Hello there! If you’re reading this, I hope you miss RIUH events as much as I do. The platform has been a big part of my life and I’m happy that a lot of people feel the same way. Before I take you back in time, here’s a little something about me - I’m a fan of all things creative; from admiring as an audience, to learning and doing art itself, and getting to know the people both behind the scenes and upfront - and my journey with RIUH allowed me to do all of that.
When I first heard about RIUH, I was still studying abroad. I had a hug case of FOMO because everyone on my Instagram feed was there. I was able to come home for a short break and it coincided with a RIUH event - I couldn’t help but to squeeze a visit into my schedule! From just that one event, I knew immediately that this was where I wanted to do my internship. I should probably mention now that I was studying Events Management in university, so it was a great fit.
So the following year, I gave it a shot and I was hired as a RIUH Intern! YAY!
My first task was...data entry. You know, those registration forms you guys filled in before entering? Yeah, I went through THOUSANDS of those, one by one. But I wasn’t bullied, okay!
In fact, my 3-month stint was so fun and full of new experiences. The team really allowed me to be involved in every aspect of event production - which was so useful for my course - and the on-hand experience of seeing the inner workings of the creative industry was irreplaceable. The best part of my internship HAD to be when I got to go up to Genting for Good Vibes Festival 2018 because RIUH had an art jam installation and photo-op pop-up - do you remember that?
I'm so grateful the team wanted to work with me more, as much as I wanted to work with them. So my first job EVER in my life was with RIUH. That was a huge milestone for me!
It’s hard to summarise my first year’s worth of experience in a paragraph, too many details would be left out! But here's. my attempts at the main highlights:
We all know what happened here - the dreadful pandemic.
This is pretty painful to talk about. At some point, it took a toll on everyone and we were left feeling demotivated and burned out. But we persevered - after cancelling two of our scheduled RIUH events, we took some time to brainstorm on how to keep RIUH alive and relevant through the uncertain times. We rolled out some new, mostly digital ideas, and even spitballed some crazy unrealistic ones!
One of them was Mukbang! We wanted to build up our YouTube audience and promote our local F&B businesses. So, I got to be a YouTube star for a short while with RIUH Lunch Break. It was honestly, one of my many fantasies fulfilled!
Here we are in 2021. Parting ways was not an easy decision.
But like I said, RIUH continues to be a big part of my life and I will continue to celebrate their milestones. So although I have left as an employee, I couldn't stay away, and I am now freelancing as a RIUH Writer! Who would’ve thought RIUH would and could be a 24/7 platform? That includes a blog? That I could contribute to? Amazing. The RIUH team does not rest and continues to spread love and creativity to the community.
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I paid a little visit to their recent Raya event before the lockdown, and it felt a very nostalgic to return as a visitor. But the year is not over yet, and I know the team has more in store. So stay tuned and look out for RIUH’s activities and campaigns to come.
Before I sign off, here’s my little birthday wish for RIUH: I’m forever grateful for all the opportunities, connections and experiences you gave me. You’ve boosted my passion for the creative industry. And while times are hard to feel motivated in being a creative, I’m not giving up on you just yet - so thank you.
Happy Birthday, RIUH 🌈
Love, Dani.
