very toxic, would not recommend - Studio Assistant JOHN MCNEIL STUDIO Employee Review

John McNeil is a small, dynamic agency based in Berkeley. Working in production, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on a diverse range of projects, gaining valuable exposure to different aspects of marketing and advertising. The position provided valuable professional growth opportunities, along with the chance to work alongside a talented and dedicated team.

As with many agencies, workloads and priorities can shift quickly, requiring flexibility and adaptability. However, there is a supportive team culture, and colleagues consistently work together to navigate busy periods and meet client needs.

an intense place but worthwhile if you’re passionate about B2B marketing. the studio environment in berkeley is lovely which can spark creativity. they used to do weekly “dinners” for staff which was a nice token of their appreciation.

i advise staying away. here’s why: - toxic management all around - leadership is a joke - the head of brand strategy is borderline combative - they’re not capable of selling any real digital media capabilities to clients other than web redesigns and half-baked comms strategies - hard to do meaningful work when all of strategy is dictated by the CEO - don’t get me started on how poorly Ops is ran overall the agency is ran by ego-driven “marketers” who reached their peak in the dot com era. they will sadly get eaten up by AI soon.