Pros
- Founder who knows each and every employee by name in addition to their background, hobbies, likes/dislikes etc. This should be a given, but plenty of agency founders function more as a figurehead. Joey Hodges is on the ground with his team day in and day out. On one end he is someone staff can look up to as a mentor, someone who--while he is a straight shooter--will provide constructive criticism with the goal of supporting employee growth, revitalized the business and came out stronger during the pandemic and on the other is the first person to jump in and clip press, check guests in at an event, find joy in still being able to land a big story and take time after hours for internal staff entertaining. - Creativity is overflowing at Demonstrate, and spending time in the company of staff from other departments spanning brand strategy, paid media, social, and art has found its way the programs that I am building for clients on the PR side and contributing to their success. This is a departure from the more black and white, tried strategies that you might find being passed from client to client at other comms & marketing shops. - Flexible office requirements. 3 days in the office a week for staff with a local office, and understanding mentality for those who are fully remote, with opportunities to visit San Francisco (Cow Hollow / Russian Hill area) and New York (Midtown) offices through year. - Structured and punctual annual review program - Benefits: There's no secret that a smaller company can have a downside in the benefits department, but Demonstrate holds its own in the market and offers competitive salaries, unlimited PTO, 401k programs, and beyond. - Promotes diversity from within; Black and LGBTQ+ owned.
Cons
- Can a con be that it will be difficult to consider exploring other opportunities if the time to do so ever comes? - For a senior level professional there is not a ton of upward mobility once top account levels are achieved, as is the case with the structure of most small-mid size agencies, it can be difficult to see the path forward. All to say, you never know until you ask and the leads team at Demonstrate is very open minded to create roles for staffers that will meet both the individual's and the organization's interests.