RTC Reviews

Pros

higher end agency in the washington dc area; some good clients. good location, runs like a large agency in new york city.

Cons

this is a revolving door environment; people have been laid off and rehired. no teamwork even though there is a lot of talk about it. huge division between account and creative. creatives are the underdogs. run wholly by the account team. account team members see themselves as creatives.

Advice to Senior Management

don't know if mr kessel has turned this place around or not. he does have way more experience and far better track record than his predecessors. hopefully, its improved.

Pros

We all say it, but it's all about the people. Some of the most talented, and most interesting people I've ever worked with. Very entrepreneurial environment, but still team players. If you have a good idea, and the will, you can really make things happen.

Cons

The biggest complaints you'll hear are salary and work/life balance. There's also a lack of true understanding of who does what, so there is a lot of reinventing the wheel.

Advice to Senior Management

Create and enforce the process. Find ways to get WPP to loosen the purse strings.

Pros

Good pay, excellent benefits, good HR leadership. Co-workers and culture make it fun to go into work each day. Location A+, if you aren't commuting. Smart emphasis on training, trying to level the knowledge base of all employees.

Cons

Too many cooks in the kitchen at times, can be hard to actually get work done with so many inputs into projects. Small agency experiencing growing pains. Unequal work loads at times. Confusion related to departmental offerings within the agency and how to integrate.

Advice to Senior Management

Seek out your star employees, cherish and promote those who deserve it from within. Beware of inter-department dominance, confusion, and discord.

Pros

Many smart and talented people
Nice office space and location
Good opportunities for advancement

Cons

Inconsistent talent across departments
Inconsistent management strength
Tend to be order takers more than true thought leaders with clients

Advice to Senior Management

Be more proactive with advising clients on what should be done rather than just taking orders. Work to become less dependent upon WPP for decision making.

Pros

This company has smart worker bees and junior level staff. The office has good lighting. There's enough space to "spread out" (as of late) and the office is pretty quiet and tightly knit. Middle-managers are fair and in touch with the people cranking out the work. Management is mostly flexible with work arrangements. Some of the smartest, funniest people I've met work at RTC.

Cons

RTC is hurting pretty bad due to the economy, but some of the pain could have been avoided. Biz development is flailing thanks to its chronic neglect during the "good times". RTC has old style, clueless upper management. Environment is often toxic, with a "throw 'em under the bus" mentality from the old guard. This behavior is often encouraged- "find someone to blame.." Senior leaders are mostly uptight, print-centric, digital morons. RTC is senior management top-heavy.

Advice to Senior Management

The CEO seems like a hip, knowledgeable leader and a decent public speaker, but the rest of the senior management team needs to hit the floor, listen and learn. Take a risk, make some decisions, stop waffling and kill the arbitrary "initiatives" - Provide your middle management some real authority and backing to deliver the goals you hired them for and support their decisions. Stand up to WPP and stop towing the party line- No one buys that BS any longer.

Pros

Some of the best people I worked with were my colleagues at RTC. Most were entry level hires or middle managers.

Cons

Senior management is terrible at RTC. It's all a popularity contest as if it's high school at lunchtime.

Advice to Senior Management

Start over from the top down.

Pros

Despite what some of the other reviews have said, RTC is NOT the hell it's made out to be. Current economic times has affected every market, not just advertising. There is room for growth here, and room to shine. In the creative department I've found that not many of the employees have worked in a "truly corporate" environment due to their ages and college graduation date.

It's a fun place. There's a Wii in the kitchen! Please name one other place where employees are allowed to play Wii - especially in DC. The staff is friendly and accomodating, the environment (physical) is bright and airy.

Whether or not work is too "managed" is subjective. In any job, owning the responsibility of your decisions can be uncomfortable. Here is no different.

Cons

Too many "managers" of a project/job. Everyone wants the acclaim, no one wants the responsibility if there are issues. If it hasn't been done, it's someone else's fault. If something is done that shines, everyone wants a piece. A bit childish and kindergarten really.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the staff, dont' look at just the numbers. Moral is down and putting out thoughtful, smart, creative 150% best effort work is damned near impossible when you worry about losing your job every day.

Pros

Fellow employees brought together by their mutual acrimony to management.

Cons

They scout out talented employees, some of the best in the area. But in the long run do not do creative work, or defend work at all. This place is a career killer. If you're in DC, you're likely better off working for the government, or freelancing. The pay and benefits will be way better.

Be warned.

Advice to Senior Management

Start managing something other than your bonuses. Be visible. Stand up to corporate. Fire the dead wood.

Pros

Location, it's in the heart of Georgetown, DC. Very convenient for commuting.

Cons

Career dead end. Unless your family knows someone in senior management then you're not likely to get a decent raise or promotion. Environment is a blame game. Even if you're not working on a project it's likely to get back to you that you're the reason it failed. Horrible employee management from HR to the President and CEO. My advise to everyone in the marketing or advertising field is to stay away from RTCRM, they'll offer great assistance to relocate you...only because they've hired everyone in the area and those employees left. Senior management blames there issues on the WPP network, when in reality it's their own leadership that makes RTCRM the WORST PLACE TO WORK.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees, yes, even those who do not have supervisory responsibilities. Don't cry that "growing to fast" was the issue. Many company's grow rapidly and succeed. The fault is the leadership and the over sensitivity of managers. Listen more and stop blaming others for your errors in judgment! In addition, Barry Kessel needs to lead more instead of allowing others to lead for him. Barry tends to sit back and take the glory when their are successes and issues blame when their are failures. Barry, be a man and grow a pair!

Pros

The people at RTCRM (with the exception of senior management and executive officers) make each day worthwhile. They are supportive and fun - always helping out.

Cons

Senior management has absolutely no clue what is going on with day-to-day work -- completely out of touch with reality.

Advice to Senior Management

Wake up -- and get to know your staff! Quit playing favorites like a bunch of spoiled children on the playground.