Meet Satu Runa | Writer, Performer, & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Satu Runa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Satu, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Instead of waiting for someone to give me permission, I gave myself permission. So much of show business is hoping someone else give you the greenlight, but you ultimately have to learn everything you can to greenlight yourself, on your own terms.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Because I first set out to be an actor yet never fit neatly into the archetypal (or stereotypical) casting categories, I couldn’t get arrested in film and TV unless I wrote, produced, and/or directed my own low-budget work. This forced me to learn elements from every aspect of film and theater production from start to finish. It was a most difficult path, and continues to be. What has made it “easier” is figuring out where I could be most useful. Once I embraced that, the doors opened with a little less resistance. I don’t mind wearing many hats, but I’m working towards a time when I can wear maybe one or two instead of thirty-seven.

During lockdown I put all my energy into writing, producing, and performing in an original post-punk musical called, “King Nigel’s Nervous Breakdown.” We put it up at the Victory Theatre and filled it with patrons. This experience made me realize that if I want to utilize every skill I’ve got to the best of my abilities, it’s creating musicals and music-driven stories. Stephen Sondheim is a huge inspiration, and font of seemingly never ending knowledge of the craft.

Right now, I’m in the fundraising stages of my feature film directorial debut—a music-driven comedy about a group of metalheads living in Burbank. It’s a story I wrote that comes from a world that I know better than any other. I can’t wait to cast it to see these zany characters come to life. All I want to do is make people laugh and feel something with this one, so we’ll see how it performs. What’s exciting is knowing, deep down, what project is right for you to spend all of your time on. This is the one for me at the moment, and it’s gonna be a total blast to shoot.

What keeps me going is the belief that the work will prevail. The best ideas never stray too far from your mind, and if you give them the right amount of time, energy, and fuel, others will start to believe along with you, and your best work will come to light.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d pack a lunch and take them to Vasquez Rocks for a hike. It’s the most beautiful geographic location I have ever seen (plus, plenty of Star Trek was filmed there, including one of my favorites: Generations).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Since her memorial is coming up, I must dedicate a lot of my success to the finest mentor I ever had: the late, great, Lynette Sheldon. She was an acting coach from Australia, one of the best in the business. She told us the truth, even if we didn’t want to hear it. In an age where comforting lies are preferred over painful truths, she was a breath of fresh air, setting me on a path towards where I would be the most useful in this industry, using the best of my skills. I don’t care for dream merchants. Lynette taught the best-kept secrets of the craft. There will never be another like her.

Website: http://www.saturuna.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/saturuna

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/saturuna

Image Credits
Stephanie Cabral, Michael Moriatis