Adam Hamilton

Get to know some of our College of Media alumni. Adam Hamilton (BS ’11, advertising; MBA ’19) is a global social and digital director at McDonald’s. Hamilton also participated in a Media Career Night alumni panel on “Digital Communication” in Spring 2023. Watch a recording of the session here.

Can you recall any College of Media classes or professors that impacted you?
I remember Professor Jason Chambers teaching Advertising History, and it was fascinating to see the impact of advertising and culture—how it’s such a key tenant of pop culture, which I love. Subsequently, I minored in media and cinema studies. It was fun to learn about different media types from people whose primary passion was media. I absorbed and carried those elements into the advertising world.

Were you involved in any media-related RSOs?
I was in the American Advertising Federation, and it was how I got my foot in the door to the industry. I went to a Leo Burnett information night during my sophomore year; they talked about internships, and while I wasn’t qualified, I stayed in touch. They gave me tips on being ready, and I applied and got accepted during my junior year. Doors opened up for me upon graduation, but there are also various professional opportunities on campus. I was a marketing intern for Assembly Hall [State Farm Center], where I got to do marketing for all the concerts and events. I also worked at the Career Center for resume critiques and marketing, but there were so many things at my disposal that I tried to take advantage of as much as possible.

How has advertising influenced your career path?
When I graduated, I thought I’d work at an ad agency or something, and I started working at Caterpillar—the manufacturing company where you think of tractors, big mining trucks, and construction projects. I worked there for six years and then had the opportunity to work at McDonald’s. I started as a supervisor in executive communication, so speech writing for our CEO and their social handles, and it evolved to managing our broader content editorial globally. Now, I oversee our corporate social and digital channels and all the storytelling with those. However, I’d say that three-fourths of the roles I’ve had didn’t exist until I had them. The team I’m in now—I built the team from the ground up, which is a great opportunity, but you have to be able to pitch that vision and showcase what you can do.

You attended the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention in Barcelona in April 2024. What was that like for you?
The McDonald’s Convention is interesting because it’s a huge milestone where nearly 20,000 franchises—restaurants, staff, companies, employees, and suppliers—come together on the vision of the business for the next two years. It’s always been held in the United States, even though it’s a worldwide convention, but this was the first one that took place outside of that in Barcelona. I had the opportunity to produce an event with Dua Lipa, which was fantabulous.

Besides that, what is your day-to-day work life?
When it comes to my day-to-day, it’s telling the business and brand story of McDonald’s. The business story is how we inspire investors, stakeholders, and media that we’re a company to believe in. From a brand story, it’s how we inspire people to believe; also, we want to be at the intersection of culture. When we do different campaigns, like the Adult Happy Meal with Cactus Plant Flea Market or our Valentine’s meal with Cardi B and Offset, there are many opportunities to intersect culture with McDonald’s because people are passionate about it. The idea for the Adult Happy Meal came up because, one day, you had your last Happy Meal and never even knew it. It’s tapping into what we call “fan true”—things true to fans of the brand and establishing a connection point with them through content to meet them where they are.

What are you most proud of?
I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to hire and develop some of what I think are the best people in the industry. Even though I’m their manager, I learn from them every day, and I’m in awe of what they’ll do once they leave my team; I couldn’t be more proud of them. Another thing I’m proud of is my employees always say I bring a safe space to work, which means a lot to me. I’m a gay man, and I haven’t always been in an environment where there’s a safe space in a workplace. When people have that safe space, they do their best work and flourish there themselves. They’re connected to their peers, and the opportunities are endless.

What skills do you think students need to succeed in the media world?
Students have such a leg up because the technology and media they’ve grown up in are key to the future. No matter how much people say they understand that stuff, the fact is that this generation grew up with it, so use that as an advantage. On a much broader note, bring your full self to your job. It’s so easy when you apply and interview for all these roles to want to fit what you think is the mold of what they want, but ultimately, you want to be yourself. You want to make sure you’re choosing an employer that clicks with who you are, and you’ll do your best work.

—Interview by Chloe Barbarise, New Voices Intern