How a second-gen leader traded a stable seat in a listed steel company for the chaos (and freedom) of building a video-first marketing agency—and what she learned about purpose, pivots, and personal branding along the way.
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TL;DR
- Who: Evelyn Chew, Founder/CEO of MOA Digital Media, ex–environmental engineer, ex–family steel business operator.
- Pivot: Built a 6,000-strong adventure community, then pivoted during COVID from “Ministry of Adventure” to a video marketing agency that serves CEOs, founders, and brands.
- Edge: A practical content system (the STAR(S) Framework) and a clear POV on AI + sustainability as the next growth arena for businesses.
- Proof: SOE (Spirit of Enterprise) Startup Award winner; clients across public and private sectors.
The leap: From steel to stories
Evelyn grew up in Johor, studied Environmental Engineering (NTU), and was expected—like many second-gen heirs—to plug into the family’s steel manufacturing business. She did, for a stint.
But two threads pulled harder:
- Freedom & ownership. Watching her dad build a life with flexible time stoked her desire to create her own lane.
- Community & impact. She launched Ministry of Adventure as a scrappy student project—organizing hikes, dives, and overseas trips—eventually growing it to 6,000 members.
When COVID hit, adventure travel froze. Instead of waiting it out, Evelyn pivoted fast—turning MOA into MOA Digital Media, a video-first agency. A timely political project opened B2B doors; soon, work with MNCs and public agencies followed. That traction—and a Spirit of Enterprise win—validated the path.
“With greater freedom comes greater responsibility. The answer was systems, not heroics.”
What MOA Digital actually does now
Positioning: Help CEOs, founders, speakers, and business leaders turn expertise into repeatable, high-signal content that grows authority and demand.
Why this focus: People follow people. Founders’ profiles often outgrow their brands’ followings, pulling the business upward with them.
Evelyn’s STAR(S) Framework (simple, repeatable, effective)
- S — Social-first: Tailor content natively for YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, IG (not one-size-fits-all cuts).
- T — Teaching: Lead with value. Short, useful lessons build trust and retention.
- A — Attention: Hooks, scenes, and formats that stop the scroll in 3 seconds.
- R — Relate (Star-power): Co-create with partners/guests to borrow and blend audiences.
- S — Speaking: Use podcasts, keynotes, and panels to cement credibility and generate pillar content.
Result: An always-on engine that feeds both organic reach and paid performance, without feeling like ads.
On AI, sustainability & what’s next
Evelyn’s worldview loops back to her engineering roots:
- AI is a tool, not a threat. The real edge is humans who wield AI well—for scripting, editing, analysis—without losing human story, tone, and judgment.
- Sustainability is strategy. From ESG to resilient supply chains, “green” is increasingly commercial, not cosmetic.
- Building bridges: She’s co-driving initiatives that bring ASEAN and China leaders together to explore AI × Sustainability—because better tech + better stewardship → better business.
7 takeaways you can use this week
- Start where you have momentum. Communities, not products, helped Evelyn validate and earn early.
- Pivot on the signal. She followed real B2B demand (and budgets), not sunk costs.
- Make authority a practice. Teach publicly to attract premium clients.
- Design hooks on purpose. The first 3 seconds decide the next 30.
- Collaborate up. Partner content compounds reach.
- System > heroics. Process beats passion when you’re scaling.
- Invest in your founder brand. Your name can outpull your logo—and drag the logo up with it.
Pull-quotes
“People don’t just buy brands; they buy the people who lead them.”
“Organic content compounds; ads amplify. Smart brands do both.”
“Sustainability isn’t a cost center—it’s operational resilience.”
Resources mentioned
- MOA Digital Media: Founder-led content & video marketing (strategy → production → distribution)
- Spirit of Enterprise (SOE): Recognizing notable Singapore founders & startups
- AI tools in creative ops: Script assists, edit accelerators, analytics (used with human judgment)
Work with MOA Digital (our recommendation)
If you’re a CEO, founder, or business leader who wants a repeatable content system that grows your authority (and pipeline), talk to MOA Digital Media. Evelyn’s team is great at turning your story into consistent, platform-native content your market actually watches.
→ Book a discovery session with MOA Digital (tell them Golden Nuggets sent you)
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