LaunchHER Scoop :: The Artisan Group at the Golden Globes

We are bringing you a behind the scenes look at The Artisan Group courtesy of the founder, Valerie Guerrero.  The Artisan Group {TAG, for short} is an exclusive group of artisans that participates in celebrity gift lounges, and celebrity gifting.  Not just another gifting organziation, Kristal Lee of Atutudes has this to say of The Artisan Group, “We all support and promote each other…The Artisan Group has definitely taken my business to the next level.”

What exactly happens at a Celebrity Gifting Suite?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} Celebrity gifting suites have proven to be an amazing tool to get your product directly in the hands of celebrities and members of the press. Sponsors (such as The Artisan Group) set  up a lovely exhibit with their products on display, and the celebrities are escorted around to each exhibit to hear a little about the sponsor, to receive a gift, and to pose for professional photographs holding the product.

A typical celebrity gifting suite will include anywhere between 25-40 different sponsors. An Industry Mixer party typically kicks off the three-day event with attendees including talent managers, publicists, agents, set decorators, and other industry executives. We are welcome to gift these individuals as well, and we do. The next two days are a whirlwind, and it’s non-stop excitement! We end up meeting and gifting close to one hundred different celebrities, and each of them is given a HUGE duffel bag to hold all the gifts they receive from each sponsor. Members of the press attend these events as well such as AOL Beauty, E! News, The Huffington Post, The Style Network, LA Weekly, Elle.com, and TVGuide to name a few. They are all looking for the next “big thing” to write about. The Artisan Group always has a collection of handcrafted gifts to give press members as well.

What do celebrities say when they find out all of the brands you represent are handmade/artisan brands?  Are they surprised?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} Our group is a juried organization, so we’re only able to represent the best-of-the-best. Our member’s products are top-notch, and very high-quality. Most of the celebrities we meet LOVE handmade products from small businesses, and share with us often that they (or their wives) do quite a bit of shopping on sites such as Etsy, so our exhibit is always very well received. The celebrities actually spend quite a bit of time checking out our 25-30 different displays, and asking lots of questions. We’ve even had celebrities ask to keep display pieces because they absolutely love our member’s products. When the celebs see that we’re gifting them a huge swag bag full of handcrafted gifts, they become humbled, and can’t believe they get to have the entire bag of gifts. Each of the swag bags we gift is worth $800. We always get amazing feedback from the celebrities on our member’s products. Quite often, they will tweet us after the event, which is always fun!

Which celebrity are you most hoping comes by the TAG table at this year’s Golden Globes Suite?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} We would love to see Zooey Deschanel attend the Golden Globes Gift Lounge this year! She’s so talented and funny, and is a favorite among our members. And, we always love when Eric StoneStreet and Rico Rodriguez swing by, both of the hit show “Modern Family”.

What are some of the products that celebrities will be receiving from TAG members in their swag bags?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} Some of the gifts the celebrities will receive at the Golden Globes Gift Lounge next week include handcrafted jewelry, handmade iPhone cases and sleeves, hand-poured scented candles, spa and bath products, designer stationery, hand-painted stemless wine glasses, and fine art photography to name a few.

Do you ever send celebrities a special swag bag just for them?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} Yes! We’ve actually put together a few swag bags for prominent celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Hilary Duff, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Zooey Deschanel. Recently, Jessica Alba’s daughter was photographed in Brentwood, California wearing the headband one of our members included in Jessica’s special swag bag! We’re currently working on a special gift bag for Cari Cucksey, star of HGTV’s show Cash and Cari. Cari’s a big fan of re-purposed items (which many of our members specialize in), and she loves handmade, so she’s super excited to receive our products.

Tell us, what’s next for TAG?

{TAG :: Valerie Guerrero} We have so much in the pipeline for 2012! Right after the Golden Globes Gift Lounge, taking place January 13-14th in Beverly Hills, California, The Artisan Group be a sponsor in a gift lounge honoring the nominees and presenters of the 84th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) in late February, where we’ll be representing 105 of our members. Later in the Spring, we’ll be preparing special gift bags for about 25 celebrity moms, and we’re also working on gifting a group of 25 high-profile, environmentally conscious celebrities in honor of Earth Day. And, we’ll be rounding out the year with several more on-site celebrity gifting suite opportunities as well, so we will stay very busy this year!