|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Jul 15th, 2020 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
Creative
|
Washington, DC
|
|
A company that actually cares
|
|
Threespot sticks to its values - it has really good benefits, a healthy work/life balance, and leadership that cares. It's an independent agency so there is flexibility within the company and it isn't forced to deal with bureaucratic red tape.
|
Threespot is a pretty small company and there is limited room for growth.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
0.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
|
0.0
|
[]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
6.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Jan 15th, 2020 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
Junior User Experience Lead to Creative Director
|
|
|
A place to grow, do good work, with a sense of work-life balance
|
|
Threespot was an amazing place for me to learn and grow. I regularly felt supported to develop my skills and interests, I was challenged by the work, and worked alongside very smart people who I learned a lot from. The company was much larger when I started and now it hovers around 30 people. I preferred the smaller size staff. It was easier to communicate and keep in sync with teams and there is more oversight by the owners when the company is smaller. There isn't a lot of management so you're not micromanaged which was good for me, but hasn't been good for other people who I've worked with. Because of the previously large size of the company, Threespot knows how to manage projects and accounts like a larger agency but it feels personal and homey the way a smaller agency feels. There's still a lot of room for flexibility on projects which was great.
Overall, the best part for me was the people I got to work with and the clients I got to work for. It's hard not to enjoy work when you're working for good causes and working with super smart people. Threespot has both of those things going for it.
The work life balance and benefits at Threespot are great. After working at there I knew I wouldn't be able to work at any old agency afterwards.
|
The area that Threespot needs to improve on, is having a unified vision for the direction of the company that is communicated clearly to staff and then managed in alignment with that direction. There are often mixed messages as the company tries to optimize various measures like billability, profitability, timelines, staff resourcing etc. This is a struggle for every agency, but in particular at Threespot, the messaging often created confusion among the staff and then was either abandoned or simply never followed up on. This doesn't really affect staff at a more junior level, but as you advance in your career and are accountable for more than just your deliverables, this can be frustrating.
Threespot is a great employer for people who have had agency experience and don't want to deal with the annoying parts of agencies anymore. It helps to have perspective on what the limitations of agencies are before you work there. In my history, staff that hadn't had agency experience had a harder time understanding why things were the way they were in some cases.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
0.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
|
0.0
|
[]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
No
|
|
6.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Jun 15th, 2018 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
Social Media and Analytics
|
Washington, DC
|
|
Analytics + Social Media Intern
|
|
-The social media and analytics team—and the UX/Content team as a whole— is incredible. Everyone is an expert in their own disciplines, and the team atmosphere is fantastic
-Being an intern here never felt like a slight against me—I had countless opportunities to display my work and contribute to meaningful projects
-Client work!
-Two very sweet office dogs
-Being able to WFH as an intern is amazing
-Working only for progressive organizations and nonprofits makes it easy to feel good about the impact of your work
-Pay is FAR above average for an internship
|
-Internships here are few and far between, so there are no fellow interns to talk to / bond with
-Internship was only part time, but that was something I was aware of going in.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
1.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Please keep doing what you do! Leaving Threespot made me realize how special and valuable the work you do is.
|
0.0
|
[]
|
INTERN
|
No
|
No
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Jul 21st, 2015 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
|
|
Solid Agency
|
|
Some really wonderful people. Creative work is out of this work. It is definitely the litle agency that could.
|
Management is disorganized. There is a lot of turn over and a lot of young great talent that seems to leave often. Often a place where it feels like the people putting in the long hours aren't always rewarded- and there are definite favorites
|
-1.0
|
NEGATIVE
|
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
3.0
|
4.0
|
3.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Pay attention to the little people
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748824, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:48:41.217", "translationMethod": null, "response": "Thanks for your thoughts. When you leave remarks anonymously, it\u2019s a little hard to square up your score (which was rather high) with your comments, as I\u2019m lacking the context to understand specifically what you experienced during your time with us. The fact that despite the relatively high score, you don\u2019t recommend us, further leaves me scratching my head, to be honest, about how to reply to this. \r\n\r\nFor prospective hires reading this review, I do have this to say: Our turnover rate is at or below industry standard for a small agency. Among the few who have resigned in 2015, we\u2019ve helped one go back and finish his undergrad degree, we\u2019ve helped two more leave to start their own firm on the West Coast, and we\u2019ve supported another as she and her partner relocated to Colorado. So saying our \u201cyoung great talent \u2026 seems to leave often\u201d is inaccurate and confusing.", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
No
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Feb 4th, 2015 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
Washington, DC
|
|
Hard working, transparent company
|
|
Employees at Threespot work hard for clients who "do good", which makes coming into work so much easier. The company's owners are transparent about almost every facet of the company's business, and host monthly town hall style meetings to go over news and to rely information. Benefits are better than any other company I've worked for and the company's values are in line with people in the "do unto others" mindset.
|
Because Threespot works for such prestigious clients in the non profit and government sector, there is a lot of pressure to do really great work. It can be stressful, but at the same time it does tend to bring out the best in people.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
0.0
|
NEUTRAL
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
2.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748825, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:49:03.25", "translationMethod": null, "response": "Thanks so much for your perspective! It\u2019s true that our work for \u201cthe good guys\u201d can make it high-pressure - we absolutely throw everything we have at our clients and projects. It\u2019s aligned with our values to be \u201call-in\u201d when it comes to serving our clients and their causes, and I know it\u2019s not for everyone. I hope that the rewards for serving the kinds of clients we do make all the stress and effort worthwhile!", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Sep 23rd, 2014 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
|
|
Different from the rest
|
|
Threespot allows me to do positive work for the world while staying at a creative agency. Instead of working for any client that will pay the bills like so many other agencies, Threespot is focused on serving "the good guys," as they like to say. This focus attracts a very engaged, community-spirited group of people. Threespot's other main differentiator is how they encourage employee involvement in the company’s evolution and "the business of the business." They currently host monthly "town halls" where employees hear about what's going on with the company, including financial goals, business development, current work, launches, winning pitches, employees’ personal events, etc. These meetings also serve as a place where you can voice any concerns or ideas you have for Threespot, clients, the industry, or anything else you have on your mind. While this type of environment can be challenging at times (see below), all in all it creates a very open, transparent, family-style workplace. Definitely the biggest pro for Threespot is the people. You get to work with a super-smart, creative, wanting-to-do-good-in-the-world, hard-working, fun group of people.
|
As mentioned above, Threespot has a very open and transparent culture where employees are informed and involved with the company in a more granular way than most places. While this is empowering and demands a lot of personal responsibility, I sometimes miss a more formal, traditional style of leadership. It's a catch-22, for sure. As other reviews have mentioned, a motivated, entrepreneurial-spirited person is the best fit for Threespot. Because the company hierarchy is smaller and "flatter," there isn't a lot of room to move up. So while people seem to stay longer than most agencies, if they are looking to "move up the ladder," they will eventually outgrow Threespot and move on (although it seems pretty reluctantly). Not sure if there is much they can do about that without drastically changing the culture, but it's a challenge nonetheless.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
0.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
3.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Keep trying to find the balance of open and transparent yet involved management, so employees feel a part of things, but also guided.
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748821, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:44:32.23", "translationMethod": null, "response": "Thanks for the feedback - very insightful. Your praise is very much appreciated, and I\u2019m glad to see that what William and I laid out as our strategic vision has largely become a reality for you!\r\n\r\nWith regards to your \u201ccons,\u201d you\u2019ve hit the nail on the head about the paradox of management at a small-but-not-too-small agency. I love and value our long-tenured staff - the insight and experience they bring to the table for our clients and their colleagues is invaluable - but you\u2019re right that at a certain point, there\u2019s no \u201chigher\u201d you can go. We sometimes say, \u201clet\u2019s be honest-we\u2019re not a gold-watch-at-retirement kind of place,\u201d and I mean that. We will not be who we are if we try to create a complex, multi-tiered hierarchy that provides a \u201ccorporate ladder\u201d for people to climb. \r\n\r\nAs a result, we work with staff to find what their natural break point is. when they have reached a position with us where there\u2019s no more growing or learning to be done, it\u2019s time for us to acknowledge it and work together on a graceful next step.", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Sep 12th, 2014 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
|
|
Direction and leadership are lacking.
|
|
The client roster is impressive for an indie DC agency. If you look back far enough in time some of the work coming out of here is innovative. If you happen to be more junior then this place is a good introduction to the agency world without all the pressure of a big creative shop working with blue chip clients. There is also a casual family feel which is both good and bad.
|
An underwhelming and very lost leadership team has burned away most of the promise this place seemed to have a few years back. You get the sense most of the people running Threespot would rather be doing something else. The company isn't going anywhere as a result so if you're looking for opportunities to build your portfolio there are better places to do this kind of work with more competent people in charge.
|
-1.0
|
NEGATIVE
|
-1.0
|
NEGATIVE
|
0.0
|
NO_OPINION
|
0.0
|
2.0
|
4.0
|
3.0
|
2.0
|
3.0
|
2.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Find a way to attract and keep more senior people. So many senior people have left or been laid off over the past two years and it shows.
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748819, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:44:10.007", "translationMethod": null, "response": "I\u2019m sorry to read about your experience with us. Without knowing who you are (and I understand the value of anonymity to a current employee, and in a small creative community like DC), I can\u2019t speak directly to the issues you\u2019ve experienced that prompted you to write this while still working for us, or why you felt unable to come to either William or me with your thoughts directly.\r\n\r\nWe recognized a while back that the growth path for the company, the desire to keep our management layer efficient and small, and our vision were out of alignment, and have been working hard to get them back on the same page. We have re-asserted our vision for why we exist and who we work for, realigned our culture around our values, and re-flattened our management to get process and hierarchy out of the way of doing great work for great clients. My hope is that our current team sees these changes and feels that any of the \u201clostness\u201d you experienced is by and large a thing of the past.", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Jun 16th, 2014 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
|
|
My experience has been great
|
|
Threespot does excellent work for amazing clients. The people who work here are extremely creative and very smart. The office location is right on the metro and bus lines - all plusses!
|
The flat, hands-off management style can feel difficult for people who need a bit more day to day guidance and feedback.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
0.0
|
NEUTRAL
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
0.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Management could stand to either promote senior practitioners to manage junior folks, or to be less hands-on with projects, spending more time mentoring junior team members.
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748818, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:43:36.633", "translationMethod": null, "response": "Wonderful feedback. :)\r\n\r\nI can easily see how our light management touch can be difficult for people who need more structure to their days and weeks. We made a conscious effort to avoid having a lot of \u201cbosses\u201d around the office. We have intentionally built a culture and hands-off management approach that requires a lot of self-starting from our staff. \r\n\r\nThat\u2019s not to say that we don\u2019t have a place for junior people. On the contrary, we provide support without holding hands, and the folks who do best with us are quick studies who learn how to make themselves valuable, love to learn, and are very flexible about how they do their jobs. Our team and culture themselves are very supportive of growth and learning; we just don\u2019t have a tier of managers whose sole job it is to provide that support.\r\n\r\nYour \u201cpros\u201d comment touched on the smart, creative nature of the team - thank you!", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Feb 7th, 2014 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
|
|
|
In a word, awesome.
|
|
Threespot is an amazing place to work - I've been here a number of years now, and have never tired of the amazing people, the awesome clients, and the insane levels of creativity that greet me when I walk through the door every day. I've always felt motivated to do my very best because I'm surrounded by rockstars who set a great example. There is a level of trust and ownership here that is very rare in a professional setting - Spots are encouraged to take charge of their piece of the machine that is Threespot, and are trusted to keep it moving, make it better, or move it in another direction entirely.
|
This can be a tough environment for a person who isn't self-directed. BUT, if such a person is willing to step out of his or her comfort zone and give taking charge of their process a shot, any feelings of directionlessness can turn around quickly. Also, someone who is looking for a specific growth path might feel disappointed, as Threespot's hierarchy is relatively flat - one must feel satisfaction in taking on new tasks, bigger clients, or tougher projects in order to mark their professional progression.
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
1.0
|
APPROVE
|
0.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
Remember that not all people are the same in terms of motivation, goals, and professional growth. Be willing to set individual professional goals and foster the critical thinking needed for each of your direct reports to push themselves forward, and Threespot will flourish as a result!
|
0.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748816, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:42:47.387", "translationMethod": null, "response": "This is fantastic feedback, and thank you. You touched on some issues that other reviewers have noted. We *do* have an intense culture, driven by people who are very smart, creative, curious, and unafraid of working hard to deliver for clients they care about. Your advice is therefore taken very well - you\u2019re right that not all people (even people who possess those attributes) are in the same place in their careers or have the same motivations. William and I have been working to make sure that in setting a high bar for self-starters, we\u2019re not missing the chance to provide more support and guidance for highly talented people who need a little more guidance and coaching.", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
6.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|
|
private:threespot
|
https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=248305
|
Sep 11th, 2013 12:00AM
|
Open
|
Open
|
Threespot Media
|
Software Engineer
|
Washington, DC
|
|
A great tenure
|
|
Threespot is a unique and remarkable agency. They're an awesome group of people with a fun culture... there is no small amount of effort put into creating an enjoyable place to work. The work also tends to be excellent: with a client list including the National Park Service, Planned Parenthood, Peace Corps, and the Brookings Institution, you're bound to be working on something new and interesting at regular intervals. Also, the Threespot notion of "we do good work for great clients" does hold some real value in my opinion. Coming from a background at advertising agencies, I can honestly say that my projects at Threespot stood out as work to take pride in.
|
On the flip side of Threespot being a unique and remarkable agency, it is very much still an agency, and thus suffers from many of the common agency troubles: accommodating client needs frequently leads to hiccups in resourcing and creeping project scope, non-technical account/project management staff frequently over-promises or under-sells fundamentally technical deliverables, and process tends to favor creative freedom over technical constraints. These factors together tend to create feast-or-famine workloads, and tend to yield outdated solutions. While I didn't feel that Threespot was doing any worse than similar companies in this sector, I did notice increasingly frequent turmoil as they grew in size (probably also very common).
|
1.0
|
POSITIVE
|
0.0
|
NEUTRAL
|
0.0
|
NO_OPINION
|
1.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
|
248305
|
Open
|
None. I was always able to pull them aside and talk to them directly (which I will miss dearly at any large company that I might work at in the future). I think they're doing a good job of recognizing where they need to course-correct, and I've been proud to work with/for them.
|
2.0
|
[{"countHelpful": 0, "languageId": "eng", "userJobTitle": "COO", "__typename": "EmployerResponse", "originalLanguageId": null, "id": 748815, "responseDateTime": "2015-10-05T06:42:27.477", "translationMethod": null, "response": "I loved reading this review - even the cons (which are always the most helpful for us). \r\n\r\nYou hit the nail on the head: we are an agency, and that business by its very nature requires compromise that can be a struggle when you are a highly results- and quality-focused creative. We\u2019ve sought to strike the balance between being an agency (we serve clients, not necessarily our own needs, and that sometimes involves dealing with the painful constraints of budgets, timelines, etc.) and being focused purely on innovative, high-quality work regardless of its cost. There\u2019s not a solution in here - it\u2019s simply a balance that we\u2019re constantly trying to strike.\r\n\r\nThank you for your detailed and thorough thoughts!", "responseOriginal": null, "countNotHelpful": 0}]
|
REGULAR
|
No
|
No
|
|
6.0
|
|
|
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Apr 29th, 2021 03:41PM
|
Threespot
|
|
|