Lisa Gal – The Go-To Gal for Swag
Lisa Gal is the founder of Hollywood Baskets, an exclusive GIFT company in Los Angeles California. Hollywood Baskets was founded in 1994.
Some of Hollywood Baskets clients include The Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills, The Montage Hotel Beverly Hills, The Walt Disney Company, ABC Television, E! Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures, NBC and CBS studios and many more. Hollywood Baskets also creates SWAG gift bags and has prepared gift bags for The Oscars, The Emmy’s The Golden Globe Awards and The Grammy Awards.
She has worked with a number of charities promoting non-profits as part of her award show gift bags. Last year she works with Rob and Marisol Thomas’s promoting their charity “The Sidewalk Angels Foundation” to the top celebrity nominees and presenters for The Emmy Awards. This year she will be working with Fueled by the Fallen for The Golden Globe Awards, The Pajama Program for The Oscars and The Sidewalk Angels Foundation for The Grammy Awards.
Humanity Healing International will also be featured in the Oscar baskets this year.
Hollywood Baskets have won numerous awards for the BEST GIFT basket company in the Los Angeles area for the past 3 years.
We caught up with Lisa as she was preparing for The Golden Globe Awards.
OM Times: Hi Lisa. It is pleasure to speak with you today. After seeing your gift baskets, I have decided I have to expand my concept of what “art” is. Each of your creations is truly a work of art, but instead of canvas and paint, you medium is swag. How did you discover this calling?
Lisa: My best friend in CT works in PR, she told me about a site where media outlets can make requests for items in need of media exposure. She told me I should take a look. She knew I had a large celebrity clientele and was expressing to me that many companies are searching for ways to get their product into the hands of the very celebrities I was already making baskets for. The same week I had a phone call to put together gift bags for a 5 star hotel in Los Angeles during award season. It was synergy and I do believe it was meant to be.
OM Times: And so a star is born. I was looking at all the different baskets and the varied products that go into them. How do you find such cool stuff?
Lisa: Each year I attend as many trade shows as I possibly can in search of new and unusual items. Now I don’t have to look far. I tend to use many companies that gift with us. I have started purchasing their products for our inventory. You would not believe how many GREAT items are out there that have just been manufactured. I feel honored to be one of the first to see their great items before they hit the mainstream.
