Carrot Creative Reviews

Pros

- Carrot hires those that can build and sustain their culture; it's addicting and fulfilling to be surrounded by like-minded people - Brands come to Carrot for FUN, so you get to work on a variety of projects that other, more established agencies, dream of - Lots of blurred lines: opportunity is there for the taking if you're willing to figure out and play the game - Perks on perks: the Google of Brooklyn advertising in terms of free, convenient things, but it comes with the trade off of making Carrot your life - The VICE thing is fun to say at parties (but doesn't mean much...)

Cons

- Cult or nothing: You either fully commit or you will never be happy working here and always feel like an outsider (and therefore also miss out on professional opportunities) - Still an underdog: Big, juicy creative briefs are not coming through the doors. Carrot is the agency that's fun to experiment with, but too risky to commit to - A few leaders amongst a sea of children: Carrot's culture is built on the people it hires, so youth is crucial. However, when leadership is homegrown and mid-level talent is scarce, there are a lot of workers and not a lot of teachers. Depending on the side you're on and the stage in your career, this is a pro or con - Ego - senior management, despite grand gestures and lengthy speeches, are in it for themselves

Pros

Community, clients, culture, time off & location

Cons

work life balance, management, expertise

Pros

Carrot is, by far and away, the most flexible work environment I have ever seen. And I'm not even talking about the unlimited paid vacation (although that's obviously great too). No, I'm talking about the freedom that Carrot gives you to build your own future. Carrot has a motto of "Hustle. Team. Adventure." And they mean it. If there is something you want to do at work - whether that means landing a particular client, producing a particular creative idea, building a new software tool, whatever - you can do it here. BUT - you have to be willing to advocate for your idea, present a good BUSINESS case for doing it, and have the grit to see it through. If you can do that, that you can honestly do anything you want here at Carrot. Very, very few places are going to offer you similar freedom.

Cons

Mentorship is not a "discipline" here, per se. A lot of people are near the same age, which can at times make for a lack of default leadership. At times people who lack self-direction can feel lost here or unsure of what to do next. This, frankly, has gotten a lot better in the last year.

Pros

A lot of potential for the agency and the staff. The energy and environment at Carrot is unlike any other agency at which Ive worked. Execs are young and like risk, but their ambition seems to work in their favor. The agency has grown like crazy over the past 18 months. Every employee honestly has the opportunity to stand out if they are motivated or have the skillset to do so. There are no barriers to growth. It also seems that when folks leave Carrot they are leaving for big roles.

Cons

There is a learn by doing philosophy that sometimes can be a bit extreme. But at the same time, many places never give you the opportunity. So this can be a positive too. New biz can be overwhelming. There is a ton of interest in Carrot which means a lot of pitches. But Carrot needs to say No to some of these. Not because the rfp or opportunity sucks. But because it can create burnout. Some employees became disgruntled with the growth. Sometimes they can become disengaged which creates problems for other team members.

Pros

- Amazing company culture (there doesn't have to be a barrier between professional and personal life if you don't want one) - The smartest, most driven weirdos ever - Perks (unlimited vacation, company and industry events, never a lack of food or beer) - Built on incredible values and beliefs - You will learn so much and grow very fast if you bring the right attitude and work ethic - Awesome clients and passion for creativity/rule-breaking

Cons

- Extremely fast growth without core structure in place to maintain all of the cultural nuances that attracted people to the company in the first place - Rewards are not always based on merit - if you strong-arm the right person enough you will get what you want (raises, promotions etc.) - No standardized base salary for each role - Since business is doing well and there's always an incoming flow of talent, it seems like management is never pressed enough to make any real change despite how much people express their frustrations

Pros

- Junior employees are given a lot of responsibility, making it so that the line between more junior and senior level employees a little blurred, which can be a blessing or a curse. - Opportunity for growth is incredible. If you are hoping to grow your career in a certain way, and have a supportable case behind it, you better believe your managers and co-workers will be there to support you every step of the way. - Not one person is above another here. As a Junior employee, I have never felt inferior to someone with a senior title - more as people who can give advice and help when I'm learning something new. - Employees often have side hobbies that are celebrated and supported within the agency. If someone has a specialty in a different area, employees are sure to know they have the ability to capitalize on it if a certain project calls for that need.

Cons

- Because Carrot is growing so quickly, it's going through typical growing pains that any agency would go through - but it is affecting the company culture a bit. - The move towards more structured operations is a positive for Carrot, but we're not fully there yet.

Pros

Good benefits and medical is all paid for by the company. The office is pretty sweet and it has a deck, which is a good thing because you'll be spending most of your life inside. There's also the committees which keep the social outings coming, however this can be a little overwhelming, especially when your social life dies from the long work hours.

Cons

This was once an inspiring place to work. Carrot once cared about the people they hired and this used to feel like a somewhat democratic workplace. None of these things exist anymore. Senior management are incredibly belittling, and provide no opportunities for growth. They hire and fire on a whim and treat their staff like children. Staff used to work here for 5+ years - this too is a thing of the past. The turnover rate is insane at the moment and this is largely to do with their terrible hiring process and staff just having enough of the bullying. This might also be a throwback from the recent acquisition by Vice, of which many employees were promised by senior management that "we'd never sell".

Pros

It ain't boring. Be prepared to have a closet of different hats. If you have the gumption, you can make your job into anything you want to do. People that succeed here are insanely dedicated and are not afraid to speak their minds. There is also a very distinct culture here that your either get or you don't. They have a lot of activities after work, many times still in the office. The lines between work/life get very blurry which is really good for some, not as great for others.

Cons

It could be frustrating if you came here looking for a lot of mentorship. It is very much a stand your own ground and develop your own personal brand kind of situation. The fake it 'til you make it sentiment is strong with this one. It is also not a very classically "professional" environment. It can be loud and annoying and disorganized. I'm still not sure if this is a pro or a con. There is also a bit of "pay your dues" kind of hierarchy which seems at odds with the creative environment they are trying to foster.

Pros

CULTURE: Its not just a buzzword here. As a whole, the people I work with are ambitious but aren't sharks. They're passionate and creative but also selfless and approachable. Since I've started here, the agency has nearly doubled in size. Despite growing numbers, I'm amazed to find that there is still a tangible sense of camaraderie within our office. From the goofy traditions to the diverse roster of committees, everyone here works hard to cultivate this unique atmosphere. This is something that employees and management of all levels buy into which is why I think the culture has been able to scale so well as Carrot continues to grow. OPPORTUNITY: You get to work at one of the hottest digital agencies that also happens to be owned by the coolest media conglomerate on earth. Not an opportunity that knocks on your door everyday.

Cons

The vibe is pretty young and edgy. Those who tend to be more traditional minded or have previously operated in a corporate setting will face a serious adjustment. People might try and convince you to overpay for a sandwich at Forgers.

Pros

Free food, free beer, parties, I guess, though there are a lot less lately.

Cons

Left some months ago and never looked back. It's a shame because I wanted to feel that camaraderie after leaving, but save for a few people, everything there is too much of a mess to try and keep in touch, or want to. I'd rather rid myself of the bad taste of low pay, boring projects, lack of leadership, and everyone being overworked. Maybe your decks, your pitches, your everything would be better if deadlines and timelines were reasonable. They aren't. You have smart people overwhelmed and struggling, doing the workload of 3 people, then blamed when they weren't set up for success to begin with. If all we can respond to that is "that's agency life," then I recommend you steer clear from this and any other agency. It's not worth your 50+ hours a week, especially for work that is cool, but not great or ground breaking.