Riku Rantala

Awarded the Top Male TV personality in Finland in 2008, Riku Rantala has become a fan favorite among the audiences fed up with fake, banal and predictable television. His sometimes harsh, take-no-prisoners attitude towards TV reporting earned him both accolades and disapproval, but never indifference. Rantala’s career started after studying in several universities including the Finnish Military Academy and the University of Journalism & Mass Communication. He first worked as the investigative crime reporter in the biggest daily newspaper of Scandinavia, Helsingin Sanomat.

After getting into long haul traveling with the childhood friend Tunna Milonoff, Rantala quit the rat race and started Gimmeyawallet Productions together with Milonoff in 2001. In their first production, “Madventures” (2002), Rantala’s share was to write, present and produce the eight-month-long journey into 12 episodes. The show went on to make Finnish television history. After the success of the first series, production and hosting duties have been his responsibility in the following seasons of “Madventures”. Rantala is also the writer of the award-winning travel book “Madventures – International Adventurist’s Manual,” together with Milonoff. The book is currently in its seventh edition.