Is Creative Circle a scam?
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Shit. Literally the entire job market in advertising is all in NYC again. Looks like I shouldn't have moved away when I did. The bets were placed on black in the COVID gamble, and its red for us big city refugees I guess... (I'm stuck now, I can never move back with my young fam). All jokes aside, doesn't it feel like the rest of the country just vanished for Ad jobs? Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami, LA even (more than the rest sure). Boston is literally completely dead. WTF happened?
Yes and no. I got my foot in the door because of Creative Circle when I started in the industry a decade ago, but they do take a good amount of your pay. If you have to go through them, make some connections and bounce.
Creative Circle: “Pimp’n ain’t easy!” 🤷♂️
Yes.
I’ve been on Creative Circle’s roster for about a decade and they have never, ever gotten me placed. Not full time, not freelance. Nothing. I’ve had meetings and phone interviews with their recruiters, and I’ve replied to their email blasts. For me, CC has been utterly useless. Every gig I’ve ever landed was through my own connections and because I hustled. And I’ve worked consistently the entire time.
IMHO? Working always beats sitting around on my ass. And you never know who you’ll meet on a gig. BUT just know that when they place you on a freelance assignment, they (as far as I know) take 50% of your pay — the full time you’re working. Meaning if you’re making $40 an hour, they’re billing the host company $80. Not a bad hustle, right? Working for yourself, you would be able to charge closer to the latter rate. So you’re prob gonna feel cheated a little ... seniors and ACDs working for junior/regular pay. My best advice? In a second or third tier market, if you read posts closely, you can often figure out the employer first. Just reach out on your own. But don’t rule it out. I’ve gotten through some dry spells, thanks to a particularly good recruiter from Circle. (Most are generic HR types who will be in real estate within two years.) Though your pride may be hurt by working for a lower rate, your confidence might go up just from working.
Interesting perspective. Thank you.
From client side, they’re not always awesome but can be helpful in a pinch. It seemed the good talent got snatched up quickly.
If you like to be paid what you're worth, yes it's a scam. If you're willing to do low end work for shitty pay... It'll make your life easier if you consistently book stuff through them