Consider if you're an entry level employee
Pros
Jacobson Rost has had many hard-working employees on every level who strive to do and create really good work, which the agency has proven they are capable of delivering on several occasions and for clients and budgets ranging from small to big. It is democratic in that sense, if you can do it, you get to do it, which is a huge positive for young, hungry ad professionals and certainly not the case everywhere. They do have legitimately good work on their reel and surprisingly young people behind some of it. Over the years, they have definitely had good people inside the building and good people as creative partners to get the work done. That said, if you're there to hustle and get stuff done as a young, hungry employee, be smart about it and have a 12-24 month plan.
Cons
Lack of involvement in the local ad community. (Huge negative for the young, hungry people they hope to attract.) Lack of unified vision for the company long-term. Extremely high turnover. Employees often have lists going of how many people have quit during their time. Not unusual to have 25+ for just a year or two of work. No actual company culture. “Culture” and climate change from project to project, team to team. Some are very tight, full of people who are self-starters and would have a great cultural experience anywhere. Others seem to have failure to launch in that regard. No transparency when it comes to a lot of company policies. No consensus from management on setting goals and possible rewards for employees. There is never a real “if you accomplish X, you get Y” expectation even when you push to have that conversation and clarify for yourself. All promotions, title changes, bonuses, etc. feel totally random, even when you are a person who specifically asks for this information and for these conversations. Someone can do the same thing as you and get a totally different response, especially because upper management tends to be reactive and not proactive. It can be tough to navigate. Terrible benefits. Work/Life balance is generally awful. In fact, awful is the norm. At another agency I’ve worked with they warned me initially, “Sometimes people have to stay late... to 7PM even.” I laughed out loud. JR employees regularly stay past 10pm. Regularly. Everyone has stories of working to 2am or later. Oh, and no you never get any comp days or additional benefits for that type of work. It is expected. It is expected to be available to them on your days off and on your vacations or PTO time. JR can cut into your time relentlessly and without penalty but you can never cut into JR time. HA of course not. Even leaving for a Drs appointment is a hassle. If you come in late for safety issues or taking a kid to school, you are marked down in a "late book." I have worked for MUCH bigger clients with MUCH higher stakes and budgets with much longer deadlines and more understanding. There is no reason for it other than ineffective management and unrealistic promises to clients. On the director level, it is hit or miss on who you learn from. Some are fantastic people who can genuinely help you in your career. Others were simply "there long enough" and were promoted because of it, despite a lack of actual managerial or leadership skills. That does not seem to be a priority. HR/upper management treats its employees like they’re constantly in trouble or like they are kids trying to skip school, which gets exhausting when you’re actually an employed adult trying to do great work. (Jerry Flema is the type who would rather spy on employees than reward them for work well done, which feels backwards in an industry where creative thought, creative ideas and so therefore creative people are ultimately your currency.)