Oscar nominees will be getting free Canadian swag from beauty products and massages to popcorn thanks to a gifting lounge that’s being organized in Los Angeles by Toronto PR firm Karyzma Agency.
“We want to bring (in) as many high influencers as possible to discover products,” say agency principal Karine Delage. She notes it can be hard for Canadian brands to bring their products to L.A. “It’s two different worlds.”
The gift lounge will take place on Feb. 25 at the Xen Lounge on Ventura Blvd., three days before the Academy Awards ceremony.
It’s the second time the PR firm has held a gifting lounge to coincide with the Oscars. More than 200 people attended two years ago “and it was a huge success.” Delage was unable to hold the lounge last year because of illness.
Her participating Canadian clients will include Toronto Popcorn, natural soaps and beauty products maker Inspired Soap Works and The Fix with Dr. Liza, a chiropractic and massage studio in Toronto giving massages on-site.
Both Toronto Popcorn and Inspired Soap Works sell their fare online and ship to the U.S. What’s more, with a growing number of movies being filmed in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada, “it’s good for Hollywood to know what’s going on here. They can even hire you to be on set for a movie because they need a chiropractor and they know you’re good.”
Delage is awaiting confirmation from potential clients who want to take part in the lounge. She expects participating companies to be a mix of Canadian and American brands.
More than 200 invites will be sent to the publicists of Oscar nominees by the end of next week. Invites will also be sent out to actors who were at the Toronto International Film Festival and media.
She expects invitees will receive gifts valued at more than $3,000.
A hashtag will be created for the gift lounge to make it easier to monitor social media activity on Facebook and Twitter. Instagram, Snapchat and Periscope will be added to the social media list.
