HBO Reviews

Pros

My team was great, pay and benefits were competitive, and the company seemed to have great communication across all internal divisions.

Cons

Promotions are hard to come by. There is not a lot of movement at HBO so patience is key. People don't seem to want to leave!

Pros

Smart people and a great brand.

Cons

Hubris, uncollaborative, difficult to move up from entry level.

Pros

I can only speak on behalf of the particular show that I worked on, which for privacy reasons I won't disclose. I worked with a great group of people who were very encouraging and, as I proved myself, they gave me more challenging and creative tasks. Wonderful experience!

Cons

As an intern, I was only allowed to work a certain number of hours (7 or 8 daily, I think). As a result, I did get an accurate perspective of a busy production schedule. Other than that, there was no downside.

Advice to Senior Management

I don't know that I have any advice for HBO. I am quite satisfied with my experience there.

Pros

Work-life balance, great people, flexibility and high degree of autonomy, comfortable and attractive offices, leading product, opportunity for skill growth

Cons

lack of advancement opportunities, advancement seems to be based more on politics than professional knowledge, ability and skill. Lack of formal processes, bottlenecks in decision making, lack of collaboration across departments

Advice to Senior Management

Look for talent in-house before hiring from the outside. Identify and groom talent from within and place in appropriate positions based on skills and abilities, vs. political prowess alone.

Pros

The benefits and pay are OK.

Cons

No advancement
Politics / bureaucracy
Lack of ethics in management
Can be a cutthroat environment

Advice to Senior Management

Really understand the work and processes you manage. The lack of this knowledge is sadly obvious and incredibly costly.

Pros

A strong brand with a great reputation. Willing to put budget behind projects once they are finally approved. A well-oiled machine- people know what they are doing and it can be a very collaborative environment. Accomplishments are recognized and the company morale overall is very high. Salary, raises and bonuses are fair.

Cons

Such a wonderful place to work that people don't ever leave- making no room for upward mobility and creating fierce competition between those in the lower ranks jockeying for position. Too many layers of management. which can make for lots of red tape and delay progress.

Advice to Senior Management

Retire! Joking aside, HBO has very strong, intelligent and professional management. Increased flexibility and a faster response to changing demands in the industry would only strengthen the company.

Pros

The satisfaction of saying you work at HBO and the time off is very generous (4 weeks). The pay is also competitive, but again - it was good, not great.

Cons

The company is not as progressive as they portray. They give you just enough to keep you happy and not leave, but not enough for the WOW factor.

Advice to Senior Management

Please be more honest in the decision making process. The lack of knowledge leads to gossip and misinformation.

Pros

Work atmosphere, good people, nice offices, perks / swag / free stuff, flex time, benefits, appreciation for the work that you do.

Cons

Not as collaborative as it could/should be, overstaffed so too many people not doing much, little to no room for advancement. A lot of politics.

Advice to Senior Management

Should be more collaborative, more room for advancement, get rid of the many people who sit around, don't do much and fall under the radar. Need to take a really good look at what goes on there.

Pros

Nice work environment, pleasant managers, lots of diversity

Cons

The diversity didn't extend to age

Advice to Senior Management

The reputation here is that their hiring managers are ageist. I saw a lot of younger people leave their jobs at HBO for opportunities in other companies, so I don't see how hiring people who have a "5-year-plan" benefits most managers, as they end up spending more time and money replacing the ones who leave and training new employees, who also have their eye on the next level. Attn Managers: you'll get loyalty, a strong work ethic and positive attitudes from employees in the 45-50+ age range who would be proud to work at this company.

Pros

Every day was a new challenge and my coworkers all thought of innovative ways to reach their audience and best market the company.

Cons

Sometimes the hours were long and managers would pile on work towards the end of the day. Sometimes people would get anxious or upset and release their anger on their subordinates.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing the great work but also know that you must promote people in order to keep the talent you have at HBO.