Lacking Blended Competition CEO resurfaces, says accounts have been ‘hijacked’

Just like the cork in a bottle of fantastic champagne, the AWOL organizer of a wine and music competition has abruptly popped up. However solely to, er, whine.

As Web page Six reported earlier this month, Sean Evans, founder and CEO of a preferred touring fest titled Blended Festival, had “gone lacking” after allegedly “racking up over $6 million in unpaid debt from the competition.”

The fest’s first live performance occurred on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11 in Nashville with acts reminiscent of Lil Jon and the Chainsmokers headlining.

Acts together with T.I., G-Eazy, Loud Luxurious and others have been set to hit the stage for numerous different dates, together with upcoming exhibits in Tampa, Fla., this month.

Till, that’s, Evans allegedly skipped city after the Nashville dates, allegedly “leaving lots of of staff, distributors, expertise and buyers holding their fingers out to receives a commission.”

However now we hear Evans has lastly bubbled as much as the floor, Web page Six has realized.

On Nov. 14, Evans reemerged within the inboxes of his former staff and contractors insisting, “I’ve under no circumstances acted fraudulently nor have I benefited in any approach from the catastrophe, fairly the alternative,” he wrote.

The corporate’s Instagram account, which we’re advised was operated by a 3rd get together, beforehand introduced the cancellation of the competition, and likewise alleged Evans “has been absent as of October 1st” and that “he disabled employees emails and left the workforce with no solutions to be discovered.” Insiders confirmed that state of affairs to us, however Evans claimed that these behind the messages weren’t social media managers – however hackers out to get him.

Within the Nov. 14 e mail obtained by Web page Six, Evans claimed the “social media accounts have been, and nonetheless are, illegally hijacked… seemingly as an try to border me as a fraud within the media.”

He then blamed “one, or maybe even a number of people [who have] determined to make use of their desperation to justify committing probably legal acts towards the corporate. Their selections have sadly resulted in alienating one of many potential consumers who would have offered funding that will have resulted in a constructive end result for everybody.”

We’re advised that regardless of his e mail, no person associated to the competition has in any other case “spoken to him in any respect.”

Nonetheless, there may be some gentle on the finish of the tunnel — for potential competition goers at the very least. After the competition canceled its remaining occasions, Occasions.com despatched out an replace promising to “proceed to pursue the occasion organizer” to get better the funds, however mentioned they “will start to course of full refunds” to ticket holders.

Evans was additionally just lately noticed on the Wonderfront Competition in San Diego, Calif., the place we’re advised he seemed as if he might need loved a mischievous vino or two.

Our emails to Evans and his firm bounced again, calls to his cell went straight to voicemail and he seems to have deleted most of his on-line presence, together with his LinkedIn web page. He additionally didn’t reply to our textual content messages.