Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan McLaughlin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, coming from a family of entrepreneurs and some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. My parents divorced by the time I was 2 due to my father contracting a deadly virus – he was no longer in the picture. My mother raised 3 children as a single parent through some of the most challenging years of her life.
Surrounded by music at a young age, I decided to delve headfirst into the arts.
After playing in honor bands in the brass section throughout middle school, I yearned for something more. I was inspired by my friend, Jack, to pick up the guitar and I disciplined myself to learn and play the guitar every single day.
Naturally, I fell in Love with Rock and Metal music. Bands like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and Pink Floyd influenced me to write music in unorthodox styles. Not shortly after, I was introduced to hip-hop, rap, and R&B music. My first CD I ever purchased was Ludacris’ “Chicken ‘n Beer” as a teenager; it changed my life forever.
I declared at the age of 14 that music is all I wanted to do – it truly made me happy.
Throughout the 2010, I played in various bands trying to make a name for myself.
My family had hit some all-time lows, which consequently resulted in me becoming homeless and separating from my family. Constantly getting in trouble and bouncing around from different high schools lead me to a peculiar opportunity. At the age of 16, I had reconnected with my father and decided to meet him and to go live with him in Upstate New York. It was only about 4 months into living with him, that he, unfortunately, got served a 4-year prison sentence.
After moving to a completely different state, in and out of a foster home, broke and stranded, I managed to make my way back home to St. Louis.
While back in my home state, I finally had met 2 extremely talented musicians, Matt “Cheww” Sifford and Will Tucker, and we went on to form our current band, “The Greater Good.”
Some years have gone by now and we’ve been in and out of studios, released an EP, a handful of follow-up singles, packed a number of St. Louis venues, toured a good portion of the United States, and have made some of the most loyal, amazing friends & fans from all over the world along the way.
In the meantime, I’ve been growing a fondness for filming, directing, and producing cinematography. I started out filming local band live performances. It then stemmed to working alongside Cheww and his company “ChewwTube Productions” filming “B Roll” for various artists and labels. This is where I learned more about filming and production.
A brother band of ours called “Shapist” is simultaneously blazing a trail for the St. Louis music scene.
A few years back, I met the vocalist, Sam Bedichek, and we found that we have similar interests and goals between us – for both music and life in general.
Sam had reached out to me to help manage and develop his new solo artist endeavor known as “Weston B.”
It didn’t take long for us to realize we work very well together and share a passion for helping other up-and-coming artists develop their sound and visual aesthetic.
Since January 2021, we’ve been conducting business weekly, if not daily, and pushing ourselves to pursue new projects.
I originally came up with the name “WalkfloW” as a potential style or genre of music that people can essentially walk to and incorporate into their daily tempo and rhythm. Everyone on earth has their own timbre, dynamic, groove, and pulse – ultimately creating their circadian.
I have to give a special mention to my girlfriend and now business partner, Devon. She is a graphic designer, content curator, hostess, investor, strategist, organizer, and all around team player that completes WalkfloW Productions.
We have aspirations of producing a plethora of music, music videos, and promotional videos for both artists and small businesses. We have hopes of owning our own full-production and recording studio in the near future, formulating a solid foundation for a handful of new artists, and evolving into a multi-functional production company. More to come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has been a bumpy road leading to this moment for both Sam and I. Due to the current climate, most artists have been on a reserve or setback and aren’t too inclined to play live and/or make music videos. They’re still out there, it’s just a few and far between at the moment.
However, even through the midst of current events, this new company has allowed us to focus and harness our creativity and energy into something beautiful and positive.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We offer:
– in-home recording, mixing & mastering, and production
– video production (music videos / promotional videos)
– artist development
– teach music marketing/distribution
We are mostly known visually for our latest music video release, “Runnin” by The Ricters. Audibly, we are recognized for all of Weston B.’s recent music releases which we are also extremely proud and excited for. Our original approach on music and visuals, as well as working with our clients with hands on training is what sets us apart from others.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson we have learned is to really listen to the artist. We’ve learned that it’s important to make them feel very comfortable while encouraging them to express themselves to the maximum degree.
Contact Info:
- Email: Walkflowmgmt@gmail.com
- Website: WalkfloWpro.Squarespace.com
- Instagram: @WalkfloWProd
- Facebook: WalkfloWProductions
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjOc5lvvzTshLvpqRL_m4UA
Image Credits
@Cheww Sifford (ChewwTubeProductions)
@Ryan McLaughlin
@Kaylee Roberts (KayleesCanvas)
