Shay Hannon

I am originally from a small town called Ironton, Ohio where most consider us rednecks. I left at 18 to go to University where I received a BFA with a focus in performance theatre, soon after moved to NYC at age 22 to study at The New Actors Workshop.

I loved telling stories and the process of rehearsal. Unfortunately, I ended up losing my focus after school and ended up behind a busy NYC bar for 8 years, where I developed relationships with your city locals and tourists. I have met some of the most interesting people in this position, (including yourself Stanley) however, I found myself really wanting a change. One day a Swedish tourist walked through the doors of the bar to watch a soccer match and the rest is history. We fell in love and soon after were married and we relocated to Stockholm, Sweden, where I have lived now for just over 5 years.

I continued working in the hospitality industry due to it being easy to get a job only speaking English. After Covid hit and being so uncertain with my job, I decided I can't do this anymore. I want to learn something, I want to reinvent myself, I crave creativity, and that is where I stumbled across the Hyper Island website. I nervously submitted my application task and awaited the news. I was thrilled to be accepted in the Business Developer Program that lasts 1.5 years. I have now been in the program for 4 months and am learning so much, however have decided I need to spend more time on some learnings to really develop my skills before stepping out into the real world and that is why I signed up for this course.