What inspired you to write and star in ‘Gown and Out in Beverly Hills’?
Patrik: Gown and Out in Beverly Hills came about by accident actually. My husband, Pol’ Atteu is a celebrity fashion designer and creates one-of-a-kind custom couture for hundreds of celebrities over the 25 years his Pol’ Atteu Beverly Hills Boutique has been located in the Golden Triangle.
We would have all these amazing people come into the boutique for gown fittings and we get to learn so much about them and the history and their knowledge and wisdom of the industry. I picked up my iPhone and starting filming these fittings and we started with a YouTube show of episode clips between 3-5 minutes long.
We got millions and millions of views and everyone seemed to like what they saw, so we turned it into a 22 minute TV show and released to Amazon Prime Video USA, which then transitioned to other markets and platforms. Now we are 2 seasons and working on season 3 and our show streams on Amazon Prime Video USA, UK, Germany, and Japan. We recently launched to additional streaming platforms Tubi, Roku, Vudu, and Pluto.
Pol: Our show is completely unscripted and really takes the viewer into a journey behind-the-scenes look at the beginning, middle, and end of creating that perfect, special couture gown for your big red-carpet moment. Season 1 was more focused on the celebrities and their reveals at the end of each episode, and Season 2 takes a more personal look into our personal lives and “life outside our boutique,” all the while we are still taking care of our celebrity clients and we still end each episode with a spectacular reveal at the end.
What motivates you each day as a filmmaker?
Patrik: I grew up as a child watching and loving television. I was always interested in how stories are told and quite intrigued by the process to take an idea or concept and bring to life on the small screen. I worked as a photographer for 20 plus years and my work has been published in US Weekly, Star Magazine, National Enquirer, and People.
I have been on reality shows over the last 15 years beginning with The Anna Nicole Show and then continuing to make different appearances on shows on Bravo, E!, Logo, TLC, Lifetime, CNN, HLN, and many others. Naturally, the next step for us was to create our own TV show to highlight what we do in our Beverly Hills boutique and in our daily lives.
Pol: I began my reality tv career on the Anna Nicole Show on E! Television and it has just evolved from there. I love creating fashion and making gowns for so many of my celebrity friends over the years. The evolution of turning that into a TV show was a very natural feeling for me. I love the fact that I get to give our audience a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes look of the process of creating my custom couture.
Congrats on “Gown and Out in Beverly Hills” for its Emmy buzz and consideration… how does that feel?
Patrik: We have worked so hard to bring this show to life and started from nothing. In season 1 our show was filmed with iPhones and no wireless mics or professional sound. We used additional iPhones as our microphones in our pockets and would hide them with pocket squares. It such a great feeling to grow to what the show is today. I am so proud of what we have made the show into today. We opened our own production company American Media Television, LLC. and have a full production crew that has been with us from the beginning stages of our journey.
Last year, we previously won the Hollywood Tastemakers Award at the Taste Awards and we were nominated by the American Reality Television Awards. This is the second year we have been nominated and we are hoping to win! The public can vote for us daily until April 15 at vote.theartas.com In addition, we have submitted our show for Daytime Emmys in the following categories:
FYC for the following categories: Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program, Outstanding Daytime Promotional Announcement, Outstanding Daytime Program Host, Outstanding Directing Team for a Single-Camera Daytime Non-Fiction Program, and Outstanding Single-Camera Editing.
Pol: It feels outstanding that our hard work is paying off. 2020 was a terrible year for us and so many. We lost so many people we know to COVID and our Beverly Hills boutique was broken into and vandalized and looted of everything during the civil unrest movements in May. Our boutique was open and closed so many times and production of our TV show was shutdown for so long. We just re-opened our storefront and we started filming the show again last week while I was at the finale at OC Fashion Week. It’s good to be back doing what we love.
How have you been during the quarantine?
Patrik: My husband and I quarantined together and we worked non-stop. While most people were at home not being able to work, we turned our lemons into lemonade. We began taking all the expensive fabrics that he could not make evening gowns out of since everyone’s events, red carpets, galas, and weddings were all canceled and started making designer 90210 Face Masks with the fabric and all or celebrity friends were wearing them, including Kyle Richards, Brandi Glanville, Dorit Kemsley, Adrienne Maloof, Emily Simpson, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Elizabeth Vargas,Claudia Jordan, as well as comedians Kym Whitley, Lunell, Ken Davitian, and actors Laura Dern, Kevin Connolly, Zulay Henao, Ava Kolker, Jackson Dollinger, Dyan Cannon, Renee Taylor, Kate Linder, Victoria Konefal, and Patrika Darbo.
Also, reality stars Scheana Shay, Mama June Shannon, Honey Boo-Boo, Krystal Nielson, James Kennedy, Abby Lee Miller, Farrah Abraham, Perez Hilton, Janice Dickinson, and singers LeAnn Rimes, Kelly Price, LaToya Jackson, Cece Peniston, Darci Lynne, and El-Jay.
Pol: The year 2020 was a challenge for all of us and I was lucky to have quarantined with a loved one. Many could not. I was able to quarantine with my husband and we helped support and uplift each other to keep things going. We came out of this much stronger than ever together. While the world shutdown and all our clients’ events and weddings were canceled we starting making designer 90210 face masks and sending them to all our friends, family, and our celebrities. Then we began selling them and started the formula for every one sold we donated one to an essential worker or medical professional in need.
During the pandemic, we donated thousands of our masks to people in need and the homeless shelters, which I feel was quite overlooked at that time. We survived a year of shutdowns and being broken into and looted and vandalized, and we are still standing in 2021.
Recently my husband and I both got our vaccines and we just started to travel again and we have been booked non-stop with clients. I am happy that my world is starting to return to normal following the pandemic and I am confident that we will return to our glamour and grandeur again!
What is your advice for young and aspiring entertainers?
Patrik: Follow your dreams and never take NO for an answer. I use the #yourdestiny on my social media platforms
because I am a true believer in we all create our own destiny as a result of the choices we make and the circumstances we put ourselves into.
Everything we do is a step to our ultimate goal and those vary depending on the person and the personality. We control our own narrative and my advice to anyone reading this is to take control of how they want to live their life. 2020 has taught me so much. We lost so many and it’s become even more evident to me that we must seize every moment and opportunity because we never know what the future holds.
Pol: Be creative and be the best you. I recently created a teen/tween fashion line with Disney Star, Ava Kolker from Sydney to the Max. Our line launched as Ava by Pol’ Atteu and is available on Walmart. Together, we create custom 3D tee-shirts, designer face masks, jeans and now we are releasing a new line of backpacks and purses, just in time for kids to go back to school.
That is always how I have lived my life and the same advice I would give to others. You never know what you do or what opportunity you will have. One door always leads to another so your head up high and walk through those doors with pride and love in what you do.
What does the word success mean to you?
Patrik: Success is what you make of it. Everyone has their own definition and level of success that they deem appropriate for themselves. Success to me is being happy and healthy and living my life to the fullest the way I choose to.
Pol: Doing what I love to do every single day. Inspiring others to do what they love and I love to create beauty and art with my custom couture for those special moments in someone’s life.
What would you like to tell our readers about ‘Gown and Out in Beverly Hills’?
Patrik: Our show is twenty-two minutes of fun, fashion, comedy, and drama all rolled into one episode with a fabulous, and sometimes unpredictable celebrity gown reveals at the end. Each episode gives the viewer an intimate peek into our lives and our guests. An exciting two-parter deals with the homophobic hate crime and attack against my husband, Pol’ Atteu, which made worldwide headlines after he was brutally attacked backstage during fashion week.
Also featured in season two is the clothing launch collaboration of Ava by Pol’ Atteu with Disney star, Ava Kolker. The clothing line is available at Walmart. We took on the difficult task of featuring the real-life attack of Pol’ Atteu in Season two. Our show is a lighthearted comedy, so to include this very traumatic incident into the episode, was quite a challenging and delicate dance. It was important to us to keep the integrity and concept intact while still giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of fashion and celebrity.
Pol: Season 2 takes the show out of our flagship boutique of Beverly Hills, into a new direction, with a look into our personal lives. This is more exciting than ever with controversial guest, Farrah Abraham (MTV’s Teen Mom), soap stars Emmy winner Patrika Darbo (Days of Our Lives), Emmy-nominated Kate Linder (Young and the Restless), Bollywood star Neetu Chandra, transgender pop-art artist Sham Ibrahim, Disney star Ava Kolker, and the boys film with Scheana Shay from Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. I get to play dress-up with my friends. What more can anyone ask for.
Gown and Out in Beverly Hills is available on Amazon Prime Video by clicking here.
For more information on the show, check out its Instagram page, and follow Patrik Simpson on Instagram, and Pol on Instagram.
