More than being a good reporter or writer, I have always seen myself as a good storyteller. At the heart of the journalism profession, aside from being factual and truthful, is the ability to craft compelling stories that will pull people in.
The past few weeks have been difficult, as I’ve been in a sort of limbo, trying to figure out what is next for me after I was laid off by the parent company of The Independent Tribune. I worked for the Tribune as its only full-time news reporter for almost two years; I previously spent four years as a news reporter with The Stanly News and Press. (A detailed portfolio of some of my noteworthy stories can be found here. )
For the first time in many years, I had nothing on my schedule; no school board or commissioner meetings to cover, no people to interview.
I have thought about a lot of things over the past several weeks, including whether to remain in the journalism profession, but the urge to tell good stories has not left me.
There is still so much fertile ground to explore in Cabarrus County, an area that has never received the consistent news coverage that it deserves, as one of the fastest growing counties in the state (and likely the country).
After much thought and reflection, I have decided, as the former Charlotte TV anchor Molly Grantham famously puts it, to “bet on myself.” This is crazy and may ultimately not work out, but I have created my own Substack account, where I plan to continue covering all things Cabarrus County, with particular focus on the County Commissioners and the Cabarrus County Board of Education.
It has meant so much to hear from an array of people recently about how much they would miss my news coverage with the Tribune. It showed me that local reporting is still valued and appreciated by so many in the community.
In this new endeavor, I will be my own editor and publisher and writer. I will control the content and types of stories and how best to tell them. So many writers and reporters have recently found success on Substack, and—while I am still figuring out this new terrain— I am excited about the myriad possibilities this new format can hopefully provide.
My goal is to work on this site full-time to continue producing high-quality journalism, but in order to do that, I need the support of subscribers.
As this is my creation, I feel I can be a little more informal and even show more of myself in my stories. Like a great wine, I always strive for my stories, especially the detailed features, to have space to breathe, so people feel like they really get to know the person or organization that I am writing about.
Before I end, I want people to know a little bit about myself. I am a Concord native who has spent most of my life in Cabarrus County, except for a few exceptions: Four years at NC State, where I majored in political science; a year traveling the country with AmeriCorps, specifically FEMA Corps, where I was part of a small team that assisted survivors of disasters; and a year and a half at the University of Maryland, where I received my Masters in Journalism, while traversing the state covering key topics including immigration, especially how migrants were faring during the beginning of President Trump’s first administration, culture (I wrote about the 20th anniversary of “The Blair Witch Project”) and the police’s relationship with various communities in Baltimore a few years after the death of Freddie Gray.
A few more fun facts about me:
Though I went to school at NC State and Maryland, I am a die-hard Duke basketball fan. And I am still recovering from an epic season that ended in utter heartbreak in the Final Four a few weeks ago. I’m also a Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and San Antonio Spurs fan.
I am a devoted cinephile who finds solace, especially during hard times, in movie theaters. Anyone can watch a film on a streaming service, but there is something old-school and even sacrosanct about watching a movie in a theater. The lights dimming; the fresh popcorn; the shared communal experience—there is really nothing else like it.
I enjoy most types of movies, but I especially have a fondness for old ones (that was probably thanks to two film classes I enjoyed while at NC State), especially film noir or anything directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I have come to enjoy Cary Grant films, including “Bringing Up Baby” (1938), “The Philadelphia Story” (1940), “Suspicion” (1941), “Notorious,” (1946), “To Catch a Thief” (1955), “North by Northwest” (1959) and “Charade” (1963).
I’m also a Star Wars fanatic, the type that has not only seen every movie numerous times, but has several life-size lightsabers and even an autographed movie poster of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” signed by Daisy Ridley, who played Rey.
I have applied three times for “Survivor” and plan to continue to do so until I (hopefully) make the show.
I enjoy singing, having been part of the St. James Lutheran Church choir since I was a child. I also took several chorus classes in high school and college.
I also am an avid runner and try and run at least 3-4 times a week. I typically listen to music or, more often, various podcasts, including “The Daily,” a news podcast from The New York Times, “Little Gold Men,” a podcast from Vanity Fair, which focuses on the world of television and movies, and “Omnibus,” where the musician John Roderick and Jeopardy host Ken Jennings riff about strange-but-true stories throughout history.
I look forward to continue telling captivating stories about everything happening in Cabarrus County. I hope you’ll join me.
Thanks.
Chris Miller
