The Swag Series: The Essentials Lounge, where media feel like celebrities

The Swag Series: The Essentials Lounge, where media feel like celebrities

Brown paper bags fully stocked with swag for media (Image: Arthur Mola)

What it is: The Essentials Lounge at Hotel Le Germain is a gifting suite and TIFF prep lounge specifically created for media covering the festival. It’s hard enough doing the leg work for TIFF reporting, let alone getting yourself physically presentable for the events (we look terrible at all hours during TIFF), so the idea for the Essentials Lounge was devised by PR gal Esther Garnick: “Celebrity gifting suites definitely have their place at TIFF. But I’ve spent many festival hours holding journalists hostage on the red carpet, waiting for celebrities to arrive, and it became apparent that I wasn’t the only one wilting out there by the third day.”

Who goes: Editors, writers and other media riff-raff who have agreed to a week and a half of extreme, self-inflicted entertainment journalism. A certain Radiohead song comes to mind. Check out more of the goods in a gallery after the jump.

What they get: A TIFF survival kit of products mostly focused on making us as presentable as possible: enough Elizabeth Grant skincare to last for months, John Frieda styling essentials (most importantly dry shampoo), Genuine Health supplements, Ban deodorant (because, let’s face it, when are TIFF journalists showering if they’re out 20 hours of every day?) and Calvin Klein underwear, amongst other goodies. If that wasn’t enough spoiling (we could get used to this), media can also have their hair done in the lounge by John Frieda Canadian creative consultant Alain Larivee, peruse the beauty goods at the Hard Candy buffet or get their eyelashes extended by Winks Eyelash Boutique (for future failed attempts at wooing Ryan Gosling away from Eva Mendes). As for food and beverage, guests receive 10-day front-door delivery of VitaminWater and SmartWater, as well as complimentary Menchies frozen yogurt for every day of the festival. On-site, media were basking in all the swag glory because, let’s face it, this is the most we’ll ever feel like V.I.P.s.

Total worth: Pennies to an A-lister