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Award-winning journalist Michael Graff has launched a new nonprofit media outlet called The Charlotte Optimist. He will publish his first story on Sunday, May 4.
Why it matters: Graff's new publication will look for the stories in Charlotte's couch cushions, he tells me, putting his 25 years of experience to use with what he does best — storytelling that connects you with your neighbors.
What to expect: The Charlotte Optimist is a free weekly newsletter that will be published on Sunday nights. Some stories will be long-form, like the time he spent 10 days in a tent city in 2020 for Charlotte Agenda.
- Others will be personal essays, like when he told parents it was OK not to be OK after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.
- Graff also plans to write the occasional personality profile.
Context: Graff most recently served as Axios' Southern bureau chief. Before that, he was editor of Axios Charlotte, Charlotte Agenda and Charlotte magazine.
By the numbers: Graff declined to disclose the exact amount of funding for The Charlotte Optimist, but he did confirm he's raised six figures. He has more than 2,800 subscribers as of Tuesday afternoon. His roster of investors includes:
- Former Bank of America chairman and CEO Hugh McColl
- Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias
- Atrium Health and its CEO Gene Woods
- Movement Mortgage CEO and former Carolina Panthers player Casey Crawford
- Former Trane Technologies CEO Mike Lamach
Between the lines: Graff, now in his mid-40s, has accomplished a lot of the things he wanted to do as a 20-year-old. He's an award-winning journalist and a nationally published author.
- Now he's holding a mirror up to the city, both for people who are passing through and the 117 people who move here every day. But more importantly, he's lending his voice to make the city the kind of place he wants his 5-year-old and 2-year-old sons to grow up in.
The bottom line: "I hope it lasts a long time," Graff says of his new venture.
You can subscribe to The Charlotte Optimist here.