We recently connected with Jonny Saldana and have shared our conversation below.
Jonny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
Our non-profit organization serves the LGBTQ+ community, and within that, primarily communities of color. We are the only organization – straight or gay – in our community that provides the programs and services that we do. By organizing events that allow people to connect over a shared passion in gaming, we’re able to build curated experiences for our community to enjoy and meet other likeminded folks. We’ve had guests tell us that this has been a lifechanging experience, and how important our organization is to their wellbeing.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The Charlotte Gaymers Network (CGN) was founded by friends Jonny Saldana and Zach Smith, who identified a need in the LGBTQ+ community to stay connected to one another in the midst of a world altering pandemic. Founded on July 6th, 2020, CGN strives to create an inclusive environment of folks from all walks of life who are united in our passion and love for all things gaming. Group members enjoy board games, tabletop games, video games, and the social events that bring us together. Our events take place in Charlotte, North Carolina and its surrounding areas. Our members are diverse, enthusiastic to meet new friends, and most importantly — welcoming. We hope to see you at an event soon!
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I met our Co-Founder, Zach Smith, at the home of a friend when I first moved to Charlotte, NC with my husband. We instantly connected over our shared love of gaming and similar interests in geek/nerd culture. Zach and I would regale each other with stories of our exploits in some of our favorite video games, would often go on double dates with our husbands, and dreamt of how we could create a more inclusive LGBTQ+ community for people like us. When that fateful day in March 2020 rolled around and we found ourselves in a world-altering pandemic, Zach and I found ourselves locked in our apartments, not able to enjoy the company of friends or the activities that brought us all together. The one thing we did have though, was the ability to stay connected in the virtual world, through video games. One day, while playing games online, we came up with the idea of creating a virtual network of LGBTQ+ gamers who would stay connected throughout the pandemic by playing online games. Thus, the Charlotte Gaymers Network was born. As we exited the pandemic, we shifted to in-person events and gaming, and our organization has grown ever since.
Although Zach is no longer a part of our organization, his influence and his commitment to build a better and more inclusive community for those ostracized in traditional LGBTQ+ circles, has been a shining beacon, a rallying call, for our community. The Charlotte Gaymers Network, and myself, will always be indebted to Zach and everything he did for our organization.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think a great way that we built our reputation in this market is that there was no one doing what we did. We managed to get a rag tag group of volunteers together to throw lively events filled with unique experiences such as legendary drag shows, free open bars, live music and DJs, and some of the most recent (and retro!) games available. We have perfected our best-in-class events and our folks have really come out of the woodwork to support our organization. We’re so thankful to them, and through them, we have continued to grow and create new events around town. Our reputation is so important to us, because its how folks know we’re the real deal. When you go to a CGN event, you know you’re going to have an amazing time, where no one will judge, and where you’ll be able to meet friends, old and new. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charlottegaymersnetwork.com
- Instagram: @charlottegaymersnetwork
- Facebook: @charlottegaymersnetwork
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@charlottegaymersnetwork2907
- Other: https://linktr.ee/charlottegaymersnetwork