Going Native: Helsinki

Hanna Tuovio, EP/MD at Helsinki production company Grillifilms, strips off the layers of her small, safe, but special city to reveal its hottest hotels, bars and, appropriately enough, saunas

What’s the best thing about working in advertising in Finland?
The size of the business. Everybody knows everybody else.

What is the worst thing about working in advertising in Finland?
The size of the business. There are only 5.4 million people living in Finland, which influences the size of the budgets… and they are not huge.

If you were booking a hotel in Helsinki, where would you stay?
Out of the more upscale hotels, I would choose Hotel Haven. The service is excellent and so is the location. If I wanted something less fancy, I’d go to Hotel Helka, which has a lot of Finnish interior design.

What advice would you give to a visitor?
Helsinki has a lot of nature all around it, really close by. You should visit the islands just outside the city, especially the fortress of Suomenlinna, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a ferry – it’s just 15 minutes from the centre of Helsinki.

 
What’s the best Finnish ad you have seen in the last year?
I loved Hidden Powers Of Arto Smeds for Helsinki Regional Transport, directed by Teemu Niukkanen.

One table, four places. You and who?
It would be a ladies’ night out: Kathleen Kennedy and Michelle Obama. And, of course, my best friend so we could talk about it afterwards.

If Helsinki were a product, what would it be?
An ice cube. It’s rather small and cold, but it melts easily. Nothing too dangerous.

Who do you/would you love to work with in the industry?

Ex-Grillifilms director Pete Riski, to see if he’s changed now his career has kicked off in the UK and US. And director Rane Tiukkanen, because I’ve never worked with him before.

Where’s the best place to eat in Helsinki?

I tend to choose the more classical restaurants, like Kosmos. The whole restaurant scene is bustling at the moment – there are a lot of young chefs starting new restaurants.

Finnjävel is particularly interesting; they cook traditional recipes in a modern way. My favourite is Baskeri & Basso because they have a very nice wine list and are conveniently located in the same building as our office.

And the best place to have a drink?
Grotesk bar in the colder months – that’s most of the year. For a visitor, I’d recommend Kafe Moskova, which is owned by director Aki Kaurismäki… It’s a bar in the spirit of the Soviet Union.

What’s Helsinki’s favourite pastime?  
We love saunas. They’re everywhere. The biggest one right now is Löyly: a new public sauna/restaurant in an eco-friendly, cutting-edge wooden building facing the sea.

What do you miss when you are out of the city?
The smallness of Helsinki. The safety. The fresh air.

What’s your one-line life philosophy?
Never explain, never complain. I’m not very good at it, though.

If you could have one question answered, what would it be?
Who’s next?