Passionate team, but toxic leadership makes growth impossible - Anonymous employee High Five Media Employee Review

When I first joined, I was genuinely excited. I believed in the mission, loved the work, and was eager to be part of something that felt creative and full of potential. But unfortunately, that initial energy quickly faded due to a complete lack of support, structure, and respect from leadership. There is no real onboarding. You’re expected to figure everything out on your own while juggling constantly shifting priorities and unclear expectations. It feels like every week, the focus changes .. which makes it nearly impossible to gain momentum or feel confident in your role. Feedback is overwhelmingly negative and rarely constructive. Instead of feeling encouraged or developed, you’re often criticized, gaslit, or dismissed. There’s a culture of fear, where bringing up concerns. ..many people feel silenced or blamed instead of supported. The leadership team doesn’t seem to know what they actually want. Directions constantly change, internal processes are inconsistent, and decisions are made behind closed doors without transparency. Communication is poor across the board, and those doing the actual work are rarely looped in .. until it’s too late. One of the most frustrating things is the lack of emotional maturity and professionalism among some managers. There have been repeated instances of inappropriate behavior and reactive outbursts the kind that make you feel embarrassed to be associated with the brand. Rather than modeling healthy leadership, some individuals lead through fear, micromanagement, and manipulation. It becomes draining to navigate. Despite all of this the team itself the peers, the creatives, the people in the trenches are incredibly talented and care deeply about what they do. That’s the hardest part: watching good people burn out because the environment makes it nearly impossible to succeed. This could be an amazing place to work with the right leadership in place. But until that changes, it’s hard to recommend this role to anyone who values clarity, respect, or professional growth.