Oscars: Celebrity gifting suites

Business Daily

BBC

News, Business

4.4 • 796 Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2023

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ahead of the Oscars, Business Daily goes behind the scenes of a celebrity gifting suite. Before the ceremony and the parties, celebrities are often invited to hotel suites, usually close to where the awards ceremony will happen. The rooms are filled with skincare products, makeup, jewellery, clothes, shoes, bags, you name it.

Celebrities can take the gifts away for free - all companies want in return is a superstar endorsement.

In this episode entertainment reporter KJ Matthews finds out how this business actually works with Nathalie Dubois who has been running these suites for almost 20 years.

We also hear from Nthenya Mwendwa, a designer from Kenya who's bracelet bag was recently chose by a celebrity at a gifting suite and worn on the red carpet. Hear what that photos and the exposure has done for her small business.

Presenter: KJ Matthews Producer: Carmel O'Grady Image: Sharon Stone at a gifting suite in Cannes: Credit: Nathalie Dubois

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's award season and we're going behind the scenes of a Hollywood gifting suite.
0:07.0	We've all heard about those extravagant gift-back celebrities get for being nominated at award ceremonies like the Oscars.
0:15.0	But have you heard about the gifting suites?
0:18.0	When you deal with major movie stars, they have everything. So for them
0:22.3	to keep coming to my suite, it means I have good products. And I'm very proud because they really
0:27.4	use my products. That's Natalie Dubois, and she's been running gifting suites for almost two
0:32.9	decades. In this episode of Business Daily with me, KJ Matthews, Natalie lifts the lid on her business,
0:41.2	explaining exactly how gifting sweets work and why companies are willing to part with thousands
0:46.8	of dollars just to see their products in the spotlight.
0:50.2	They're very expensive, and in the boutique they run up up to maybe $2,000, depending on the scarf.
0:55.6	Oh, okay.
0:56.0	So they're going to gift around $70 for the scout.
0:58.4	I saw the selection that they're bringing in.
1:00.6	I bet you you'll see some of these on the red carpet.
1:03.6	And one African designer tells us exactly what happens if a celebrity chooses your product and wears it.
1:09.9	I didn't even know she was going to carry it on the red carpet.
1:12.4	And then when it clicked, oh my gosh, and you know the time difference?
1:15.6	So I was basically screaming on my own because everybody was asleep.
1:18.7	But yeah, it was amazing.
1:20.1	It's brought so much for my small business.
1:24.1	I'm taking you behind the scenes of the Hollywood Gifting Suite.
1:35.3	Let's start with the basics. I'm an LA-based entertainment reporter, and over the years, I've been to lots and lots of gifting suites.
	...

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