DO NOT APPLY. No job is worth harming your physical and mental well-being... especially with the lack-luster salary. - Licensing Representative Samuel French Employee Review

1.0
30 Mar 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing co-workers, access to scripts, free and discounted tickets to shows, nice office, and great benefits (when they actually give them to you after a 3 month "trial" period, or longer.). You'll make friends for life and meet like minded people. You also get to interact with agents, authors and other industry people. Good intro into the NYC theatre scene.

Cons

Low salaries, hardly ever any raises, no respect, no room for advancement, some members of upper management are a joke and the ones that aren't unfortunately don't really have any say. When the CEO of the company lets anyone and everyone know that he "hates theatre," there is a major problem. Bottom line: There is no where to move up, and they want it that way. Most positions at this company are looked at as "entry" level positions. Upper management, in particularly the CEO, want you out of there as soon as possible; that is why the salaries are some of the lowest in the industry and raises rarely happen. They just don't want to invest in their current employees because they expect you to be gone in a couple years. Employees that have been there less than a year will be "promoted" over employees that have been there for years. It is bad for everyone but even worse if you are a woman. Being an "ambitious" woman here can be looked at as a negative attribute and your accomplishments will be diminished. You will also be treated like a child, even though the average age of most of the staff is probably 30s.

Explore other reviews about Samuel French

5.0
8 Aug 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Company provides hands on experience with helpful tasks that will give you new skills for your resume

Cons

The internship was unpaid, and there was no available travel stipend.

1.0
9 Apr 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get to work in the industry. Many former employees have gone on to work for competitors, theatre companies, and literary agencies it can be a good spring board for a career somewhere else.

Cons

In the entire office there are only one or two good managers left and if you are lucky enough to work with them you might have a good experience. Unfortunately it's not a big office and you will most likely have to work with all managers in some way and the majority of the managers including the president have no idea how the industry actually works nor how to manage people. A book that was recommended by the president for some employees to read included a statement along the lines of "People don't leave jobs they leave bad managers." Over the past few years several long time employees including managers (some of the good ones) have left to take basically the same type of position they held elsewhere. New employees have a very high turnover rate, they post a new position about every three months. What's sad is when I was hired it was so exciting to be working with one of the most recognized names in theater, we all had Samuel French scripts in our hands at some point. Only to find out in reality they don't care about the arts in the least but only the wallets of the owners one of which is the current president. The way business is conducted at Samuel French is immoral on many levels, not only toward their employees but their playwrights, customers, and other business in the industry.

4
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