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SIT graduate Hunter Lua’s Overseas Integrated Work Study Programme (OIWSP) took him to New York, where he gained firsthand experience navigating one of the world’s most competitive advertising markets.
Hunter Lua became the first SIT student to secure an internship with Admerasia, a New York advertising agency. He arrived with no experience in ad operations, the core work of his role as a media planner.
But from the get-go, the 26-year-old was put to work on multi-million-dollar campaigns for McDonald’s, one of the agency’s biggest clients. It was the sort of high-stakes assignment that first drew Hunter to apply for the role.
“The US is one of the largest and most competitive advertising markets,” says Hunter, who graduates in October 2026 with Highest Distinction in the Bachelor of Science in Digital Communications & Integrated Media (now named BSc in Communication and Digital Media).
Hunter at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. (Photo: Hunter Lua)
“Working here gave me access to very advanced media strategies, something I may not have gotten if I had stayed in Singapore. It was also a unique opportunity to develop campaigns for American audiences.”
Earning a Seat at the Table
Landing the role involved three rounds of interviews, a process that felt daunting initially, especially since Hunter was new to the advertising industry. He prepared by revisiting his notes from previous semesters and re-acquainting himself with industry jargon and the foundations of marketing analytics. “Classroom knowledge gave me the foundation I needed for the role of media planning,” he reflects.
Convinced of his competency, his coworkers at Admerasia treated him less like an intern and more like regular staff. “They gave me everything that a full-timer would do”, he says. This means covering the full campaign lifecycle, from planning to execution, analysis and reporting.
Not only did he work with his colleagues to plan the client’s investment and translate audience data into insights, but he was also part of the creative brainstorming process – a combination of left- and right-brain tasks that drew on Hunter’s SIT degree and polytechnic accounting diploma.
“The learning curve was manageable. Things I learnt in school about Meta Ads Manager translated well to the Google Campaign Manager that we used. It helped too that my mentor there was very helpful and shared everything she could,” adds Hunter, who worked on national-level initiatives such as the McDonald’s Monopoly sweepstakes campaign, FIFA World Cup 2026 and more across nine months at Admerasia.
Hunter made the most of his nine months in the US, exploring iconic landmarks while building his career in New York. (Photo: Hunter Lua)
Owning a Campaign
While the office environment was laidback by Hunter’s measure, he was anxious to perform his best. “Maybe it’s the Singaporean in me. I was giving myself pressure to do well,” he laughed.
No task was too big or small for him to volunteer for; he even put his hand up to research AI tools for his team leaders when they were contemplating which AI tool to subscribe to.
Hunter’s drive earned him early trust from his colleagues. Within the first few months of his nine-month OIWSP, he was tasked to lead an audience segment test (AST)—testing different marketing messages and experiences with target audiences—for McDonald’s push into bottled beverages. He took charge of the entire campaign, from planning the budget and collaborating with media partners to tracking the results and producing the final reports.
“At first I was scared that I was going to do something wrong, but it went well and I felt proud to have completed the project on my own,” Hunter recalled.
So well adapted was Hunter to the role that the firm continued working with him remotely after he returned to Singapore.
A Slice of the Big Apple Life
The hardest parts of the OIWSP weren’t from the job itself, but rather from settling into a new city on the other side of the world. Securing his work visa and landing the right accommodation took the most time and mental energy.
“Housing in New York is expensive. I had to choose an apartment that balances cost, safety, convenience and proximity to the office, and had roommates I could get along with,” Hunter recalled.
Hunter (back row, most left) with fellow interns and friends during his time in the United States. (Photo: Hunter Lua)
But once the paperwork was done and housing secured, things were smooth sailing. Hunter’s colleagues hailed from America and various parts of Asia, as the team specialised in reaching Asian audiences. The welcoming work environment made his transition easy.
The cherry on top was the perks of the job. Big brand collaborations with McDonald’s gave him access to events like New York Comic Con, NBA Eastern Conference and US Open tennis matches.
“Visiting the Comic Con had been on my bucket list since I was a child. It was a dream come true,” says Hunter.
With the OIWSP behind him, Hunter is now looking forward to his new communications role at LinkedIn. His job will be to build the platform’s prominence and image in the Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. He enthuses, “I’ve covered the US at Admerasia. Now I get to work on the rest of the world!”
