Wonderful organization with abusive management - Anonymous employee AFI Employee Review

The people make it what it is.

Pay is not the best.

Two weeks paid time off for the holidays. Some good people on staff. Occasionally cool screenings.

You will get a $100 annual bonus. That's it. According to ProPublica, its president and CEO Bob Gazzale made close to $1 million in 2023. Its other executives make six figures, too. Keep in mind that the AFI is a 501(c)(3) and has been tax-exempt since May 1967. Compensation is very low, and your raise is not a cost-of-living increase. Employees can't afford to live near campus while traffic and parking are brutal. HR is a complicated mess that fails to address employee concerns. The concept of "managing upward" is strongly enforced by executives. "Managing upward" is code for assistants/coordinators doing their boss's job, which is often required for a promotion. Promotions and advancement are hard to come by. Unhappy employees = toxic work environment. Although there are a lot of great staffers, the overall attitude is one of depressed powerlessness. Concerns are kept private by employees who have expressed concerns about retaliation from upper management. Hussle culture is alive and well at the AFI. Execs boasted that the AFI was the only school to continue filming throughout the Covid pandemic in 2020, indicating a disregard for health and safety during a global emergency. Google "AFI Lawsuit" and scroll.