OK, we don't really know whether Rīga really leads the world in memoirs per capita. But it’s probably not far from the truth. Ridzenieki, as the people of Rīga call themselves, have written a lot of memoirs. Why? Because Ridzenieki love to tell stories. Stories are passed around like currency and spread like wildfire through the city.
Ridzenieki and their stories
Even though many Ridzenieki have been writers, the vast majority of stories are still told person to person. We created Runa Rīga to give Ridzenieki a virutal place to tell their stories about their city. The technology we use is modern, but at its root Runa Rīga is based on oral storytelling traditions.
Runā Rīga is a continuous work-in-progress. We’re continually discovering and exploring the many layers of storytelling in the city. We don’t have agendas, but rather let the people we meet dictate the narrative and path of each tour.
Although we make Runā Rīga primarily for visitors, we don't think of ourselves as a tourism portal. That's why we don't directly promote shops, bars, restaurants or hotels. You will, however, find videos about commercial establishments. These videos have been included because they form part of a story a guide wished to tell. We don't have anything against tourist portals. We just feel that there are already plenty of fine tourist portals out there.
So what does Runā Rīga mean?
Back in the days of the Soviet Unions, the radio news would open with a dry and assertive voice saying: Runā Rīga. It literally means Rīga is speaking. It was to Radio Rīga what “This is London” was to the BBC radio news.
Runā Rīga is group of people who really love Rīga. We love walking it's streets, taking picutres of it, and reading about it. But most of all we love listening to stories about Rīga. We're artists, filmmakers, TV producers and digital geeks. Some of us live in Rīga and some of us live abroad. We don't have a business plan or a mission statement (although we really should get to work on that). We operate primarily on a volunteer basis and are always looking for help. If you share our passion and would like to help us keep creating Rūnā Rīga, shoot us an email.
Lūkass Rozītis | Producer
Lūkass is Latvian by heritage, Australian by birth and Swedish by accident. His roots are in theatre, but he hasn't set foot on a stage since embarking on a career in advertising. If you ask Lūkass, he will tell you that TV and audio/video corrupted his artistic soul. Ever since, he has been an active creative director and producer for talk shows, game shows, beer ads, pet shows, festivals, evening news shows, macroeconomic and corporate communications. In the meantime, he somehow manages to raise three adorable sons. Hence, Lūkass will never say no to a dram of single malt whisky.
Kaspars Teilāns | Cameraman
Kaspars has worked on various TV productions in Latvia.
Mara Pelecis | Producer
Mara is an artist and filmmaker. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her work delves into the roots of communities, deciphering local and national (cultural) identities through various subjects, from music and technology, to the intergenerational effects of war. Mara’s films have screened at festivals in the US and in Europe, and have received recognition from the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague and The Paley Center for Media, New York.
Cory McLeod | Producer
Cory first explored the world of interconnectivity in 1993, in Kassel, Germany, where he collaborated with the Ponton Media Arts Lab at Documenta. His work has received national and international awards, including both Gold and Silver ADDY Awards. As a writer, programmer, and artist, Cory holds the title Creative Technologist at Fallon.
