By Karen Loftus
The cutting-edge event company Revel Rouge is setting the hospitality and entertainment industry ablaze in New York City, throughout the US, and globally. Hank Stampfl, the visionary maestro behind this mad mix of sophisticated and rustic events, has brought his extensive theatrical background to this table and to his many fetes where he sets the stage, strikes the lights, and designs the sound and stunning surrounds while the dishes dance on the plates. This experience, an explosive feast for the senses, is known as being Rouged.
No two Revel Rouge events are ever alike, as you may find a fusion of Burlesque and Broadway with a side of Cirque and a fashion-savvy finish. Or perhaps an opulent seaside soiree, a billionaire’s BBQ, an evocative island wedding, or a sit-down celebrity chef dinner with the most discerning guest list in the city.
Whatever the occasion, Hank and his esteemed team meticulously curate every element of his turnkey events from start to finish in the city’s most-coveted venues, hidden hideaways, and elaborate mansions. He lit the Empire State Building for a client’s brand party, dined at the Top of the Rock at the sleek 610 Rockefeller, and danced the night away at NY’s Public Library with his guests.
On the road, he orchestrated a romantic wedding renewal vow at the famed Sagamore Hotel on Lake George aboard their 72-foot replica of a 10th-century touring vessel filled with 5,000 white roses. To add a bit of naughty to his nice, he recently turned a tennis court into a quarter-million-dollar Deadly Sins soiree in Dorado Beach at The Ritz Carlton.
If you are licking your hospitality chops and want a taste of this, you must plan well in advance to be Rouged. The holiday season and summer seasons are booked several months to a year out as Hank and the team jet-set 24/7 between the city and The Hamptons and their many haunts, from LA to Palm Springs and West Palm Beach to Jackson Hole and Aspen and Paris and Puerto Rico, to name but a few of his global outposts.
Whatever the backdrop, it is his vision and commitment to supporting the world's top talents, from highbrow celebrity chefs to underground aerialists, musicians, and fierce fashion designers, alongside the city’s hidden subway artists. His passion is palpable, and his vision is unrivaled.
Many steps led to this moment and his success. Years ago, Hank headed to the city alongside the fellow Oklahoma musical theater alum and Broadway’s darling, Kristen Chenoweth. He bounced between Broadway and the city’s top entertainment venues with shows for his theatrical company Speakeasy Moderne to the Upper East Side, where he oversaw all at Chat Noir off Madison Avenue.
With or without Ozempic, the well-heeled and the city’s Housewives are forever hungry for more Hank. They followed his feast to Bloomingdales, where he blew up David Burke’s business into a multi-million-dollar production. After heading downtown to The West Village, he had several celebs on speed dial, including the city’s sexiest Sarah Jessica, Broadway Broderick, Jenny’s ex Ben, and a flurry of fans from the fashion world, including Calvin, Vera, Nicole Miller, and Marc Jacobs and a slew of others as they could not get enough of him or his stint at Sant Ambrose.
Striking out on his own eight years ago was the next best step. His business has been a runaway success ever since. Throughout seven TV seasons, he graced Bravo’s airwaves filming with the OG, NYC Housewives. On many occasions, he was setting the tone, table, and tempo for many fiery fetes with the ladies on and off air, including Sonja’s legendary Burlesque, Ramona Singer’s birthday party, Luann’s Frose launch, the 1970 beauty pageant in the final OG season where he was the emcee.
If getting Rouged is on your holiday wish list, get in line to attend an event or collaborate with this maestro. His dance card is getting busier, and he has more passport stamps on his horizon as he heads to Tokyo, Dubai, and Cape Town.
His finger is firmly on the party pulse. But it’s more than a party for Hanky Panky, as his clients and friends lovingly call him. It’s his genuine passion for parties and, more importantly, the people that shine the brightest.
