One of the perks that does not come with being an awards editor? Extra storage space.
It’s a necessity, particularly in the late spring (ahead of the Emmy-qualifying premiere dates of buzzy new TV shows) and in the fall (as Oscar hopefuls begin industry screenings) when swag boxes start to pile up on my doorstep. Let’s face it: Awards season is, at this point, year-round; so, too, is Swag Season — and the gifts are seemingly endless, and of varying quality and ingenuity.
There are the personalized items, like the Levi’s denim jacket with a hot-pink “TYLER” embroidered on the front left pocket, courtesy of Peacock in its promotion of Angelyne, or the size-11 Air Jordans also sent by Peacock to promote Bel-Air (which arrived in a package with a Kehinde Wiley-designed basketball in a glass case). There’s character-specific swag, like the Gaslit-themed cocktail set (which Martha Mitchell, played by Julia Roberts in the Starz limited series, would have enjoyed) or a The Dropout-branded plastic cup and reusable straw, similar to what Amanda Seyfried carried as Elizabeth Holmes in her Emmy-winning performance (Hulu also sent journalists a banker’s box with a juicer and fresh vegetables).
Some items are useful, such as Abbott Elementary Bento boxes (perfect for bringing lunch to the office), while others — a 1923-branded lantern, for those dark nights on the range? — a little less so. And sometimes I’ll receive perishable items, like pints of a Ted Lasso-inspired flavor of Jeni’s called “Biscuits with the Boss” (shortbread cookies in sweet-cream ice cream).
What didn’t melt or get eaten immediately sat on a shelf all year long — that is until it was time to bring these items to the office for a year-end review. Below are some of the promotional items we received this year, with their branding concealed. Can you pair the swag with the film or TV show it’s promoting?
Match the numbered items to the film or television series listed below.
Angelyne; The Bear; Billy the Kid; Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; Reservation Dogs; Triangle of Sadness; We Are Ladyparts; Weird: The Al Yankovic Story; White Noise; Yellowstone
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Tristan Cassel
Answers
1. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; 2. Angelyne; 3. Triangle of Sadness; 4. White Noise; 5. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story; 6. Yellowstone; 7. Reservation Dogs; 8. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; 9. The Bear; 10. We Are Ladyparts; 11. Billy the Kid.
This story first appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
