Pros
If I could, I'd give Brafton between 3.33 and 3.75 stars. There was no option for half-stars on Glassdoor. There is an opportunity for it to be rated higher if structural changes could be made (see below). I do not work here any longer and no one asked me to write this review. I think the best thing about working at Brafton is that you work with committed, smart and dedicated people for the most part. Because content marketing is a new industry, workers come from unexpected and diverse backgrounds, which is great. Upsides include working from home, career development and I personally got an audience with the top most management quite a bit. I also got to consult and develop strategists at the company which I really enjoyed. The work relationships I formed at the company have morphed into friendships upon leaving the company. This is very common at this company and not something to be overlooked when considering this company to work at. Promotions come pretty quickly here, as well. If you work for the company, the company works for you. If you try, they'll try. It's a quid pro quo like you do not tend to see at most other companies. It's a baptism by fire, no doubt, but if you swim and don't sink, you'll be rewarded. I was promoted twice in my two years and I am not the exception. The two salary bumps I received I didn't even ask for. I also got to travel quite a bit, meet a lot of people and enjoy some of the perks of working at the company. At other companies it cannot be said that they will care about you as an individual like they do at Brafton. That is a big differentiation. Now, I was a breadwinner for the company who gained and retained a lot of business, but I got the impression that it was not just for me. As an aside, my house burned down during my time here and some of the top level people in management including the VP of Account Management, the COO and the HR Director offered personal help to me (and that was when I was on my way out). They didn't have to do that. Where else can you honestly say you would receive the same kind of generosity? I have had a long working career in all kinds of organizations and I have not seen that. In short, Brafton is like the most fun I never want to do again. It could be a great fit for your career.
Cons
Unfortunately, the 'working with committed, smart and dedicated" people doesn't necessarily scale across the entire organization. Some people could work for a great manager who truly cares, while others could be stuck with someone who is just good at throwing people under the bus and has no interest in the industry in which they work. Experiences may vary. I worked in account management so we had to face our clients. It is difficult to consult with them and talk strategy when so little focus went into doing what was best for them from a production standpoint. This is different than most ad agencies. A constant battle that I had was making the top decision makers see that when you delight a client, they have no problem paying their bills on time and even spending tons more money with the company. Instead, a premium was put on making sure contracts were in, money was paid more than if we accomplish the aims for the client. This misalignment was my prime frustration throughout my time there. In their defense, I did not work with finance or other major business development so I have no visibility into their ultimate priories. As I write, there are some in management who are clearly incompetent where the nexus of editorial production and account management intersect, I am afraid. It is glaring and debilitating to the company who put trust in their skills. Because the turnover at the company is so high, several of them "Peter Principled" into senior roles where they were barely competent in their role prior to promotion. At the time I left, in both operations and in HR, major strides were taken to ensure that people were more comfortable and felt better so that may have changed since I have written this. As I have many friends and former clients at the company who still turn to me for consult, I hope so. With other changes, Brafton could become not just a stepping stone company, but a first class organization (once they truly orient around their customer needs). As to the bad reviews on here from writers, If you are gauging your employ here based on that, please do not. Brafton does have some talented editors and writers, many of which I still remain in contact. I've seen those great writers get appreciated by the company, too. But for many of these reviews, that review was that particular writers' best writing. Maybe if they wrote with that kind of passion when they were working at Brafton, there would not have been an issue. Sometimes I'd have to say, "Look, I'm sorry that no one has published your screenplay yet. But you're writing for a software company, not Rolling Stone. Just do your job and stop complaining, ok?" But that was rare. Most writers want to do a good job, but sometimes are given such poor direction or little time that it is difficult to do that. Time constraints are a big problem that needs to be overcome at this company. There will be many that upon reading this will become upset. The truth can upset some people.