We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Evence (Vintage) Eliassaint. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Evence (Vintage) below.
Alright, Evence (Vintage) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I founded Stop Cappin Entertainment with one mission in mind: to change the world.
It all began in Port St. Lucie, Florida—a city typically known for its elderly population or as a family-oriented community. There were limited activities for the youth other than sports or after-school care programs, and I was determined to change that dynamic by introducing something enjoyable for them beyond the confines of school. Thus, Stop Cappin was born.
As a high school senior, I wanted to create an inclusive event for people of all ages. And so, I organized a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament in the summer of 2021. The goal The event was a resounding success, attracting 12 teams and a total of 70 attendees. The positive response from the city was heartening, highlighting how the event fostered connections among the youth, teenagers, and adults alike.
Encouraged by the triumph of the basketball tournament, I decided to organize one more event in Port St. Lucie before leaving to pursue college. This time, it was a 5-on-5 Flag Football Tournament, and I wanted to obtain a sponsorship in order to create a cash prize for this event. After reaching out to several local businesses, Fit Fixins, a meal prep business for athletes, stepped forward with a $100 donation for the cash prize. Once again, the event left a lasting impact on the community, inspiring others to initiate similar events in Port St. Lucie and solidifying my name in the community.
Upon beginning my college journey at the University of Central Florida in the fall of 2019, I faced uncertainty about continuing Stop Cappin Entertainment in a new city without the recognition I had in Port St. Lucie. Believing it might be impossible to build the same reputation in Orlando, I temporarily paused the activities of Stop Cappin Entertainment.
However, a turning point came when I connected with individuals who would transform the trajectory of Stop Cappin Entertainment. Philly2Litty (Content Creator/Influencer), Kingsmanharris (DJ/Content Creator), and DJ Faboloso (DJ/Content Creator/Influencer) played pivotal roles in shaping Stop Cappin Entertainment into what it is today. They facilitated connections with local celebrities, offered ideas for future events, and assisted in refining the mission of Stop Cappin Entertainment.
With their support, I successfully hosted my first event in Orlando, Florida—the Celebrity Charity Basketball Game for Haiti. This event brought together content creators and influencers from across Florida, contributing hundreds of clothes and food items to Haiti during a critical time. Through this experience, the purpose of Stop Cappin became clear: not only to entertain and unite people of all ages but also to raise awareness about tragedies and fundraise for charitable causes. And that is when DJ Faboloso gave me the idea to include “Entertainment” in the name to make the purpose more clear. From that point forward, the legacy of Stop Cappin Entertainment began.
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?
For those who do not know me, My name is Evence Eliassaint. But I go by the name “Vintage”. Vintage is the name given to me by my sister when I was a little kid and I now use it as my real name as it describes my character very well. I was born and raised in Port St. Lucie, Florida and I am currently a college student at the University of Central Florida. I wear multiple hats as a videographer/photographer, digital media and IT specialist, and the owner of my non-profit organization, Stop Cappin Entertainment Inc.
Stop Cappin Entertainment Inc. operates as a nonprofit organization dedicated to organizing entertaining charity events with the aim of raising awareness and funds for charitable causes. Our mission revolves around creating enjoyable events for teenagers and young adults while also shedding light on charities and global tragedies. Through these events, our goal is to change the world and inspire others to do the same. We have done various events throughout Florida, ranging from kickball and flag football games to basketball matches, all with the singular purpose; to change the world the world.
One of our most triumphant events, of which I am particularly proud, is our recent “Stop Cappin Vs UCF Knights Charity Basketball Game” held on October 13th to raise awareness for breast cancer. This event featured a basketball game featuring some of the most entertaining players from around Florida competing against students from the University of Central Florida, representing their respective campus organizations and clubs. The event had an audience of 300 people, including UCF President Cartwright and the UCF mascot, Knightro. Thanks to the overwhelming support for this event, we were able to donate $1,000 to the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
So after moving from Port St. Lucie, Florida to Orlando, Florida to pursue my college endeavors, I needed to regain my social media presence and gain respect around the community in general. And so I developed a plan that would guarantee to help me build my audience. I got in contact with multiple influencers and content creators from around the city and collaborated with them for my events and created videos for them as well. I also began filming and taking pictures for multiple organizations around the University of Central Florida. This helped me get my name out there as they would post the videos or pictures I created and tag me on social media increasing my engagement and reach. After doing this for a year, I became very well known locally and the name “Vintage” was a name everybody knew.
My biggest advice to anyone trying to grow their social media presence would be to put yourself out there and network. Attend local events and meet new people because you never know who you will run into. Also, collaborating with others on social media is very important and can lead to a huge increase in social media engagement. With Instagram’s “collaboration” feature, collaborating has become 10x easier and has left unbelievable numbers on my Instagram page. This is an easy way to gain more followers and attraction on your social media page and it has most certainly helped me gain my reputation here in Orlando Florida.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
When I first began Stop Cappin Entertainment Inc. I did not believe in having a team. I thought having a team would be too stressful and I did not want to go through the disappointment they may bring to me if they do not fulfill the task at hand. But after 2 years of running this business by myself, it began to take a toll on my academic career, my physical health, and my mental health. So when I was planning my “Stop Cappin vs UCF Knights Charity Basketball Game” for breast cancer awareness, the biggest change I made was having a team behind me to help manage the event. And I learned how valuable and important it is to have a team and how exactly to manage a team. I recruited UCF students and friends I knew who were committed to making this event amazing and memorable. I also would host meetings once a month where I would have games and food for my team. I wanted to show my team that they were more than just my staff but my family. And this helped keep their morale high and kept them wanting to continue to make this event amazing.
My biggest advice to anyone wanting to manage a team would be to treat the team like they are family. Check on them, hang out with them outside of the business, and care for them. The benefits will be reaped from doing these actions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stopcappinent.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stopcappinent
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evence-eliassaint-539230236/
Image Credits
K-MO Snaps https://www.instagram.com/kmosnaps/ Josh Wallace https://www.instagram.com/joshwallace.png/
