Young Employees For A Reason - Prep Technician Old Fast Glass Employee Review

OFG was one of my first jobs out here in LA, and I’m glad it was. You get a chance to learn a lot about camera gear, and network with some cool people, both coworkers and clients. Old Fast has one of the largest collections of vintage and rare lenses, and can add some credibility to your name if you’re trying to get on a set as a camera assistant. One large perk is that you can somewhat create your own schedule if you are part time, so you can do some smaller freelance projects on the side while working there if you wish. My coworkers were what really made the job fun and special, and what I will miss the most.

Ultimately, the largest drawback there is the management, as other reviewers on here have said. It has many of the pitfalls of a typical small business – no HR, business decisions all at the whim of the owner, favoritism, etc. As a technician, your job is considerably difficult for the pay – you have a lot of responsibility, maintaining client relationships and repairing extremely expensive gear, and there isn’t a lot of support from management to help you learn and grow. Employee reviews don’t exist, and perfection is expected, despite large gaps of important information in a short, three-day training. Employee turnover is high, and it leaves the impression that management doesn’t bother fully training you because you are considered replaceable. Rules and requirements of the job seem to always change, and not at the benefit of the employees. Making a mistake could lead you to be incessantly chewed out, or instead complained about behind your back but never directly addressed. The owner is known for having a temper, and in one instance, after making a mistake in my first month, he blew up on my manager and called me a slur, but I was never told by anyone in charge what exactly I did wrong or how to fix it. The result of all this is a toxic workplace, where the management doesn’t back their employees and instead seem to throw them under the bus in the face of the owner. Employees commiserate together, whisper about their poor pay and the raises they will never get. Because ultimately, this is a highly sought-after job. There will always be more 23-year-olds to exploit, pulled in by the lure of the shiny instagram page, with its expensive, social-media worthy projects that are invested in heavily instead of the dutiful employees. The industry is tough right now, and that is what I think keeps most people there.

The only positive thing I took away from this experience was my coworkers. I met some truly wonderful people and made lasting friendships during my time there. They deserved far better than the environment they were working in.

The title says it all. The first thing you should know about OFG is that the company operates within a deeply broken system that clearly isn’t going to change. The owner is the most extreme micromanager I’ve ever encountered. I understand that entrepreneurs are naturally hands-on, but this went far beyond dedication to the business and crossed into genuinely unhealthy behavior. Employees were routinely subjected to intimidation, retaliation, public outbursts, and even slurs used to demean staff. (Behind closed doors). Unfortunately, that behavior trickles down into management. As another reviewer mentioned, many employees are young and are placed into leadership roles without any meaningful management training, structure, or performance reviews. While I sympathize with people being thrown into that environment, it still creates an incredibly toxic workplace culture where bullying and fear-based management become normalized. For anyone considering applying: I genuinely cannot recommend strongly enough that you look elsewhere. No job is worth being consistently disrespected and undervalued. One example that perfectly captures the company’s priorities: during the LA fires, OFG chose to remain open. Employees were pressured to drive to work during a state of emergency so the business could continue operating; despite the building having no power, Wi-Fi, running water, or reliable working conditions.