Pros
Prior to the private equity buyout, my team was sleepy and slow but stable, collaborative, creative, open to trying new things at a sustainable pace. Met some really great, smart, passionate people here across the business. Had the opportunity to try to new things and grow new skills.
Cons
GovCIO Media & Research management is cliquey and will throw people under the bus to look good in front of GovCIO C-suite despite financial mismanagement and extremely high turnover. They try to sit in this middle ground of being a "news media organization" that "does journalism" but is completely beholden to sponsors due to C-suite pressure to become profitable. This results in unrealistic deadlines, impossible deliverables (read: promising nonexistent products to sponsors to get them to sign on the dotted line) and dishonest financial practices. Management places an inordinate amount of pressure on high performers to compensate for the chaos and their own failings and inadequacy. It's significant and notable that high performers consistently leave, and do not leave under good conditions: usually there's some sort of cliquey, dramatic fallout where the high performer is pushed out for not falling in line with the media team's dishonest behavior and chaotic management style. The media arm could become profitable if someone comes in and "cleans house" with regard to management. Those who run the sales and editorial teams, in particular, are extremely toxic and need to go. Again: just watch how high performers leave and how the same people stay in management roles for years. You'll see the common denominators. Note to those seeking a job at Media & Research: if you're in events/marketing/sales or design, you can get paid far better elsewhere. If you're a journalist, run.
