Kim Gravel, the 1991 Miss Georgia who had her own “Dance Moms”-style reality show on Lifetime a decade ago, has become a QVC star selling her apparel and beauty lines four hours a week on TV.
The Georgia resident, who lives outside of Athens and has offices in Johns Creek, is also hosting a special live remote broadcast event for QVC at Chateau Elan in Braselton at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22. It’s free to attend and is part of QVC’s “Age of Possibility” Live tour focused on empowering women over 50.
“If you want to see how a QVC show is produced and broadcast, we’d love to see you,” Gravel said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re ready to show Atlanta what QVC is all about. It’s much more than people often think.”
And by celebrating women over 50, she said, QVC is also embracing the network’s core audience. “We have so much to offer, so much wisdom,” said Gravel, who is 53.
In recent years, Qurate’s QVC and other shopping networks like its sister station HSN are seeking to expand beyond its aging, shrinking 24/7 basic cable customer base. QVC now sells products on livestreams on social media like TikTok, X and Facebook; streaming services like Roku, Sling and Amazon Fire TV; and on its app.
Gravel, who has two teen sons with her husband Travis, said losing her Lifetime show in 2015 was a blessing in disguise because it led her to focus on developing Belle by Kim Gravel apparel and Belle Beauty cosmetic lines with QVC. She also does a weekly video podcast for QVC “The Kim Gravel Show: Love Who You Are.”
Her personality and sales approach is larger than life with a Southern accent, like a blend of comic Leanne Morgan and chef Paula Deen. She has also parlayed her own life into a 2023 self-help book “Collecting Confidence.”
“Working with QVC has been magic,” she said. “It’s a juggernaut for brands to thrive. I knew how wonderful the opportunity was when I approached them. Luckily, they said yes. It’s been a wonderful partnership. They gave me the tools I needed while allowing me to maintain my authenticity.”
Gravel, who had been watching and shopping QVC for decades before joining the company, works out of both a studio in her home in Bethlehem and monthly at QVC headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
QVC, as part of its Age of Possibility campaign, recently held a party in Las Vegas featuring 50 women to join its Quintessential 50 including Naomi Watts, Christina Applegate, Billie Jean King, Patti LaBelle and Rita Wilson.
“Everybody was there celebrating each other in a world where women are too often pitted against each other,” she said.
Gravel was thrilled to meet several of her idols and sat next to Martha Stewart.
“A name tag may or may not have been switched,” Gravel said. “She is my dream mentor. She gave me her number!”
IF YOU GO
Age of Possibility Live on Tour
Live remote broadcast of QVC’s “Kim Gravel & Friends,” 3-4 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, 100 Rue Charlemagne Drive, Braselton. qvc.com.
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