Pros
There are definitely positives to working there. Gary Vaynerchuk is a savvy businessman and I think his agency could have a healthy future - assuming he can hold on to staff. In the past year they've signed some big clients and many of the people who work there generally seem to like the relaxed/fun start-up atmosphere
Cons
The 6 months I worked for VM were pretty awful. Part of it was the transition from a corporate environment to a "start up" (I think if your company has been around 3+ years and has 200 employees you can't really call yourself a start up anymore, but I guess that's up for debate). The company went from around 50 employees in Fall of 2011 to nearly 200 by the time I left in the Fall 2012 and there were definitely growing pains related to that change. I used my own laptop and cell phone for work for the first 3 months that I was there. Finally, I received a work-issued laptop, but only after my personal computer started to have problems. That may not seem like a big deal….but the pay was near poverty wages. I was a community manager (entry level position) and made $32,500/year (and they weren't open to negotiation when I was hired). I accepted the job (and the pay cut) because I thought it would be a good way to get my foot in the door, but after 6 months there didn't seem to be much of a chance for a raise or promotion. In my opinion, that salary is just unacceptable for 20-something trying to live in NYC. I think part of the reason why I was so unhappy was because I felt I was overworked and underpaid (and also worried about bills!). I worked a minimum of 50 hours a week (lunch breaks are out of the question), usually 8:30am-6:30pm, but working from home on weekends and evenings was very common. It wasn't unheard of to work a regular day (8:30-6:30) and then stay until 1 or 2am community managing clients on the west coast. No extra pay - maybe a dinner allowance if you were lucky. I think it might be a good place to work if you're just out of college, maybe still living with your parents and getting financial help..but that was not my situation. I also found the company culture to be difficult to deal with at times. It seemed like everyone was 22-24 years old, spending the days screwing around (which is why I think people worked till midnight sometimes), and then heading to work happy hours every night. I can see how it would be a good thing if you're new to the city and looking to make friends…but as someone who already has a social network, a boyfriend, and other hobbies, I often felt out of place, like I wasn't a team player because I didn't go out with them all the time. I have to say I don't miss Vayner Media at all. It was a rough 6 months.