Pros
-You will grow immensely as an artist in a short amount of time. The creative talent (3D, illustration, graphic design, AV, among others) in the building is staggering and most everyone is willing to help and show you things if you ask. There’s a few condescending senior members of the illustration department that have a “my way or the highway” mentality but overall everyone is pretty agreeable and helpful. -Your portfolio will look amazing in a relatively short amount of time due to the volume of high-profile projects you will work on. -Good benefits, including full medical and dental insurance and a great 401k. -Office space is pretty great; you will share an office with one or two other members of your department, making it very easy to learn and pick up skills from people who are extremely good at what they do. Ask questions!
Cons
-Parking is a nightmare. The office is located in a sketchy industrial part of town (a dead body was found by the train tracks a block away) and the majority of its staff park on equally sketchy streets without any security. -As a creative your technical skill and proficiency in software (Photoshop, zBrush, Maya, et al) will grow exponentially but your ability to innovate and think for yourself will stagnate the longer you stay. Despite what anyone will tell you Petrol is an agency where your opinion is less than worthless. The only opinion that matters is that of the president/chief creative officer. Yours. Does. Not. Everything is filtered through his lens and creatives mostly exist to execute his ideas. You are not a valued member of the team, you’re merely another set of hands whose full compliance is expected. Expect a fight with the possibility of slammed fists on desks and yelling if your ideas do not line up with his. No decisions get made without “running by the boss” first. -The president is surrounded by self serving sycophants and spineless yes-men who will never question him and challenge him to do something different. The company as a whole is VERY set in their ways and complacent. They have a reputation in the ad industry and it isn't a good one. It’s very clear that their time in the sun has passed. -If you are a creative you are expected to show up every morning at 8:30 am ON THE DOT for daily kickoff meetings which are a waste of everyone’s time. They mainly exist so that the president can survey his kingdom and see what everyone is doing; there’s no trust amongst his staff and he has to have his finger in everyone’s projects. If you’re late you will get called out with snide remarks like “what, did you decide to walk to work today?’ -Toxic doesn’t even begin to describe the working atmosphere. The president refers to his staff with demeaning nicknames and people are just expected to grin and bear it (ie: “Mr. Show,” short for “Creepshow,” because he sees the person he’s referring to as “creepy”). God help you if you’re a woman - the company is vastly male dominated and sexual harassment abounds. A bro-like frat house atmosphere is ever prevalent and you will quickly be forgotten and ignored if you don’t conform to it. A lecherous member of upper management openly talks and brags about his illicit affairs, which more often than not involve colleagues and people working under him. Abuse of power is a huge understatement. -If you are a creative or account executive, work/life balance is pretty much non existent. Expect to be "on call" on your weekends and holidays in case any "emergencies" come up. -Work there long enough and a very clear “us” and “them” mentality will emerge. The president has his own inner circle which are more or less his favorites because they suck up to him, not because they are more talented than others. If he decides that he doesn’t like you you will never be accepted, and any room for advancement will quickly disappear. Most of the staff is unhappy, but they are too afraid of the president and his cronies to complain or leave.