Catching up with Stephen Orelli
Stephen Orelli always struck his teachers and classmates as the type of guy that could accomplish just about anything. The affable and well-liked Huntington High School Class of 2002 member is proving himself worthy of that lofty reputation as he goes about making a name for himself in the business world.
A multi-time varsity letter winner with the Blue Devil wrestling team, Mr. Orelli earned fine grades in high school and did the same at the University of Delaware, where he obtained Bachelor of Science in business administration in 2006. He majored in marketing and minored in international business and today is putting all of that knowledge to good use.
After graduating from Delaware, he began working for children’s toy company Hit Entertainment as a sales executive. The company owns the rights to such intellectual properties as Barney, Bob the Builder and Thomas and Friends. “My work was in their wholly owned toy company, working as a junior sales executive on The Thomas and Friends toy line,” Mr. Orelli said.
At Huntington High School, Mr. Orelli was one of the best at rolling with the punches and making the best of every situation. He’s optimistic by nature, a hard worker and a quick study. From his days at Jefferson Elementary School right up to the present, those who have interacted with him have been impressed with both his sincerity and creativity.
“Around the time I learned that my office was eventually going to be closed, I started a gaming company called Sobits with my cousin, Sean Orelli,” the Huntington alum said. “Since we started the company in November 2008, we've published two titles for the iPhone, which are available on the App Store, Hint Sprint and The Mood Setter. Our third application, Flying Pigs is expected to be available for sale on the iTunes App Store this October.”
The pair of businessmen captured first place in Stony Brook University’s DARE entrepreneur competition last May. Their $25,000 award was used to help jumpstart Sobits. More information can be found about the company on its website at www.sobits.us.
Mr. Orelli is also working his way toward an MBA degree at Hofstra University. So far, he is sporting a 3.88 grade point average. He has always valued education and is very much into self-improvement and personal growth.
“Around Christmas time last year I learned that Hit Entertainment was restructuring and my entire office was to be shut down,” recounted Mr. Orelli. “I was offered a severance package to stay on through the transition. I am still currently working there and will be until spring 2010.”
So, Mr. Orelli’s days are now filled with work at his full-time job, attending classes for his MBA and working part-time with Sobits. “We became registered developers for the Apple iPhone and began working on projects,” he said about the early weeks of the company. To this point sales have been modest but expanding the product library and ad campaigns is expected to increase sales and awareness.
While his days are often quite long, Stephen Orelli goes to sleep at night content with the direction of his life and professional career.
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