Pros
I met some great people during my time here. The workload was usually manageable, and remote work made it convenient. In some ways, it felt good to contribute to something that served the state and local community.
Cons
Leadership refuses to tell clients no. The company calls itself an expert in digital work, yet when clients bring forward bad ideas or unrealistic requests, leadership expects everyone to blindly follow along, even when it’s obvious those decisions will lead to poor outcomes. The priority has always been to say yes as quickly as possible, regardless of quality. This “just get it done” approach might help the company bring in revenue, but it comes at the expense of doing meaningful, standout work. Over time, that mindset drove away many talented people who were exhausted and frustrated by constantly having to produce work they couldn’t be proud of.
Client work is extremely limited. Unless tourism and government projects genuinely excite you, the work quickly starts to feel repetitive and uninspiring. Every project is treated the same, and there is no real push to do anything different or original. The company was originally founded to challenge the traditional agency model, but that vision has completely faded.
The owner plays a huge role in the culture, and not in a positive way. He often talked about how the company was a “family” and how we worked for each other, and I believed that at first. But any time someone challenged him or offered a different perspective, the tone shifted quickly. Many people were afraid to speak up, which is likely why clients were never pushed back on either. The idea that "we're all equals and if the company grows, you grow" was really just a way to get people to work harder to serve his own interests. When he was unhappy or having a bad day, he would lash out. Several former coworkers I know have spent years in therapy trying to work through what they experienced under his leadership. It’s a hard thing to process when you think someone cares about you, only to watch them turn on you in an instant.
On top of all that, pay was well below industry standards, benefits were poor, and I would not recommend this place to anyone I care about.