Blur Studio Reviews

3.4

69% would recommend to a friend

(56 total reviews)

Tim Miller

78% approve of CEO

53% positive business outlook

Blur Studio has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 56 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Blur Studio employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

56 reviews
1.0
20 Mar 2016

Lies, all lies...Even here on glassdoor

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are still a few people that know what they are doing, you might be able to learn quite a bit from their experience.

Cons

Not sure if this box has enough space to write it all down so I will keep it short. Ridiculously low salaries, no benefits, long hours and very negative atmosphere. The management you have to deal with is on a different level in terms of dishonesty. For instance, they sit down and write fake reviews here: "New Blur", "Fantastic Company", ethics is nonexistent here. Management would do anything so the company stays in business. There is absolutely no bottom...

1.0
21 Dec 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-It is exciting to see all the work come together for a few projects -You learn how to operate under immense stress and deliver quality work, you get faster in what you are doing

Cons

-You are always expected to work overtime with no compensation -Salaries are much lower than the industry standards, little/no benefits, no bonuses -Really heavy work with unrealistic expectations -Dishonest and ethically questionable management, bad politics -Bad morale all over the place, negative atmosphere -If you are not friends with right people, you do not get to work on cool stuff -Even parking is a problem

1.0
23 Feb 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some world-class artists who's knowledge you can draw on if you're smart. You'll learn valuable lessons about what sort of relationship you actually have with your employer. And if you come in for a short project and leave without getting too involved you'll probably be none the wiser to any of the petty nonsense I'm about to describe below.

Cons

You'll hear a lot of talk about "family" from this place and how it's not "just another job." Lots of heart-felt emotions from the upper management that are supposed to make you think they care. They're quite good at telling you whatever you need to hear to get what they need out of you. I remember when I first got to this place thinking "Man, these people are the real deal." It felt good to think I was a part of something special. Then over the years you witness the transformation into a corporate-style work factory, watch them lay off the concept department that made the studio what it was to begin with, and burn all the artists to do favors for big-wig clients so the couple on top can make it in Hollywood. Nowadays they have what they call the "white-board" which is a small group of upper management that essentially collude to keep the riffraff (that's you) in line. As you might imagine the politics are a disaster of Republican scale. Lots of tenured studio veterans and associated hangers-on trying to undermine anyone who might get in their way. Very arrogant and conniving. If you get hired, make sure you demand a W-2 and not a 1099. They like to try and push the employer's taxes onto the employee. It's a common small studio trick. If they insist you'll have to negotiate a decent rate although you probably won't get it. The pay is notoriously low and, speaking from experience, they'll try to make you feel guilty about getting it. They seem to think it's funny that they pay people so little and yet they still come to work for them. "We can't offer you a raise but I'll give you a hug!" (Eye roll...) At least that's how they used to talk about it at the monthly company meetings, in between disparaging homophobic jokes about past employees and other assorted prepubescent humor. And never in 20 years have they paid the legally required overtime wages, although I hear that may be changing now. I suspect they got in some sort of legal trouble and had to comply. Ideal candidates are doe-eyed graduates and foreigners tied to their work visa. If you're incapable of forming a personal relationship with someone outside the studio, and are the type of person who likes to thank your boss for every meal you eat (true story), then you'll do very well here. Everyone else should just learn what they can as fast as possible and move on to something better.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 56 Reviews

Glassdoor has 74 Blur Studio reviews submitted anonymously by Blur Studio employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Blur Studio is right for you.