Honestly, if you go into Compulse (Sinclair's in-house "digital agency") understanding what you're getting yourself into, it's not the worst jumping off point for a career in digital marketing and advertising. With that being said, however, understand that the "agency" exists to prop up sinking television spot sales and expand Sinclair's ability to sell any marketing product or service it can get it's hands on to anyone willing to give it money. The work itself is mundane and repetitive - my job was effectively to jockey orders through an antiquated internal system and forward those orders to third party vendors for fulfillment. Not the most mentally challenging work in the world. Campaign planning and strategy are left to the account execs at the station level, the majority of whom lack a basic understanding of the products and services they are attempting to sell.
Management, save for a select few examples, is either radically disconnected and isolated from the department itself (senior director), or lacks a basic ability to communicate within a team, much less oversee and manage a group of people. Infighting is the norm between managerial staff, much to the dismay of the general population. Promotions come few and far between, with the senior managerial staff tending towards hiring from outside rather than coaching and promoting from within.
The department and it's executives LOVE to tout the growth that Compulse has seen (30% YoY for 2+ years is their motto) yet annual performance reviews, even the shining examples, culminate with "we wish we could pay you more, but our hands are tied."
TL;DR: Decent jumping off point if you're a self-starter with a keen interest in digital marketing and advertising. Work here for a year and launch to a higher paying job doing honest strategy for interesting clients - all things you probably won't find at Compulse.
