Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Ruoff.
Hi Greg, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, I was rebellious. I had little time for anything I wasn’t interested in, and this caused me problems in my formative years; I got into trouble in school, caused tremendous disruption at home, and generally went against the grain of what I probably should’ve been doing. Sounds like a lot of kids, right? Well … that’s most likely true, but underneath it all was a kid yearning to fulfill his passions, even from a young age. You see, I was identified as “gifted” as early as elementary school, and while that may reek of hubris, I assure you it is not … it was a curse. At every turn, upon every expectation, and with each passing year, I was generally considered a disappointment and a classic underachiever. While my behaviors would suggest I didn’t care, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Having then been diagnosed with ADHD, it would go on to at least provide some measure of explanation for these behaviors, but there was undoubtedly much more going on.
When I was growing up, all I ever knew was the one way to do this life thing: get good grades, go to college, get a job, and build a family. Truth is, I had no interest in those things as I mentioned from the outset. I wanted to be a part of something cool … to do the unimaginable … to experience life on the other side of the status quo. I wanted to spend all my days and nights doing what I loved and *only* what I loved. But how? Back then, the internet was in its infancy, and specialty schools of higher learning that catered to aspiring artist managers, rock ‘n’ roll journalists, or record label entrepreneurs, for instance, weren’t a thing. Sure, in hindsight, I could’ve gained those skill sets in the traditional schooling system, but it’s not like my guidance counselor would’ve been able to convince me of that. At 17, I decided to marry my talent for writing and love of music – I started my own fanzine, The Morgue File. Quite naturally, I wrote to all the record labels that were releasing my favorite acts telling them of this great new music mag they ought to grant access to. To my surprise and utter delight, press kits and artist swag began flooding our family mailbox. I’ll never forget one press release by my favorite label – Roadrunner – that extended me an invitation to interview one of my rock heroes, Max Cavalera, for his new project, Nailbomb. I was overtaken with excitement and anxiety at the prospect of speaking with this man I only knew from his recorded music but who I held in such high regard. Clamoring for a way to capture this, I discovered a contraption from Radio Shack that would suction cup to the back of the phone receiver and plug directly into the 1/8th inch jack of my boom box. With my carefully crafted interview questions in hand, and at the moment my phone rang with Max’s wife and manager, Gloria, I immediately hit those two buttons above the cassette player: Play/Record.
After barely graduating high school, I tried my hand at college; it went exactly as you would expect of me at this point. But it gave birth to the pursuit of a rapidly growing interest of mine: electronic music and the rave scene. This was the 90s and that scene was still largely underground, but as you now know about me, I go against the grain – and when I go, I go all the way. DJing, promoting events, living that lifestyle… it all took over and took over quickly. Goodlife Productions was born, and so was a party monster that crashed and burned all the way around the track until a mere pit stop was too futile a correction. Some lifestyles are fast, furious, and ferociously fun, but ultimately unsustainable … and so I sought change. Around this time, I took aim at artist management at which I was innately good at given my “whole brained” approach to things, creativity, and critical thinking. My first foray, and where I cut my teeth in this capacity, was managing a friend’s super-talented band, Sweetie, with whom I also wrote, recorded and performed with. While never achieving stardom, I credit this time in my life to understanding what it takes to juggle differing personalities in a shared pursuit while also navigating the delicate waters of artistic criticism and diplomacy.
In every sense of the word, I wanted to develop: develop talent, develop music and develop careers. I knew I could be successful in this arena, but I needed to acquire some more skills to fully realize this game plan that was suddenly coming into sharp focus. Paying my bills as a carpenter and general contractor at the time, one day I made the necessary decision to uproot my life and move to Tempe, Arizona to attend the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, where I’d study audio engineering, music production and music business. Because I was now studying a curriculum that was of profound interest to me, I immediately established myself as top of the class, earning a 4.0 while serving as AES student body president. It was here that I met my wife, who was serving as the Director of Financial Aid and who signed all my funding checks. Upon graduation, I interned at The Boat recording studio in Los Angeles, which was owned by the Dust Brothers, now owned by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. My very first day, I would serve as runner and 2nd assistant for the legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones & Woodstock fame, among many others. Eddie had just arrived after a long flight from London and was none too thrilled that the Neve console – once belonging to the great Sir George Martin’s Air Studios – suddenly had several channels go down, and a tech was feverishly attempting to get them active. A rough start but a valuable lesson that would pay tremendous dividends for years to come.
Fast forwarding a bit, you’ll find me stepping out of a gig to take a call from Jayson at my alma mater, who wanted to connect me with the owner of a world-class recording studio in Burbank … Ocean Studios. According to him, this owner was looking for someone to run the studio and help spearhead a new record label out of that, a la Stax/Volt in the 60s and mid 70s. I was awash with emotion at the prospect that this could be the turning point in my life and career that I had only dreamed about. I remember placing that first call to Freddie Piro with butterflies in my stomach and ambition as deep and wide as the Grand Canyon – “I am the right man for this job!” I would repeat to myself over and over. That’s not hyperbole, by the way. It’s probably here that I should mention that, at the time, I was living in a little studio apartment in Hollywood with my dog Cash and unable to make ends meet without the help of my (now) amazing wife, who was still living in Phoenix. After the call with Freddie, I prepared for my upcoming face-to-face interview with him by learning all that I could on two histories … his history and the studio’s. Walking in with confidence in myself, I would stay true to one of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten: always just be yourself. The interview came and went just as they always did, but this one felt different; it felt like no other I’ve had in that I walked out absolutely certain I would be hired … and I was. According to Freddie, he had interviewed 40 other candidates and chose me. What an honor, and I can’t lie, a whole lot of pressure! I mean, what did I know about running a world-class recording studio in the heart of the entertainment industry? I would soon find out, and the rest is history.
Freddie served as a mentor and helped shape me as a leader, a teammate, a strategist, and a businessman over those 13 wonderful years as head of Ocean Studios. During that time, I put together countless sessions where I made many friends and curated many wonderful relationships and memories too numerous to mention. Among the many talented people I had the pleasure of working with: Tool, Alice in Chains, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Haim, Mark Ronson, Tame Impala, Usher, Ry Cooder, Robbie Williams, Tom Morello, Rick Rubin, Maná, Tenacious D, Counting Crows, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones, Mariah Carey, Social Distortion, Fall Out Boy, Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, Eddie Kramer, Bob Rock, Josh Freese, Major Lazer, Michael Bolton, Johnny Hallyday, 311, Christina Aguilera, Joaquin Phoenix, Craig Robinson, Peter Berg, Joss Whedon, etc., some of whom I maintain contact with to this day. But all things eventually came to an end, and the decision was made to dissolve the business and sell, given a weakening market for big-budget studios. Then… the pandemic.
This was one of the most difficult periods of my life and one I wasn’t well prepared to navigate as I believed my career trajectory was finally stable. I was wrong, of course. A few strong opportunities that were in the works suddenly evaporated, and it was as if time stood still. I was now faced with scarce opportunities in one of the most competitive markets, and our money was quickly hemorrhaging. I humbled myself and decided to write a post on the community-driven platform Next Door, explaining who I was, a summary of my background, and that I was willing to work in any capacity, even physical labor. Embracing my vulnerability gave birth to an exciting prospect as my post was soon answered by a wonderful human named Linda Maisner. Linda mentioned that her brother, Andy Maisner, was building a brand-new production facility in Burbank/Glendale and needed someone to run it. She gave me his info, and we met the following morning after he was intrigued by my experience at Ocean. Our meeting went exceptionally well, with both of us feeling a synergy and enthusiasm towards a common goal. I was offered a position the very next day, and as I write this, I’m Vice President and Operations Manager of 1632 Stage + Post. Our story is just beginning to be written!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve always believed that the greatest challenges we’ll ever face are of our own making, and this has certainly been true in my own life. While I’ve certainly taken some risks and big swings at bat over the course of my life and career, I’m not immune to the insecurities and self-doubt that can creep in and play tricks on the mind. I’m big on quotes, and one I’ve always relied on to help propel me in those moments is, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair.
As you know, we’re big fans of 1632 Stage + Post. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am Vice President and Operations Manager of 1632 Stage + Post. After over a year of construction of which I was a part, we opened doors in 2023. We are a full production and post-production facility in tandem with our parent company, TV Pro Gear, and have limitless capability in all areas, including: broadcast/ streaming with live switching in the field and at home in our control room, small to large-scale video production in the field, in-house soundstage production, full-service post production between our editing suites and color grading theater, film screenings, and full immersive audio in our 7.1.4 Atmos mix room with attached VO/ADR booth. And of course, we have all the support rooms you would need, like a kitchen, hair and makeup, green room, conference, and production offices.
I think what truly sets us apart is the full breadth of our capability and vast client base. Not only do we do all these things, but we designed and built this facility ourselves, just as we have done for Universal Music Group and other clients. It is a great sense of pride for us to be able to field just about any phone call and have a solution. I think we are extremely unique in that regard.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
First thing that comes to mind are trips to my grandpop’s house in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania. I can still picture the street sign – Grove St. – and the owl clock that hung on the wall above his stoop. He was a gruff man with huge hands and beard stubble as rough as sandpaper. He was of Ukrainian descent but served bravely in the Pacific of World War II for our United States. He spoke on the subject like clockwork and only of the hardships, never highlighting his own achievements. Only after he passed away were we made aware that he had been awarded a Silver Star and two Bronze Star awards for his time overseas – silver being the third highest military decoration for valor in combat – found by my mother in a lock box. Subsequently, we received a letter from the White House and received taps at his funeral, which none of us could’ve imagined.
Contact Info:
- Website: 1632pro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1632stageandpost/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1632stageandpost
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/1632-stage-post-glendale
Image Credits
Personal photo & Green Screen photo by: Julianna “Juls” Runk Studio session photo and photo with wife by: Greg Ruoff
