, since she’ll only be in Los Angeles to attend the gala. No problem, they do international deliveries. “Basically, my company, Distinctive Assets, connects brands with celebrities and high-profile events. Sometimes it’s independent of the Oscars,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s being backstage at the Grammy Awards, or at a celebrity’s birthday party and we’re bringing in a liquor sponsor. Anything that will help these brands have an international spotlight shine on them. To have this stardust sprinkle on them, that is what my company does,” Fary smiles.

In choosing his collaborating brands, Fary has a simple, very American policy: “First come, first served.” If they are working with a shoe brand, that’s the only one that will be included in the bag. If a thermos company wants in, the bag doesn’t have one yet and the brand rises to Distinctive Assets, it’s welcome. This means companies have to be quick, or diversify. Also, the entrepreneur likes working with companies run by women or underrepresented communities. “For example, there’s a little company called Hot Tea Coffee House, they make luxury bath products. She’s a Deaf single mom and she participated last year. She’s here again this year. Last year, with one mention in the press, just one, she sold out of her entire stock. She basically texted me saying, ‘I’m in tears right now. I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity.’”

The last couple of days, thanks to Fary’s coordination with stars’ assistants, many of whom he’s known for years — “A lot of the folks have been nominated before. We already have their delivery information. So, it’s just coordinating the timing. Like, Bradley Cooper we’ve been delivering to for years. I just go to his home address, which we already have, it’s just about coordinating with his assistant” — the gift bags have begun to arrive; every one identical, with no difference between those sent to male and female recipients, although the color and fit of certain products can vary (each one gets shoes in their size, for example). Some will be sent back, of course. “I never know the reason. Sometimes they’re traveling, or they don’t want them. They can be annoyed by them. They have sponsorship conflicts. They don’t understand it,” Fary says, listing possible motives. Later, the stars will contact the hotels and make their reservations which, of course, have to be for them. Fary does have a handful of anecdotes about exceptions to the rule, like the year that actress Jennifer Lawrence asked to send her mother to an Italian resort. She did make the call herself: “‘Hey, this is Jennifer Lawrence. My mom would like to come. Will you let her come?’ And because she actually contacted them, they honored that. They’ll sometimes work with them, because sometimes a celebrity’s mom is even better than the celebrity. They’ll come back saying, ‘Oh my God, this place is amazing,’” Fary says. “Director Ron Howard went to a resort in Connecticut and liked it so much that he held his son’s wedding there and posted it on social media,” remembers Fary.

For him, this is all part of the magic of the awards. “The whole world likes the Oscars, I think it’s because actors from every part of the planet attend. It’s a universal, impressive moment.” After years of working in the business, Fary doesn’t have too many famous friends. With a project so intrinsically linked to the awards, will he be at the ceremony? “I do not ever go. I went to the red carpet one year, many years ago, and it was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I hope I never have to go back,” he laughs. In fact, Sunday will be his moment to rest before the wheels start turning again: he has events scheduled for Mother’s Day, he’ll take a break for the summer, and then it’s back to work. “What I love about the Oscars is watching them on TV in the living room,” he says. “On Sunday, we really finish. I take a deep breath and enjoy the event and watch the people we’ve supported win.”

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