The Charlotte is Creative Podcast
by Charlotte Is Creative
With a true diversity of voices and inventive approaches to content, storytelling, profiles and investigations, The Charlotte is Creative Podcast rises up at the intersection of Charlotte’s creativity and community engagement. Subscribe now for stories of creativity in the Queen City.
Episodes
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Charlotte is Creative Mixer
Recorded at the Makers and Creators Mixer on August 21, hosts Matt Olin and Tim Miner talk with a half dozen or so Charlotte Creatives, like Speed Dating for Creatives!
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Lynsea
Charlotte singer/songwriter Lynsea talks with hosts Matt Olin and Tim Miner about the accident that changed her life, how her life's focus has been altered, and her fight for a change in automotive safety that could have lessened the severity of her injury. savemoreskulls.com is the link to sign...
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Artist Lee Ko
Matt and Tim talk with Charlotte artist Lee Ko, about The Hands Project, and her incredible story. Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on Friday, August 7, 2026, at Myers Park United Methodist Church.
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Varian Shrum
Varian Shrum has a track record of bringing Charlotte's creatives together, but never as evident as in her work at Camp North End. Varian talks with Charlotte is Creative's Matt Olin and Tim Miner about how she got engaged with Camp North End in its early reimagining, and where its' future lies....
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Dennis Reed
Matt and Tim connect with Charlotte musician and creative Dennis Reed Jr. to discuss his collaboration with DJ Fannie Mae (Sainted Trap Choir), his upbringing, and his work with local teens through Inspire the Fire.
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Robert Krumbine
Recorded immediately following the April 3 Creative Mornings at Imaginon, Matt Olin sits down with Charlotte Center City Partners' Chief Creative Officer Robert Krumbine to discuss his philosophy of event creation, his career in Charlotte, and his start in the music industry.
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Giovanna Torres
Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings on Friday, March 6, 2026. Host Matt Olin talks with Giovanna Torres from Cine casual, about the importance of cinema in her life, particularly Latin American Cinema, and what drove her to launch the organization.
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CarlosAlexis Cruz
Tim and guest host Jen Lafontaine talk with CarlosAlexis Cruz after the February Creative Mornings Charlotte event at Woodlawn Community Fellowship.
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Michelle Fernandez
Michelle Fernandez is a local artist, first-generation American, mother, licensed therapist, and the creative force behind Limoncito Goods, Fresh Squeezed Craft Club, and La Bodeguita at Camp North End. She talks with Matt and Tim immediately following her keynote presentation at Creative…
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Harvey Cummings II
Recorded at Creative Mornings Charlotte, at The Pearl, on December 5, 2025- Matt and Tim talk with Charlotte musician Harvey Cummings II about his career path, his approach to creating music, and how turning down a legend set him on his career path for good.
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Matt Alvis
Hosts Matt Olin and Tim Miner talk with Charlotte artist Matt Alvis about his art, and his work creating spaces for other artists to grow. Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on November7, 2025 at The Mint Museum Randolph.
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Cheryse Terry
Charlotte native, mother, vintage collector, self-taught archivist, and the visionary founder of ARCHIVE CLT, Cheryse Terry joins Matt and Tim fresh off the stage at Creative Mornings on October 10, 2025. Recorded on-location at UNC Charlotte's CO-LAB in Uptown Charlotte.
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Brian Lafontaine
Actor (you've seen him), voice over artist, speaker, speaking coach Brian Lafontaine joins Matt and Tim after Brian's keynote at Creative Mornings on September 5, 2025.
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Mitchell Kearney
The theme for June 2025 was "Punk." Who else to talk to than Charlotte's original punk, who was there at the birth of the Punk scene in NYC in the late 70's and photographed everyone from Lou Reed to The Ramones to Andy Warhol? Tim talks with Mitchell Kearney after his talk at Creative Mornings…
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Alvin C. Jacobs
A conversation with Charlotte photographer Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte at the historic Carolina Theater in Uptown Charlotte.
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Kat Martin
Recorded at the International Picture House immediately following Creative Mornings on March 7, 2025, Matt and Tim talk with Kat Martin, cofounder and Artistic Director at Mixed Metaphors Productions.
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Manolo Betancur
Matt and Tim sit down with the one and only Manolo Betancur, following his keynote speech about "Layers" at the Creative Mornings event on Friday, February 7, 2025.
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Makayla Binter
Charlotte is Creative's own Makayla Binter is the guest on thie episode. Mat, Tim and Makayla discuss her journey, her life as an artist, and the breaks she got along the way. See her keynote presentation at the January Creative Morning's gathering here.
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Tim Scott Jr.
Charlotte musician/producer Tim Scott Jr. joins Matt and Tim immediately following the Creative Mornings event on Friday December 13, 2024.
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The 704 Shop- Scott Wooten and Christopher Moxley
Scott Wooten and Christopher Moxley from The 704 Shop join host Matt Olin moments after their keynote presentation at Creative Mornings on November 9, 2024. Recorded at UNC Charlotte's Dubois Center.
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Terri White
Matt and Tim talk with Terri White, President and CEO of The Charlotte Museum of History, following Creative Mornings Charlotte on October 4, 2024.
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William "Coach" McNeely
Do Greater Charlotte's William McNeely joins hosts Matt Olin and Tim Miner on this episode, recorded immediately following Creative Morning's September gathering at Uptown Charlotte's Mint Museum.
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Men Tchaas Ari
Charlotte is Creative's Matt Olin talks with Men Tchaas Ari from Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenbur, about his predisposition for helping people and the rituals that keep him focused. Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on August 2, 2024.
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Arts Advocate Jonell Logan
Matt and Tim sit down with Charlotte non-profit leader and arts advocate Jonell Logan to discuss being a leader in, and a supporter of, the arts community in Charlotte and just what that means. This podcast was recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on Friday, June 14, 2024.
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WBTV's Kristen Miranda
WBTV's Kristen Miranda joins Matt and Tim immediately following the 100th Creative Mornings event at The BoPlex. Recorded May 4, 2024.
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CLT Black Owned: Madeline Holly-Carothers and Ashley Creft
Matt and Tim sit down with Madeline Holly-Carothers and Ashley Creft, who took an idea and built it into an organization that connects Charlotte's Black-owned businesses with each other and their community. Recorded March 1, 2024 after the Creative Mornings session.
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Jennifer Sudul Edwards
Matt and Tim discuss creativity and community with Jennifer Sudul Edwards, Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at The Mint Museum, in a conversation recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte, January 5, 2024 at The Mint Museum on Randolph.
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DJ Fannie Mae
Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings on Nov 3, 2023, Matt and Tim sit down with the one and only DJ Fannie Mae.
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The 100th Episode: Will White
For this special 100th episode of the Charlotte is Creative Podcast, Matt and Tim sit down with Charlotte fashion designer Will White.
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CT Anderson
Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on October 6, 2023, Matt and Tim sit down with CT Anderson from SpringClean.org, about the theme of Endurance.
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Corey Mitchell
Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on June 2, 2023, Matt and Time talk with Tony Award Winner Corey Mitchell, founder of Charlotte's Theater Gap Initiative.
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David Jeffers
Fresh from his emotional presentation at the May 5 Creative Mornings event, Quadriphonic Sound's David Jeffers joins Matt and Tim to talk about his path to sound design, just what a sound designer does, and the music that inspires him.
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Lauren Widrick
Lauren Widrick, fresh off her inspirational talk at the April Creative Mornings event, talks with Matt and Tim about walking away from a perfectly good job to chase a dream.
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Mark and Maggie O'Connor
"A national treasure." -Wynton Marsalis "The best musician on the planet." -Vince Gill "A supreme master at what he does." -Yo-Yo Ma "He is to music what Muhammad Ali is to boxing." -James Taylor Imagine how good Mark O'Connor must be if these are the words his peers have said about him. Mark's...
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Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward
Charlotte is Creative's Matt Olin sits doen with Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward, to learn more about how one becomes a Poet Laureate, and why he hid his talent for many years.
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LEADING OTHERS TO SANCTUARY
At our first CreativeMornings/Charlotte event of 2023, we met three people committed to helping others find their Sanctuary: Liliana Jaramillo (Mexico), Yeferline Gomez (Dominican Republic), and Sadaf Alemi (Afghanistan). They all work at ourBRIDGE for Kids, a local nonprofit whose mission is to...
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The World Should Know: Mattie Marshall
Mattie Marshall is a Charlottean. Like so many in Charlotte, she wasn’t born here. But, she’s made it her home. While she’s lived in several neighborhoods since moving here, it’s the historic Washington Heights community - one of Charlotte’s original Black suburbs, named after Booker T.…
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The World Should Know: Tommie Robinson
Tommie Robinson is an artist. He’s been among our most celebrated in Charlotte, NC for some time. But it wasn’t always that way. As a black man who wanted to paint for a living in post-World War II South, there wasn’t a road map for him. But, he had talent. He had passion. And – as he says – he…
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The World Should Know: Rudean Harris
Rudean Harris didn’t learn how to smile until she was a teenager. After the death of Rudean’s mother, her father moved she and her siblings to Charlotte where, her extended family could help raise them. Fighting through poverty and bigotry, the family stayed together, but there was little to…
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Who Built Me: Ricky Singh
Ricky Singh is an educator, artist and father of four, so he knows what it takes to help build individuals and communities. He put much of that knowledge and passion to work this summer after the Black Lives Matter protests, painting several murals on and around Beatties Ford Road. On today's Who...
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Creative Mornings Rewind: Josh Jacobson
Whether you know it or not, Josh Jacobson of Next Stage and his work have likely touched your life. Josh and his team work with many of the most impactful non-profit organizations in Charlotte, and he continues to be one of the most sought-after voices in the community. In today's episode of...
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A New Home for Charlotte Art League
"The vision is a community arts hub - visual, performing arts, hyper-local ... we anticipate that this 4237 community arts hub will be that now and for at least the next 15, 20, 30 years and maybe forever ..." - Tony Kuhn, Flywheel Group, LLC Something interesting is taking place off E. Sugar…
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Nao Tsurumaki of Children's Theatre of Charlotte
Children's Theatre of Charlotte has long been revered by Charlotteans, but especially Head Biscuit Baker Matt Olin. Having spent much of his creative formative years working with CTC, Matt credits them for having made a profound impact on him and his creative work today. Last month, CTC hired Nao...
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Irisol Gonzalez - Creative Mornings Rewind
At the February 2021 edition of Creative Mornings Charlotte, artist and Costa Rican native Irisol Gonzalez spoke about the global theme of promise. But what made her talk special was not the promises she was making to others, but the promises she made to herself. In immigrating to the US at just...
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Onboarding with Boris "Bluz" Rogers
One of Charlotte's most prolific creative forces is making a move. Boris "Bluz" Rogers has been a fixture in the local creative space for more than a decade as an independent performing artist. In 2021, he's moving into a new role with the heavily established Blumenthal Performing Arts. In…
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Author Lawrence Gordon
Lawrence Gordon is a man who has many skills, and applies them in several different arenas. By day, he's the VP of Workforce Development at Hope Haven, a Charlotte non-profit dedicated to helping those suffering from addiction. At night, he's also a basketball coach at Carmel Christian.…
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Creative Resolutions
In today’s episode of The Biscuit, we’ve asked several Charlotte creatives to give us what they’ve learned from 2020 and what their hopes are for 2021. You’ll get to hear from creatives like Sonya Phiffer of Elder Gallery, photographer Ernesto Moreno and painter Rosalia Torres Weiner about their...
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Jody Mace of Charlotte on the Cheap
In 2009, local freelance writer Jody Mace was faced with a question that she heard echoed around the city: What do we do in Charlotte that's fun and not incredibly expensive. That's when Jody and her husband decided to build the aptly-named website Charlotte on the Cheap, where they would list as...
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Celebrate Five Years of Creative Mornings Charlotte with Matt and Tim
This week marks the fifth birthday of the Charlotte chapter of Creative Mornings (CM/CLT). What started as an effort to gather people together once a month to share, laugh, learn and celebrate Charlotte’s creative community has inspired many collaborations, as well as the development of the HUG...
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The Biscuit Blitz: Chef Ron Ahlert and Anne Lambert
Being on the frontlines of building a community take a relentless devotion to the work and unwavering commitment to the cause. Chef Ron Ahlert, Executive Director of Community Culinary School of Charlotte has been putting those values to work for more than two decades. Today, he's helping lead a...
About this show
With a true diversity of voices and inventive approaches to content, storytelling, profiles and investigations, The Charlotte is Creative Podcast rises up at the intersection of Charlotte’s creativity and community engagement. Subscribe now for stories of creativity in the Queen City.
Hosted by
Charlotte Is Creative