We recently connected with Stephanie Van Vark and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

After settling in a challenged, yet revitalizing historically black community, I, the Founder and President Stephanie van Vark, learned that neighborhoods such as these often have decisions about their future made for them without input or even awareness. Historic Overtown is a legendary district just northwest of Downtown Miami. Its cultural growth and development mirrored the artistic awakening of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s, and Historic Overtown was a busy entertainment destination known as Little Broadway. The construction of interstate highways like I-95 (then, the North-South Expressway), the Dolphin Expressway and the Midtown Interchange in the 1960s, fragmented the once-thriving center and the resident population disintegrated for decades. Now on the cusp of revitalization, Historic Overtown and communities like it were in desperate need of information the residents could use to engage, tell their own stories and participate in their own destiny. StephanieCreates, Inc. (once known as van Vark Creative Enterprises, Inc.) was born to spread homegrown culturally-rich anecdotes to the masses.

StephanieCreates, Inc. promotes the heart and soul of communities, companies and organizations using decades of experience in digital media and video production, events and communications. We develop and acquire entertaining lifestyle, talk and documentary projects recognized as Unscripted media. The company’s profile includes an extensive list of clients in the corporate, philanthropic and educational industries as well as certifications with the State of Florida and Miami-Dade County. We are the creator of the digital media GoingOvertown.org, podcasts Just Talking Business and Jigsaw Parenting with other projects on the horizon.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Stephanie van Vark and my passion for community was informed by my upbringing. I am a small town girl with big ideas rooted in the Magic City where I settled after graduating from Florida State University. My life’s work is to create and capture the ‘Theater’ of real life in a way that serve people and communities.

My professional career started as a Sales Manager at Burdines retail store. As I moved up the ranks, the company did also changing the name to Macy’s, the flagship store of the Federated Corporation. Upon discovering my real purpose was creating and communicating entertainment that is instructional and motivational, I entered and graduated from Miami Dade College Film Technology School.

In 2006, I left corporate America to lend my imagination to the City of Miami as a liaison for Historic Overtown. It was quickly apparent to me the need to change the dialogue, imagery and perception of neighborhood plagued by bad press. StephanieCreates, Inc. was born with a desire to use media and communications as tools to reframe the narrative of both the community and its people. I have celebrated success as the Producer of Conversation With The CEO Entrepreneur Television Series and the Urgent, Inc. Youth Town Hall Meeting on MDCTV and CBS4. I am the screenwriter of made-for-DVD documentaries, The Ancient Spanish Monastery and Monastery of the Holy Spirit, and optioned screenplays, Free For All, with a well-respected Hollywood producer, and Runaway Wedding, with a Spanish television network. Additional credits include Script Supervisor for small feature film and video projects, and contributing writer for various online, business and lifestyle publications.

I serve proudly as a P.S. 305 Board Member to advocate for youth and schools. I am also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the industry organization Black-Owned Media Alliance (BOMA). For fun, I enjoy documentaries, travel, ballroom dancing, and special moments with family and friends. I am creative, strategic, persistent, restorative and passionate. I LOVE a great idea, and love to put that great idea into action.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I was told once by an employer while working as a community liaison, I talked too much. At the time I was offended. In retrospect she was right. I now take great pride in telling everything I think people need to know to help and advance themselves. I had to learn to be unapologetic about that and it has served me well in my business.

One of our core values requires respect. We capture and display the heart and soul of people and places with compassion, care, dignity and truth. As a result, I’ve found people will trust me with their stories, their hopes and their dreams. That is a huge accomplishment and has allowed me to work almost effortlessly in the market.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I spent 16 wonderful years working for Burdines/Macy’s but was unhappy most of it. I’d been told if I just worked hard, and long, all of my dreams would come true. But they did not. The main reason why they did not was because I chose the wrong profession. I entered the company working as a merchant. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Retail and Merchandising, that was the obvious profession. But soon I learned I wasn’t very passionate or good at the work. My heart was with Communications and Production. And so, I took a huge leap of faith, took a part-time job with the City of Miami and opened a Public Relations & Event Production Business.

We remained in this industry until the onset of the Pandemic. When the country closed, so did events giving us a chance to revamp and pivot completely to Digital Media Production and Communications.

Contact Info:

• Website: stephaniecreates.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goingovertown/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justtalkingbusiness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanievanvark/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieCr8s
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Oz41bW_cgHuqWpyjMAMrA
• Other: I’ve shared information from several different platforms we’ve created for different audiences. They are StephanieCreates, Going Overtown and Just Talking Business

Image Credits
Stephanie’s photo: Photograph by Deion Mendez