Vantaggi
• Experience. You get thrown into the thick of things pretty much immediately, so it's a great way to get acclimated (especially for junior-level folks and people who enjoy trial-by-fire). You'll get a real opportunity to present and own your work. • People. The team in the trenches day-to-day was a great group. It's a pretty collaborative setup, so you'll get to know everyone very quickly. • Beer.
Svantaggi
• Employee Management. The execs can be extremely stubborn, even at the cost of losing talent. Rewarding the staff does happen, but it can often come from a defensive place rather than a proactive one. • Spec work. The ratio of work that gets produced to spec work/decks is about 1 to 4. There's still a good opportunity to be creative within spec land, but seeing things actually get produced is far more rewarding. • Consistency. Work/life balance can be an issue at times, and weeks of super-crazy-hair-on-fire work can be followed immediately by having absolutely nothing to do for weeks. Achieving the middle point of that spectrum is a challenge. • Communication. The office is split between Chicago and Milwaukee. Most of the account team resides in MKE with the creatives in CHI, which leads to lots of phone calls rather than in-person communication. Lots can get lost in translation over email, especially when creative feedback is involved.