Celebrity Gift Retreats and Talent Retreats were added as an awards show bonus back in 2000, when Karen Wood launched the first such green room experience for a show in L.A.
Karen's idea was to give performers and presenters a respite from the hustle and bustle backstage and a place to relax while waiting to go on stage. Sounds easy enough, but it takes industry experience, the right contacts, and a lot of specialized know-how to create the perfect atmosphere for each event.
Given the number of awards shows each year, talent retreats are also the producer's way to thank the stars for showing up at their show since the celebrities attend on their own time and, more often than not, at their own expense. Specially selected items are made available to the stars by participating companies as small tokens of appreciation for being part of the show.
Wood's company, Backstage Creations, was asked to produce the Celebrity Gift Retreat for the inaugural VH-1 Big in 2002 Awards, held at the Grand Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. The show was hosted by Drea De Matteo and Michael Imperioli (from The Sopranos) and featured performances by Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, John Mayer, and Norah Jones.
Enjoy our four page magazine-style feature and catch all the funny faces and honest reactions from the stars as they relax and visit with one another or make their way through the Celebrity Gift Retreat and find the surprising gifts waiting for them!
pictured top: Pierce Brosnan and Julianna Margulies lend elegance to the affair. far left: Grandmaster Flash, Kid Rock, and Reverend Run (Run DMC); the threesome to the left is John Corbett's girlfriend Bo Derek, Rob Lowe and wife, Sheryl Berkoff
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