Hejerr Opalen (Pacifica)
Hejerr Opalen | |
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.jpg) Opalen at the 2019 Lara Awards | |
| Pronunciation | ['heːjerː 'uːpʰɑːl̪eːn̪] |
| Born | November 27, 1983 |
| Citizenship | Sedunn |
| Education | Goends University of Technology, MScEng |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
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Notable work |
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Hejerr Opalen (/'uːpʰɑːl̪eːn̪/ OO-pal-en; born November 27, 1983), nicknamed Qwerty, is a Sedunnic business magnate, entrepreneur, actor, film maker, philantropist and engineer. He is the founder and CEO of the Stream social media service, the Lini fast food restaurants and the battery manufacturer Ep. Opalen is also known for his lead role Juice in the popular sitcom Frying Pan and as Tavtid in the Single Me movies (vol. I-III).
Nickname
During the early days of Stream, Opalen often introduced himself as Qwerty. According to him, this was an online nickname that he had when playing LAN games during his exchange year in New Mako University, Izaakia, using an Austral keyboard with the QWERTY design, which was exotic to him. In recent years his usage of the nickname has been diminishing.
Early life and acting
Hejerr Opalen was born on November 27, 1983 in Ȳmmoll, Limravad, Sedunn. He grew up on the apple farm that belonged to his father Matts Limienn and mother Aenn Skalienn. Seven years old he was cast as Juice, the main protagonist in the television series Frying Pan, for which he was awarded the Golden Fly twice. Due to the time spent on acting, he lagged behind in school. According to himself this and early fame made him feel like an "outcast", which he had issues dealing with. Eleven years old he was forced to change schools due to severely bullying several classmates. His parents now declined all acting offers to let Opalen focus on school. He finished comprehensive school with good grades. For secondary education he attended the Dalmdarrg public school for technology and natural sciences in Ullenst. After finishing secondary school, he picked up acting again and was cast as Tavtid, lead role in the Single Me comedy films (vol I & II in 2000 and 2003 respectively). For his role, he was voted Sedunn's funniest man. During this time he picked up an interest in programming.
Education and early social media
Opalen was admitted to Goends University of Technology and the program for statistics in 2005. During his studies, he started experimenting with various chat clients and blogging platforms. In 2006 he launched Eras, an early social media platform, in cooperation with the Goends University of Technology Student Union. It gained some popularity due to a feature that allowed planning and organisation of events and was soon used by university officials too. He spent his fourth year as an exchange student in New Mako University, Izaakia, where he also had a brief career in e-sports. He introduced Eras to fellow students. In 2008 He finished his fifth year in university with a master's degree in engineering, and by that time, Eras had become popular in other Sedunnic universities, starting to gain in popularity abroad as well.
Early business career
In 2009, seeing the rapid growth of Eras, Opalen decided to focus on developing the platform and founded a company together with university friends. They called the company Stream, to better appeal to international users. Backed by statistical trend analysis tools that they developed, they soon reached new markets and the number of users increased rapidly. By 2015, Stream had established itself as one of the major social media platforms with a global reach and hundreds of millions of daily users. This success was monetised by letting other companies advertise their products and services on Stream.
Opalen bought the bankrupt Sedunnic fast food chain Bettō in 2015 and rebranded it to Lini. Opalen used statistical data generated from Stream users to analyse where to open new restaurants and what to offer on the menu. This controversial move was instrumental to the success of the Lini restaurants according to Opalen. There were two lawsuits, but Opalen was never convicted. Following the controversies, Opalen started donating 10% of his fortune to international aid in a likely move to restore his tarnished reputation.
Filmmaking
In 2016, Opalen picked up acting once again and reprised his role as Tavtid in Single Me III. The film was received well and is considered the most successful Sedunnic film in terms of revenue. Later that year, Opalen directed his first film in close cooperation with the Erinoran Ministry of Culture. Foreign Flower received good reviews internationally. In 2018 he took over as director of the fourth Single Me film, where he also made a cameo as Tavtid. In 2019 Opalen said he was finished with filmmaking, but founded the Juice Foundation that funds independent films.
Later business career
Early in 2020, Opalen founded a new company called Ep that will produce batteries, mainly to vehicles. Later this year, a joint venture with the Sedunnic aircraft manufacturer Levea was announced to develop electric airplanes for commercial traffic. In December 2020, Opalen announced that Stream will launch its own operating system in 2021.
Awards and honours
Hejer Opalen has received several awards for acting and entrepreneurship, including the following.
Acting and directing:
- Lara Award for Patron of Film in 2018
- Golden Fly twice for best child actor 1992 & 1993
Business:
- Grevienn Innovation Award 2018
- Entrepreneur of the year 2016
- Entrepreneur of the year 2015
Personal life
Opalen lives in Ullenst, where the headquarters of Stream is located. He is currently not in a relationship and has no children.
Health issues
In 2015, Opalen was found unconscious in his home by a close friend. According to Opalen's doctor, he suffered from blood pressure issues due to "conditions concerning weight". An "unhealthy and excessive diet for many years" was the cause, according to Opalen. He has recovered and been on a strict diet since.