Pros
Single Grain is a remarkable powerhouse of an agency that punches far above its weight for its size. The concentration of talent in its media department is unrivaled in the digital media space, and is directly attributable to the strength of Single Grain's values-based culture, intrepid leadership, and the sheer quality of individuals who comprise the team. Single Grain focuses on quality of work above all else, and is located at the polar opposite of the agency spectrum from "mill" type agencies which overload low-experience employees with 50+ accounts each where only the squeakiest wheels get the grease. This focus on genuine client growth and achievement of business objectives allows Single Grain to work with several big-logo clients, many of which have become friends and avid referrals for the agency over time. Media managers can expect a "full load" of no more than eight "average size" accounts in their standard workflow, though this can fluctuate with normal business cycles. Education and personal growth is a massive priority within Single Grain. All employees have access to a litany of resources to help further their skill sets. The work itself is also a phenomenal teacher, and media managers find themselves rapidly growing into experts not only in rendering the digital media service, but also in client relationship management, account management & business planning, data science, market research, consulting, and communications. At Single Grain, clients are always serviced by the actual individuals who service the digital media accounts, not a talking head or account manager. Leadership is in good harmony with individual team members, and personal growth trajectories are well attended to by direct managers. Management is never overbearing, and a healthy amount of structure is in place to keep employees focused and motivated. Technology is generally well aligned to help serve workers, instead of workers serving the technology. Culture is at the forefront of everything that happens at Single Grain, and employees do not experience a single day where they forget where they're working. The team itself is diverse, frighteningly smart, astonishingly non-political, and very well-balanced in its individual capabilities and eccentricities. There are values-based cross-team performance incentives, weekly team lunches, eight flexible remote work days per month, and frequent team health and recreational events. Employment benefits are exceptionally strong.
Cons
No material cons to speak of, though several of the "pros" could be seen as double-edged by some. If you are looking to skate by with low effort, or simply disappear into your work without engaging with your team, this is not the agency for you. If your talents are overwhelmingly concentrated in one area of performance but sub-competent in others, you will likely not last long. Single Grain loves to hire "T-shaped" marketers, but the top of the 'T' always contains communication and personal accountability skills as much as it does technical skills. I would emphasize that it is very difficult to get hired at Single Grain. It is empirically easier to be hired as CEO of Single Grain than as an intern. Strong resumes, relevant in-field experience, and devastating intelligence will only get you so far: the ground beneath your feet must quake from the weight of your passion for marketing. You must bleed advertising, and skillfully communicate it so. Still, this too is sometimes not enough, and I have witnessed several qualifiable hires be turned away due to a perceived failure of a final "cultural" test of worthiness to join the team. Culturally speaking, the company has made substantial improvement in aligning its vision to something compatible for all team members, but there is still progress to be made here. A "growth hack" and "guru" mentality does inflect much of the culture, though it's arguably an indelible part of the DNA of the company and even more arguably part of the new normal for small agencies. There is a valid question over which business objectives are served by which teams and departments, and while the answer would likely mention the phrase "scrappy startup" in it, some may appreciate more clarity on where Single Grain ends and the founder's personal satellite projects begin. Lastly, the work itself can be tremendously challenging, even as far as agencies go. Some days are a breeze, some days are war. Every employee should expect to mark individual successes as well as defeats - such is the nature of the beast - but know that you will need to understand your own limits at the same time that you expand them. Take advantage of the generous PTO offering and prevent burnout before it strikes!