Tallinn’s winters are long, the skies grey and the sun little more than a rumour – yet three times a week something brighter appears in thousands of inboxes across the city: Gamma People.
Think of it as Tallinn’s antidote to doomscrolling: a thrice-weekly newsletter that tells you what matters – where to go, what to do and which local businesses deserve your time. It is like having a savvy friend who is always two steps ahead, but without the smugness.
Gamma was never meant to be a newsletter. When Giada and Gabriel – two Italians who somehow traded sunshine for snow – first launched the project, it was a membership card offering discounts at local shops. The idea was noble, the execution difficult and the budget microscopic. To spread the word they tried something else: an email list of events. That experiment proved to be the real gem.
“Tallinn is small and can feel lonely, even for locals,” says Gabriel. “But there are so many events happening every day that people just don’t see.” One email became two, then three. The discount scheme ended, but the newsletter kept growing. By day 270 they had 1,000 subscribers; a year later, 2,000. Today, more than 3,000 people open Gamma three times a week. Gabriel admits he was ready to quit when things were not working out, but Giada refused. “She’s the reason you’re reading this today.”
From the outset they had one rule: no clickbait. “If a new bus line opens, we’ll just tell you where it goes and when. No mystery, no tricks,” Gabriel says. In 2025 that sounds almost radical, but it works. Unsubscribes are rare, and those who leave are usually people moving away from Tallinn.
Behind the cheerful tone lies a great deal of work. Both Giada and Gabriel have nine-to-five jobs, so Gamma is built in evenings and at weekends. Saturdays are spent trawling through Facebook, Fienta and Meetup. There is no magic tool – it is all manual. They cut videos for social media, handle ad placements and write the newsletter itself. Midweek editions are usually produced after long workdays, laptops open while the rest of the city relaxes. “It’s a lot of work,” Gabriel admits. “But honestly, we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t enjoy it.”
Part of Gamma’s charm comes from their outsider perspective. Coming from Italy, they notice things locals often overlook: “Bureaucracy here is efficient,” Gabriel says. “Paying taxes, getting documents – it’s easy. We actually see where our money goes: free transport, good services. It’s impressive.” Safety is another thing: “If you grew up here, you take it for granted. For us, it’s one of the reasons we stayed.” And as for the weather? They get endless side-eyes for swapping Italy for Estonia, but their hometown winters are foggy and miserable, while summers are unbearably hot. “Estonian weather isn’t that bad for us”.
So what do their readers actually love? Anything to do with salaries, taxes and – of course – flight connections. The events section, though, is the undisputed star, with festivals drawing the most clicks. Still, Gamma makes space for niche gatherings too: “3,000 people might scroll past, but for 10, it’s the highlight of their week.”
Running Gamma hasn’t been all smooth sailing. The toughest part, says Gabriel, was “a whole year of nothing happening. No growth, no rewards. We almost gave up.” But then came moments that made it worthwhile – like sitting in a café when a stranger stopped them to say he was there because Gamma recommended it. “It sounds small,” Gabriel says, “but then we imagine all 3,000 readers in front of us at once – and it’s huge.” Gamma is still technically a side hustle, but with ads, steady growth and a loyal community, it is edging closer to being a small business.
For now, they will keep hitting send – three times a week – making Tallinn feel a little brighter. Even in February.
