http://www.charlotteoptimist.com/

The Charlotte Optimist, Charlotte, NC (2026)

09/07/2026

Two accomplished filmmakers would love to bring their productions to Charlotte. Charles Randolph-Wright and Christina Capra both have projects that are currently loading, but gaining the funding incentives from the state of North Carolina is proving more difficult now than it was in the past.

Charles has a project that the newly renovated Carolina Theatre would be perfect for. Filming would require him to rent out the entire building for a month.

Christina is working to adapt Meredith Ritchie’s book Poster Girls, a story about Black and white women working a factory job to support the war effort in the 40s.

The incentives that existed in years past that brought movies like the Hunger Games to NC have run into roadblocks, and filmmakers have found little answers as to when or if these funds would be allocated this year.

“Charles and Christina hope things will change at the state level. If not, they wonder if local governments and funders can find ways to incentivize the industry, to continue its momentum here. Charles is tapping into prominent local fundraisers to see if they could help him raise any private money to fill the gap on his Carolina Theatre project.

When Christina and I talked last week, I mentioned that the city has a long-standing organization named the Charlotte Sports Foundation, which helps bring major sporting events like the MLS All-Star Game and the Duke’s Mayo Classic to town. What if filmmakers here started a Charlotte Film Foundation?

“I love that idea,” Christina said.

Maybe it’s an absurd idea, practically. But it leads me to something that I brought up to Charles and Christina, during the course of our conversations: When did we, broadly, stop dreaming? When did we become such a square culture, full of 90-degree angles?”

Hey, thanks for reading this far! Since you have, go ahead and check out the link in our bio to follow along with Michael’s Odyssey to get to the bottom of why film incentives in NC have seemed to have dried up.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

Charles Randolph-Wright is a Broadway legend, executive producer and director originally from South Carolina. He was planning to use the NC Film Grant to offset part of th

08/31/2026

Here’s a figure you probably didn’t know. For every one news journalist in Charlotte there are roughly seven public relations professionals. As we see traditional media newsrooms shrink, corporate newsrooms are expanding to tell their own stories from within. They shape the messaging and deliver it straight to the reader. However you feel about this change, media literacy continues to be a major issue affecting almost everything we see online each day.

“Behind everything you learn about Charlotte — breaking crime news, medical breakthroughs, a brewery’s response to a scandal, economic development victories, the Interstate 77 toll lanes controversy — is a person or group of people who decide that you should hear it, shape how you will, and decide what you won’t. Even silence, like in the case of the school board’s approach to talking about superintendent Crystal Hill’s summer suspension, is a choice made by people.

There are more of those people than you may realize. We have about 2,470 public relations specialists working in the Charlotte metro area, according to the most recent federal employment data. We have only 360 news reporters, a number so small that the government’s own uncertainty estimate says it could be as many as 440 or as few as 280. Either way, it’s safe to assume there are around seven PR pros for every journalist in one of the fastest-growing cities in America.”

After 6 hours of interviews with local pros, Michael pulls back the curtain a bit on the corporate media landscape in Charlotte and how it’s been filling gaps left behind by our ever-shrinking Fourth Estate.

Lucky for you, we have the link to this story in our bio page. Take some time to read it! We’ll have the audio version up tomorrow (9/1) afternoon if you want to hear it straight from Michael’s mouth.

Here’s more about that picture above: NC DOT Board Chairman Tony Lathrop pauses before answering a question from a reporter at the opening of the I77 outreach office in March.

Thanks so much for reading all the way to here. We appreciate each of you that support The Optimist with your time and eyeballs.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

08/24/2026

Last week, QC Nerve let their loyal readership know that their newspaper would cease publication immediately.

The absence will leave a lasting coverage gap in Charlotte. Their ongoing livestream coverage of the George Floyd and RNC protests in 2020 brought a real sense of what was actually going on for those who weren’t able to bring their feet to the uptown pavement. Co-Founders Ryan Pitkin and Justin LaFrancois were nightly fixtures in the mass of people around center city. Ryan’s Council Quickies transformed confusing bureaucracy to more accessible and easily understood information for their readers. The list goes on, but Michael says it best in this week’s story:

“Local media doesn’t need another wake. Queen City Nerve wouldn’t want you to go through the trouble of clipping on a tie anyway. But when the alternative, authority-challenging outlet closed last week — eight years after launching from the ashes of its predecessor, Creative Loafing — it marked one of those subtle generational shifts in how the city talks about itself, and who talks about it.

Ryan isn’t the mayor or a CEO or the director of any big foundation. But for most of his career he’s been the torch-bearer for Charlotte’s counterculture narratives, following in a line of baggy-eyed alt-weekly editors who wrote about LGBTQ issues and social injustices long before mainstream outlets were comfortable serving readers those headlines. Along the way he and co-founder Justin LaFrancois built a small team of regular contributors for a business that peaked financially in 2024 with $400,000 in revenue.

Young and angsty, and usually wearing a work uniform of typographic T-shirts, Ryan and his editorial teams became the media homebase for Charlotteans who felt unmoored in a corporate city. “

Michael’s story captures the full story of how and why it folded last week. Link in bio.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

QC Nerve Publisher Justin LaFrancois live-streaming Mecklenburg County sheriffs deputies forcibly removing jail support outside of the detention center in summer 2020.

This photographer’s first paid news assignment was for QC Nerve (Creative Loafing at the time) in 2012. The K K K held a rally o

08/17/2026

After an eight-week investigation, the CMS board voted last week to reinstate Superintendent Crystal Hill with little explanation of their findings, just two weeks before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

“In June, the school board suspended superintendent Crystal Hill, who was hired in 2023 to bring “stability” to a system that had seen its previous three superintendents ousted early. The board hired a private firm to investigate Hill for “matters involving administrative and operational oversight.”

In reinstating her Tuesday, they said the review “identified issues that will require ongoing attention as it relates to leadership and operational practices. We will address these issues directly with Dr. Hill.” That’s still about all we know, though WSOC reported that the concerns centered on consulting contracts, including one that the system entered with Hill’s former boss.”

This week, take a glimpse into the latest developments surrounding the CMS superintendent situation from Michaels’ report from Tuesday’s school board meeting. Find the link in the bio.

Thanks again for reading!

Photos by Michael Graff & Logan Cyrus

08/10/2026

When was the last time you went to Rock Hill? If you haven’t been there in a little while, the South Carolina town might look much different from what you remembered. Shaking off a years-long battle with a now-defunct project to bring the Panthers’ practice facility, the city built on a rock is taking off.

“That’s upward of 1,750 jobs and $1.8 billion invested in Rock Hill, announced just this summer. People in Charlotte seem to be noticing. The Charlotte Business Journal on Friday published a story around the thesis that Octapharma could help make the I-77 corridor a major artery for the life sciences industry, connecting it with The Pearl in Charlotte. And one post on Threads last week, questioning Rock Hill’s status as a “suburb,” was met with swift backlash from Charlotte residents eager to claim the South Carolina city as part of us.

Rock Hill leaders say they’re a little of both. Yes, they’re connected to Charlotte by highways and history, and yes, they hope to help drive the region’s life-sciences economic development wave. But in conversations I’ve had with them since June, they’re eager to note that Rock Hill won’t lose its identity, not on their watch.

“We are a community that is born of grit,” Mayor John Gettys told me.

You can find that grit in places like the world-class textile archives, housed in a repurposed printing and finishing company building now called the Thread, and owned by a fast-talking, business-minded CEO whose mother was none other than the revered naturalist and conservationist Anne Springs Close. Anne basically wrote the blueprint for living a full and meaningful life in Charlotte, or anywhere else, hiking Kilimanjaro three times, carrying the Olympic torch, and preserving thousands of acres of greenspace for future generations.”

For this week, Michael took a trip down Rock Hill to see the positive growth happening in this town just over the border. He talked to the mayor, John Gettys, and Derick Close from the 139-year-old family-run business, Springs Creative, all about how Rock Hill has been able to keep its nose to the grindstone.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

Please enjoy this photo of John Richards playing fetch with good b

08/03/2026

Charlotte’s phone booths have been around since the early 1900’s. Today, the remaining booths have become analog monuments to a pre-digital age, like the remains of the Statue of Liberty on a New York beach (a movie reference that’s nearly as ancient as the phone booths).

This week we present this collection of local Charlotte phone booths from photographer Logan Cyrus. Though the phones are no longer in use, many of the ones that haven’t been destroyed are still communicating. You just need to look closely to see it.

Check out the link in our bio for the full collection.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

08/03/2026

“Onward and upward.”

That’s how Blumenthal Arts CEO Tom Gabbard closes many of his meetings. And today he announced that “onward and upward” for him means retiring as CEO by the end of 2027.

Since Gabbard arrived in Charlotte 23 years ago, Blumenthal has become one of the top arts organizations in the U.S. His relationships around the world — as a member of Broadway’s Board of Governors and Tonys voter — helped ensure that top Broadway shows like “Hamilton” made stops in our city.

But his influence runs deeper than big shows. He helped dream up The Levine Center for the Arts in center city, and created The Blumey Awards for high schoolers, which helped launch the careers of stars like Reneé Rapp. Under his leadership, Blumenthal played roles in launching The Charlotte Jazz Festival, The Charlotte International Arts Festival and the relaunch of Charlotte Shout!

During COVID, while arts orgs everywhere struggled, Gabbard and his team brought “Immersive Van Goh” to the city, drawing 300,000 attendees. That led to the creation of Blume Studios, an experiential entertainment venue at the old Charlotte Pipe & Foundry site, where shows like “Magician’s Table” and “In Pour Taste” have introduced new audiences to performance arts.

Earlier this year, we published an in-depth story on Blume Studios and Gabbard. In that story, the Canadian producer of “The Magician’s Table” told us that Blumenthal is “at least three to five years ahead of anybody else in the country” in terms of innovation.

In a post, Blumenthal says its board will perform an “intentional international search” for its next CEO. And Gabbard calls it an “active retirement.” He’ll remain in Charlotte and continue to work as an industry producer and consultant for arts organizations around the world.

Read our full February story: https://charlotteoptimist.com/charlotte-goes-first-tom-gabbard-blume-studios/

07/27/2026

What happens when you bring together nine of Charlotte’s most accomplished musicians in a studio to build a bridge?

This isn’t just a hypothetical question. Dae-Lee Arrington, the founder of Bridge Builder Leadership, did just that. He gathered some of Charlotte’s top artists in a studio uptown to compose a song for the city. The song, tentatively titled “Together We Build,” is scheduled for release in the next few weeks. It’s a unique and singular piece of art that serves as a call to action, urging cooperation in a city government on the verge of making some of the most significant decisions in its history.

“Dae-Lee, though, has a distinct background and set of skills. He’s a Grammy-nominated former music producer who’s spent the past five years teaching leadership across differences with his Bridge Builder business. The day we met in the studio, he posted a vision essay for this new project. In it, he argues that the city’s recent quarrels stem from leaders who don’t know and trust each other, and says that’s a natural byproduct of the city’s rapid growth. At the end, he included 30 testimonials from notable leaders across multiple industries, and invited others to add their voice.

‘We’re leaving value on the table that our city desperately needs,’ Dae-Lee told me over breakfast one morning. ‘If we want our growth to be different, to be healthier, the same ways of going about it are not going to work. … I don’t believe I’m alone in thinking these things. I’m just creating opportunities for others to say yes.’”

Michael spent some time in the studio with local artists Bluz Rogers, Emily Sage, Joseph Quisol, Curt Keyz, Harvey Cummings, Claudio Ortiz, Liza Ortiz, and Ahji while they created and recorded the song. Read more about Dae-Lee’s story and how this all came together with the link in bio.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

07/20/2026

Dr. Monique Perry-Graves and Road to Hire aren’t just preparing students for college; they are walking alongside them as they navigate their pathways to higher education while giving them real-life experience to act as a cornerstone to their professional lives.

“Founded in 2014, Road to Hire has reoriented the life stories of more than 3,000 young people in our region. The only prerequisites are a 2.5 GPA or better, some inkling that they might go to college, and a guidance counselor’s recommendation. These are the students in the middle, students who could go one way or another, and Road to Hire finds them and wraps its resources around them … then doesn’t let them go until after they’ve graduated from college and found a job. The organization has partnerships with multiple corporations in Charlotte, and by its own count, its apprenticeship arm has a job-placement rate of 95%, most with salaries of $70,000 or better.”

This year, Road to Hire will serve 1,500 students here in Mecklenburg County. In Sunday’s newsletter, Michael went in-depth with Dr. Perry-Graves to discuss her tenure as the Road to Hire CEO, the road she took to get there, and the road to success she sees promising young teens taking each day.

Read the full story at Charlotteoptimist.com or subscribe to the newsletter directly if you’re tired of clicking the link in our bio every week.

Thank you!

Photos by Logan Cyrus

07/13/2026

The Pauline Tea-Bar Apothecary celebrated 7 years over the weekend. 7 years of picking your own cup, 7 years of no Wi-Fi, 7 years of laughter and tears inside Grandma’s living room.

In a small building on Arty Avenue in West Charlotte, you’ll be greeted by old doors with hand-painted designs from local artists, local bees enjoying the flowers in the landscaping, and a wonderful patio with a partial view of uptown. Stepping through the door, you’re greeted by a space designed to gently encourage you to slow down and listen. Choose your tea and one of the 100 or so mugs on the wall, and take a moment to appreciate that spaces like this can still thrive in a city hell-bent on making noise.

“On the wall beside the checkout counter are rows of gently used coffee cups, which she’s gathered through the years from friends and antique shops. They’re all different colors, mismatched and random. Kind of like a Grandma’s cabinet. My favorite is a vintage Morton Salt cup.

The shop has six different types of tea, with variations of each. When you order, the hospitality hostess asks if you’d like honey, then invites you to pick out your cup. Then she matches that cup with a teapot, which she’ll bring to you. That was all Sherry’s daughter’s idea, built on that ‘feeling.’”

This week, Michael sat down with Sherry Waters, owner of The Pauline Tea-Bar Apothecary, to talk about how her tea bar came about, what the last 7 years have been like, and where it’s all heading in the future.

Full story link in our bio. Thank you for reading.

Photos by Logan Cyrus

The Charlotte Optimist

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