By 11 p.m., the tent began to empty as nominees and presenters alike headed home in anticipation of the big day ahead. Tom Daley and his husband Dustin Lance Black had ducked out earlier around 10 p.m.—two kids at home, ages 2 and 7, waiting. Shepard and Bell hugged as they departed—a job well done. The golden carpet quieted. Inside, the last clusters of conversation continued over champagne and the remnants of that improbable charcuterie spread.

As the evening wound down, Courtenay Valenti, VP of Film for Amazon MGM stood with Sue Kroll, Amazon MGM’s Head of Marketing, and Peter Friedlander, Head of Global TV, taking in the scene. “We feel incredibly fortunate to work with people like Tessa Thompson, Julia Roberts, Robin Wright, and Jacob Elordi,” Valenti said, naming talent from the studio’s nominated projects. The conversation soon turned to what’s ahead too: Project Hail Mary, Crime 101, Sheep Detective with Hugh Jackman, Masters of the Universe, and an adaptation of author Colleen Hoover‘s Verity. “This is such a rare experience—film and television coming together,” Friedlander said. “Ultimately, this is just a community of artists, and the energy is bouncing off the people in the room.”

But perhaps comedian Kareem Rahma, creator of the popular interview series SubwayTakes, who was in town to host red carpet coverage, summed it up best. “I really liked the grapes,” he said, genuinely impressed. “I just came from New York today. Grapes don’t taste like that. They really don’t.” Leave it to an outsider to notice what insiders take for granted.