Charlotte is Creative
Everything we do is about connection.
And connection makes anything possible.
Charlotte Is Creative (CIC)
Charlotte Is Creative (CIC), a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status, was established in 2015 by two lifelong friends, Matt Olin and Tim Miner, who envisioned Charlotte as the most inviting and supportive city in the country for artists, creators, and creative entrepreneurs.
They started with a simple idea: connection sparks possibility.
When starting out, Tim and Matt, who both grew up in the Queen City, wanted to change the narrative of Charlotte. Their ultimate hope was that when asked to describe Charlotte, residents would begin answering, “Charlotte is creative.”
Their secret ulterior motive? They wanted to help Charlotte become a place where their daughters (Matt has one and Tim has two) would want to live as adults.
CreativeMornings / Charlotte
CIC launched its first project, CreativeMornings / Charlotte, a free, monthly breakfast lecture series that connects the local creative community. The November 2015 debut, expected to draw 45-75 people, saw nearly 200 attend.
Since then, CreativeMornings / Charlotte has hosted over 120 gatherings, drawing 225 to more than 700 attendees. This enthusiastic response confirmed CIC's belief that a welcoming, joyful, and accessible space mobilizes Charlotte's creative community.
The success of CreativeMornings inspired CIC to expand into a broader movement, connecting artists, businesses, and neighborhoods across Mecklenburg County.
Growth and Programming
CIC expanded programming rapidly, from distributing hundreds of H.U.G. (Helpful Unfettered Gift) micro-grants to producing playful but meaningful civic events like Queen City Quiz Show and Charlotte Reciprocity Circle, and offering training programs like the Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative. CIC has become a hub for collaboration and imagination across Mecklenburg County.
Every program, every project, and every story we share exists to strengthen the creative fabric of our city and the people who bring it to life.
Our Why
Charlotte’s creative community shapes our culture, strengthens neighborhoods, and fuels our economy through art, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
But too many artists and makers still don’t have fair access to the networks, training, and resources needed to build sustainable careers. Financial pressure and low visibility can keep talent from becoming a thriving creative business, limiting both families and Charlotte’s cultural vitality.
We’re here to change that.
Charlotte Is Creative connects emerging and established creatives to tools, funding, relationships, and encouragement that turn ideas into action. We also help residents, companies, and civic partners plug into the creative energy that makes Charlotte distinct.
When creatives feel seen and supported, they build stronger careers and stronger communities. And more Charlotteans feel welcomed, inspired, and connected to something bigger than themselves.
Our Values
We believe in the values that enhance creativity, drive community connection and guide our actions and decisions every day:
- Joy: We love what we do and bring enthusiasm to every project and event we create and manage.
- Collaboration: We build community every day by working and sharing with those of complementary passions and intentions, creating a sense of belonging and connection.
- Compassion: We strive to understand and empathize with others’ experiences by creating a supportive culture and celebrating successes together.
- Reciprocity: We believe in helping others and the obligation to return kind gestures with something that is equally significant.
- Integrity: We are committed to doing the right thing and being accountable for our actions is firmly rooted in our DNA.
These values shape how we connect people, tell stories,and activate public spaces, always with the goal of making Charlotte feel more human, hopeful, inspired and supportive of small, creative businesses.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to joyfully show the world that Charlotte is a vibrant, diverse, creative community by fueling the imaginations, passions and ambitions of local creatives and the allies who champion them.
Charlotte Is Creative unlocks imagination to strengthen our city economically, culturally and socially.
We do this by developing programs and partnerships that help creatives work, learn and lead and by collaborating with public and private organizations that want to infuse creativity into their teams and communities.
This approach has allowed us to hire hundreds of emerging and established creatives across Mecklenburg County to bring bold ideas to life.
Our work takes many forms
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- The Biscuit: Stories, people, and resources powering Charlotte’s creative heartbeat. Learn more.
- HUG Micro-Grants: $250 spark grants that remove barriers and fund creative first steps. Learn more.
- Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative (CEI): 10-week business course for artists and makers, plus $1,500 to invest in your practice.
- CreativeMornings/Charlotte: Free monthly talks and gatherings that build community through shared stories and ideas. Learn more.
- Creative Project Management: We run paid creative programs for partners, connecting artists to real gigs and real experience. Learn more.
- Charlotte Reciprocity Circles (CRC): High-energy networking where creatives and business leaders trade resources, ideas, and opportunities.
- Queen City Quiz Show: A playful, game-based way to make important information stick through humor and collaboration. Learn more.
- OneBand: Charlotte’s one-and-only flashband experience where musicians of all levels are invited to come together for one practice and one public performance.
Each initiative is designed for a specific purpose, from teaching core business skills to networking to m putting local creatives to work while helping residents and companies engage with Charlotte in imaginative new ways.
Our purpose is simple: Make creativity contagious and a viable career.
Board & Staff
Charlotte Is Creative is led by a dedicated team of dreamers, doers, and connectors who believe in the power of creativity to strengthen our city. Our staff and board work together to guide our mission, support local creatives, and help imagination thrive across Charlotte.Staff & Leadership- Tim Miner, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
- Matt Olin, Co-Founder & Chief Community Officer
- Makayla Binter, Creative Catalyst
- Setu Raval, Program Director
- Melissa Dorsch, Project Manager
- Jennifer Appleby, Chair
- Lauren Woodruff, Vice Chair
- Rob Bacharach, Treasurer
- Ryan Lineberry, Secretary
- Bryan Li
- Lance Morley
- Toni Freeman
- Will White
- Tya Bolton
- Tim Miner
- Matt Olin
Founders
Tim Miner
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Co-Founder of Charlotte Is Creative. As Creative Troublemaker, Tim organizes the local chapter of CreativeMornings. He manages Queen City Quiz Show, the HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gift) Micro-Grant Program, Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative, CLR Creative Corps project management, and The Biscuit media channel with his creative partner in crime, Matt Olin.
Before Charlotte Is Creative, Tim was the “Marketing Dude” at Brixx Pizza; over his 20-year marketing career, Tim helped to shape the modern-day Charlotte brand at Crescent Communities, Charlotte Center City Partners, and the Convention & Visitors Bureau.
A University of North Carolina graduate at Chapel Hill, Tim served on the City of Charlotte’s Arts and Culture Advisory Board and now serves on their Arts and Culture Steering Group. Tim happily married Kim Miner and has two daughters, Grace and Cate. They tell him he's an embarrassing nerd daily, but they love him anyway.
Matt Olin
Co-Founder & Chief Community Officer
Co-founder of Charlotte Is Creative, a non-profit that develops and runs initiatives such as Queen City Quiz Show (winner of a 2016 Knight Cities Challenge Grant), the HUG (“Helpful Unfettered Gift”) creative microgrant program, and The Biscuit, a media channel covering the immense creativity and inspiring creators of Charlotte.
He also hosts CreativeMornings/Charlotte, a popular monthly breakfast lecture series celebrating the creative spirit of Charlotte and its citizens.
Matt spent the first 20 years of his career creating and producing theater in Charlotte and New York – productions garnering such honors as 14 Tony Awards, 50 Tony nominations, Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and more. His wife, Sarah, and daughter, Mirabelle, also love calling Charlotte “home.”