Tim McKay

"I believe creativity comes from exploration, and reflection. That process is applicable to business, political causes, nonprofit organizations, and one's personal life. I enjoy taking my clients on that journey."

Media Production

Brand Development

Budget Analysis

Research


Nonprofit boards I have helped

Carteret County Beach Commission - public relations and crisis management
Clarksville Center for the Arts - fundraising advisor
North Carolina Cyber Academy - public relations and crisis management
Parkview Community Mission - marketing/fundraising advisor
Good Sam Hospice - marketing message advisor
Central Virginia Addiction and Recovery Resources (CVARR) - branding
Renovation Alliance Roanoke - branding
Raleigh Little Theatre - member
Memorial Hall Center for the Arts - founding member
University of Missouri Alumni Association, Triangle - president
Quarterpath Village HOA - president
Thorpshire Farm - president


Specific Case Studies

"Strategies are creative projects, too. They don't always involve artwork, video, writing, or production. Sometimes an idea is the most creative thing you can do," says McKay. Developing brands, designing campaigns, and finding novel approaches to solving problems are at the core of his work.

"Change is inevitable. Turning change into opportunity is the challenge."

1

"Keep Shack Wild"

Forced officials to reverse a request by the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers in 2015  to dump dredge material on Shackleford Banks, a wilderness area designated by state and federal agencies.
2

Plan Virginia

A project that began with a video led to the rebranding of a 50-year-old nonprofit organization founded in 2008 to promote land-use planning in Virginia.
3

5 Governors Project

When extremists sought to amend the North Carolina Constitution on how judges are chosen, McKay organized an effort with all five living former Governors to defeat the ballot measures.
4

Common Cause - Helene Response

When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, Common Cause enlisted McKay to design and implement a communications effort to help people vote when polling places were disrupted, and most communication lines were compromised.
5

Photography

Photography has been part of almost every project I have undertaken, starting with my tenure at The Governor's Office of Citizen Affairs from 1979 to 1984. During that time, I coordinated a three-photographer team to develop a photographic/story library of volunteer work across the state, which provided stories for a monthly magazine and an exhibit in the state capital. The effort earned a Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America.
About McKay

Tim McKay came of age in a small town in the Southern US during the tumultuous 60s and 70s. He credits his wider worldview to his discovery of photography, which led him to a more objective approach to life. "Photography literally made me less biased, more empathetic, and a better person. I wish everyone could examine life this way," says McKay.

He has worked in corporate environments and for government agencies, but he believes his greatest contributions have been to nonprofit organizations and public servants.

As a lifelong practitioner across the media landscape, Tim McKay has worked his way up from entry-level roles in journalism, PR, and advertising to Director and VP roles at a unique agency serving nonprofits and government agencies. Now he wants to share his knowledge and personal experience with others. 

Tim McKay
2027 Calendar Cover
Order the 2027 Calendar

Calendars are available on Amazon for immediate delivery. The book will be released in early 2027.


Harnessing the Light - the book will be published in 2027.

The companion calendar will be ready for Christmas. Click the link above to order.

"Harnessing the Light" is an instructional memoir that chronicles my life from a random discovery as a 10-year-old child to my personal enlightenment through photography.

Strictly speaking, a photograph is created by focusing an image onto a light-sensitive surface that records it for others to see. Beyond that, the process of photographing something depends on the choices made by the "observer." I like the word observer instead of photographer because the term photographer implies that the sole purpose of the endeavor is to produce a photograph. This distinction gives me the choice to create a shareable image or not. As a result, many images exist only in my mind. Some affected me so profoundly that I could not bear to look at them, while in other situations, the act of photography itself would have destroyed the moment I was trying to capture. Those images are also part of my life's work and are included in the book as text.

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Links
Boards I have served:

Carteret County Beach Commission
Clarksville Center for the Arts
Common Cause
Good Sam Hospice
Memorial Hall Center for the Arts
North Carolina Cyber Academy
Parkview Community Mission
Plan Virginia
Raleigh Little Theatre
Quarterpath Village HOA
Thorpshire Farm
University Of Missouri Alumni Association - Triangle


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