Working with Charlotte is Creative is like spreading soft butter on a piece of warm toast… it goes on easy and taste so good!
Robert Krumbine, Chief Creative Officer & Senior Vice President of Events at Charlotte Center City Partners
Photo Credits for Derita Dairy Bar: Ernesto Moreno Photography
WHAT WE DO.
When organizations and companies need to develop innovative projects that jump out actively engage the attention and imagination of their customers, the communities, and the media and they call on us.
When they need to add some perspective, fun, or special creative sauce to an initiative that makes their mission and their brand identity come alive, they call us.
And, then, we call on our contacts in Charlotte’s creative community collaborators to join the team and take your project in surprising directions.
You come to us with a goal or a destination in mind (p.s. It can be vague … we can work with that). We bring our team to the table with yours and build from there, leaving preconceived notions and a “this is how we’ve always done it” mindset at the door.
Working with you, our team develops a creative approach to your project (internal or external) that welcomes everyone on board and cannot be ignored.
We don’t create projects and events.
We create events and projects that create connections.
We create projects and events that make an impact.
SOUND A LITTLE DIFFERENT?
YEAH. BUT IT’S THE RIGHT KIND OF DIFFERENT.
Yep. We get it. Working with a nonprofit that brings artists and creatives to the table to tackle corporate and nonprofit projects isn’t the norm. But, it works. And, we have happy clients to prove it.
Hope USA is a nationwide initiative to share hope in our communities. [Wells Fargo is] investing in beautifying business districts and encouraging everyone to join in by shopping locally and supporting small businesses as they emerge from the economic impact of the pandemic. In partnership with Charlotte Is Creative, we also see this as an opportunity to shine a light on Creatives and the important role they play in Charlotte’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Rodrick Banks, Senior Community Relations Consultant, Social Impact & Sustainability
OUR CREATIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
Below are just a few examples of projects we’ve developed and managed for corporations and nonprofits. But, before you read them, we suggest you subscribe to our newsletter, The Biscuit.
Each week, in addition to sharing information about noteworthy people and projects underway in Queen City, we also talk about our work inside companies and community organizations.
Derita Dairy Bar & Maria’s Grille
When Wells Fargo launched their HOPE USA campaign, a nationwide program focused on revitalizing small, locally owned businesses in Charlotte, they turned to Charlotte Is Creative.
Our charge was to identify small businesses in the City’s Corridors of Opportunity and assemble and manage artists that would beautify their exteriors and enhance their curb appeal while paying homage to the business itself and the community in which it was located. Wells anticipated we’d execute one project with the funds they gave us. We’ve done three in two of the Corridors, with plans to complete two more by summer 2022.
The first two took place just before the holidays in 2021 at the Derita Dairy Bar and Maria’s Grille, both restaurants on West Sugar Creek Road and both owned by women of color.
For the Dairy Bar, we managed a team of four artists – Bunny Gregory, Goldie, Amber Thompson, and Kristen Rowell – to:
- Create a new, hand-painted sign
- Design and build decorative planters
- Design and build a new menu board and community board
- Design and create a sidewalk mural in front of the order window
In addition, we created opportunities for 25 Wells volunteers to clean up the site, paint window trim, the planters, and the sidewalk mural, prepare a wall for a future mural, and conduct light repairs.
Meanwhile, a block away, Wells volunteers helped local illustrator Julia Valle restore original, hand-painted window graphics at Maria’s Grille while adding new illustrations designed to entice customers to come in and try Maria’s signature dishes.
This project enabled us to bring local media attention and community connection to the Hope USA program, provide an engaging and entertaining hands-on experience for Wells volunteers, and put five creatives to work – a perfect example of how we take a different approach to our client’s mission oriented work by implementing our nonprofit’s mission of connecting local creatives to opportunities that advance their careers.
Photo Credits for Derita Dairy Bar: Ernesto Moreno Photography
SOUTHEND BLOOMS - South End Charlotte
South End, a district just outside Uptown Charlotte, engaged us to help their tagline “A Discovery Around Every Corner” by organizing six weeks of pop-up engagements from creatives ranging from chalk artists to musicians to disruptive floral art.
With a little over a month of prep-time, we managed an open call, developed a database of suitable creatives, assisted with the creation and execution of a marketing plan, and selected, paid, and managed over 30 individual creatives who performed and worked in public spaces and South End businesses.
While much of the work was temporary, we could also negotiate and manage the production of two permanent murals in the South End.
THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION - Charlotte Rescue Mission
To kick off a new capital campaign focused on raising money for a new housing/training facility that would triple their ability to work with men struggling with substance abuse, the Charlotte Rescue Mission wanted a striking way to get the attention of the public and the media.
We enlisted four local creatives to design eight pop-up art installations that could be installed quickly in highly visible areas across the city. To drive home the message that Charlotte Rescue Mission transforms lives, we placed six-foot-high boards bearing quotes from men in the Mission’s “Rebound Program.”
After a few days, these were replaced by a duplicate board bearing the same quote but painted by one of our artists, turning a struggle into something of beauty and value. This two-week engagement kickstarted a successful campaign and provided content that could be used across all of the Mission’s media efforts.
GIANT HOLIDAY CARDS - Charlotte Center CIty Partners
To punctuate the streetscape for the annual Thanksgiving Day parade and holiday celebration Charlotte Center City Partners organizes in Uptown Charlotte, they asked us to create an installation at the main square that added something while celebrating Charlotte’s art.
We selected five up-and-coming creatives for a modest budget to build five cards that could be displayed in 2021, easily stored, and used as the first wave of a new holiday tradition in Charlotte.
LET’S CONNECT & CREATE SOMETHING TOGETHER.
Working with us is fun. It starts by sitting down and dreaming together.
While we bring our slate of programs and history to the planning table, we start with a blank sheet of paper and an empty whiteboard. We work together to co-create a program from scratch that cuts through the noise and delivers the intended message.
- We illuminate your mission by putting local creatives to work for you.
- When you engage Charlotte Is Creative, you’re tapping into our experience and local creative network and your custom solution.
- Each time we start a new project, we start with your “why” and move on to the “how.”
- We don’t like creating one thing. We seek to create many. Every plan we build is designed to give you assets – photos, videos, copy, art – that you can use well after our work is done.
Photo Credits for Derita Dairy Bar: Ernesto Moreno Photography
YOU PICK THE DESTINATION. WE CHART THE JOURNEY.
It starts with you telling us where you need to go. Then, we work together to decide how we get there … and how we invite others to come along for the ride.
But, our creative approach doesn’t come at the expense of professionalism:
- Before we get going, we determine – together – what “success” looks like.
- We get to know you and develop ideas that may push your team but are rooted in your identity and your procedures.
- We develop budgets, and we stick to them.
- We communicate with you every step of the way. You won’t be in the dark.
- We want to work with your marketing team to develop materials they can use before, during, and after our work.
We’re ready to co-create something amazing with you!
Tell us about a few challenges you have that could use a creative touch?
I absolutely love working with [Charlotte Is Creative]. There has never been an “oops” or a “sorry about that” uttered from their lips as everything they touch is done right the first time! Their connection with the creative community is extraordinary and their ability to bring people creatives together as partners, colleagues, or just collaborators is nothing short of a miracle!
Robert Krumbine
Creative Project Management in the news
Questions people ask
How does a project start?
It starts with you telling us where you need to go. Then we work together to decide how we get there and how we invite others to come along.
How do you keep a project professional?
Before we get going, we determine together what success looks like. We develop budgets, and we stick to them. We communicate with you every step of the way, and we work with your marketing team to develop materials they can use before, during and after our work.