It’s time for another Meet the Media Monday! The series features a brief Q&A with leading Charlotte media as we get to know the faces behind the stories that matter most in the Queen City. This week, meet Andy Smith, Executive Editor of Charlotte magazine.
Andy is one of Charlotte’s most fascinating journalists, having become kind of a jack of all trades at Charlotte magazine through his many roles over the years! We sat down with Andy at neighborhood favorite Sunflour Baking Company to discuss the latest Charlotte news, our enneagrams (threes unite!) and much more. Learn about Andy below!
What’s the craziest story you’ve ever covered?
AS: My background is in writing about art so with that you see some very, very wild things. Pretty much any time I get down to Miami Art Week I’m seeing something crazy. When I was living in West Virginia, I was covering hot dog festivals but during Miami Art Week I saw incredible sand castles and art that I just could not believe. I saw a sculpture at SCOPE Miami Beach that was made entirely of salt (that was the medium) and it was so fine and so fragile. I was seeing something that could only exist in one place at one time in one week. It’s something I’ll take past that experience. Lately I’m much more interested in people who aren’t known as a household name and what they’re capable of doing.
If you could write for any publication what would it be?
AS: In the art world I’ve hit a lot of the bucket list items for myself. When I came out of college I was really obsessed with niche magazines and I found this farming magazine called Pig Topics. I know it’s corny but Charlotte magazine is sort of my great love right now. National publications are a lot of fun and good for the resume and I enjoyed doing that but every day living amongst the people you write about is a gift.
Something people would be surprised to learn about you?
AS: The most interesting thing about me is my job and the people I write about. I met Alfonso Ribeiro who played Carlton on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air at a mall when I was seven.
Regarding his experience interviewing Dolly Parton over the phone: She was so sweet and smart. It was a lesson to me that some of the most successful people I’ve ever met are so present. They’re intentionally giving you a part of themselves and part of their day. I don’t do celebrity interviews very often anymore.
If you weren’t a journalist what would you be?
AS: I would be a comic book artist. That’s what I wanted to be a majority of my life and then switched gears my senior year of high school. I was obsessed with this magazine as a kid called Wizard. If the next issue hadn’t arrived yet I would run to the bottom of my hill and see if my new magazine had come. There is so much to it and so much thought that goes into it. It became the perfect medium for me because there’s so much to look forward to. Instead of comics I wanted to talk about something that means something to me and that’s become Charlotte.
What attracted you to journalism?
AS: Being a kid that was obsessed with one magazine and along the way discovering that the place you live has a magazine dedicated to it. Nobody could anticipate where journalism would go. In the meantime, we’ve learned so much in digital so we’re able to leverage what works in print and what works in digital in the best way. Magazines are where it comes full circle and where I’ve been the happiest.
What are the challenges you face being a journalist in 2020?
AS: It’s always time. With a monthly magazine, it can allow you to take bigger swings. We have amazing, world-class photographers. We have an art director. The challenge is, and it’s a good challenge, is how you spend your time. How do you show the team around you to be generous and caring and to support each other while being the most efficient with your time? Being a parent has helped me with this.
What’s your favorite activity in Charlotte?
AS: I really like taking my girls to galleries. I started a series for Charlotte Parent about my oldest daughter, Elliot, and her visual literacy. Art meets you where you are. We have some really strong galleries and museums in Charlotte.
What’s one thing you wish you could change about Charlotte?
AS: I want us to continue to have difficult conversations. We all have to learn how we fit into the greater picture. We have to disagree and do it in a way that looks at where the city is going. Ask, “Am I being singled out here or am I apart of the greater narrative?” Something I’d also change about the city is being dead last in economic mobility.
What has surprised you the most (good or bad) about Charlotte?
AS: There is a really interesting history to Charlotte. There are stories that are decades, centuries old. We did a “100 Events that Changed Charlotte” story for our 50th Anniversary issue and that was interesting to go through the history of the Hornet’s Nest and why it’s called Uptown. There’s this millennial thing where we act like conquistadors about a new thing like we discovered it. What came before us and what got us to where we are today? If there’s anything Charlotte magazine likes to do, it’s provide context.
What are your goals for the coming year as Editor?
AS: The goal is to tell the story of Charlotte from multiple angles. Remind the community of who we are, how long we’ve been here and be this fantastic resource that’s just at their fingertips. A couple months ago I started to make a crossword for the back of the magazine. I like creating a monthly artifact that people can look forward to each month. It’s a year of change and there are a lot of ideas I’d like to execute.
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