Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Flack.
Hi Ron, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In the fall of 1979, Ron Flack began his freshman year as an art student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU). It didn’t take long for him to discover a vibrant community of songwriters on campus. Driven by his love for music, Ron organized events that connected these young songwriters with musicians, creating a platform called Students at Work. This initiative brought songs to life, fostering collaboration and creativity. Even after Ron’s “requested departure” from MVNU following his first year, the events he started continued to thrive.
Recognizing Ron’s talent and passion, MVNU music professor Bob Finnie extended an invitation for monthly lessons. Despite having no formal music education and relying solely on his ear, Ron eagerly absorbed lessons on theory, scales, harmony, and melody. Professor Finnie’s mentorship left a lasting impact, ultimately paving the way for Ron to return to MVNU, where he graduated in 1987.
Through the late 1980s and mid-1990s, Ron worked as a youth mentor, using music to build connections with young people. In 1995, he attended Al Denson’s Music Camp in Nashville, where he deepened his understanding of songwriting and production. A year later, he relocated with his family to Hermitage, Tennessee, where he mastered MIDI sequencing, arranging, and recording. These skills enabled him to collaborate with local musicians and further refine his craft.
As the digital landscape transformed, Ron embraced the possibilities of new technology. He returned to Ohio to be closer to family, channeling his creative energy into web design and software UX engineering. This period led to the founding of Realgrey Creative. Drawing on his recording experience from Nashville, Ron naturally gravitated back to music, focusing on recording and mixing for Northeast Ohio’s songwriter community.
In 2010, Ron hosted a small group of songwriters in his living room, sparking what would become BRING YOUR SONG (BYS), a monthly gathering. What began as a casual meeting grew into a vibrant network of songwriters, musicians, engineers, and producers, many of whom collaborated in Ron’s home studio. Over time, Realgrey Creative evolved into Realgrey Records.
By 2015, Ron and his friends transformed a carriage house on his property into a dedicated recording studio. As the studio gained momentum, Ron’s passion for helping musicians reach their potential only deepened. The space underwent various transformations, with tape machines and recording consoles coming and going. In 2022, Carl Tatz installed his renowned PhantomFocus Monitoring System, ushering in a new era for the studio.
Through every chapter, Ron has remained committed to helping musicians break new ground, blending his love for music, people, and innovation into a lasting legacy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Knowing how to be a catalyst for artists to take hold of their music without being an overbearing director of how it goes. It’s alway my hope to dare artists to cross into territory they’ve not traveled before musically and at the sometime recognizing their core competencies and providing an environments that opens the door for self discovery. It’s a challenge to keep myself out of it and allow the pure child like love for music that every musician has to prevail.
There are all the typical challenges of running a business, no different for anyone. I love people and I love seeing them succeed beyond their wildest dreams … running a business can sometime guide focus on paying bills not overcoming the obstacles of our own fear.
Thank God for Anya Antonavich. She’s the Studio/Business Manager of Realgrey Records and the president of BRING YOUR SONG. Her story is the real story. My guess you’ll ask more about that later … Here’s her story and how she has shaped the mission of Realgrey Records …
https://realgrey.com/index.php/home/post/anya-antonavich-realgrey-records-studio-manager
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Realgrey Records, my work centers on creating a recording environment where artists feel fully seen, heard, and empowered. I specialize in helping artists translate the heart of their songs into recordings that feel as genuine and alive as the moment they were written.
I’d like to think that I’m someone who helps guide artists through the recording process with a blend of careful preparation and creative flexibility. I try to listen deeply — not just to the music, but to the person behind it. Whether it’s a first-time songwriter or a seasoned performer, I work to meet each artist where they are, helping them shape their sound without ever losing their voice in the process.
What I’m most proud of is that many artists tell me they leave Realgrey feeling more confident in their art — that the recording experience didn’t just capture their music, but strengthened their identity as artists. To me, that’s success.
In the broader recording scene, Realgrey fills a unique space. We’re not a high-pressure commercial studio, nor are we just a DIY home setup. We offer a professional, fully equipped environment that’s intentionally personal and relational. We focus on collaboration, on care, and on helping artists find and refine their voice without feeling overwhelmed by the process. We’re proud to be a place where creativity feels protected, and where the recording experience becomes part of the artist’s growth — not just a product at the end.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
The playground at school. Recess … I would watch the clock and would anticipate the ringing of the bell. I’d run to the monkey bars and thru the recess period make my way to the slide, the swings, the pickup basketball game. I loved recess.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.realgrey.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realgrey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealgreyRecords
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@realgrey_records
- Other: https://www.bringyoursong.org/
