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HarrisonParrott

Is this your company?

Wrongly accused, sent exasperated mails and regular belittling. - Artist Coordinator HarrisonParrott Employee Review

3.0
24 Mar 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Interesting to work in heart of the city and service engagements for some of the top classical musicians today. On the whole the artists are very nice and grateful!

Cons

Although the artists are on the whole agreeable to work for and appreciative of work done to assist them, management and senior management are the problem. Impatient, proud, unsympathetic and with really unrealistic expectations, my managers clearly had forgotten what it's like to be at the beginning of one's career and to still have a thing or two to learn. They took training, follow up questions and the occasional need to break down instructions or for help with prioritising for granted and would easily become exasperated, reproach unfairly and disproportionately annoyed. It was the norm for my manager to go all day without speaking to me despite sitting close by in the office. The 'brand image' matters greatly, and should an employee not follow a procedure quite how management would prefer, the first concern is 'this makes us look bad'. I experienced being given vague instructions but when asking follow-up questions was met with exasperated response or snarkiness. And then when used own initiative, manager was displeased and would have preferred me to follow a very specific procedure! i.e. cannot win. No room for progression in terms of learning more about developing a good ear etc and the musical side of being a good manager, and excluded from listening in on conversations had about why or why not an artist is good for a certain engagement etc. Despite having a music degree being a criteria marked as "Essential" in JD, managers undermine musical knowledge when ACs share an opinion at all.

Explore other reviews about HarrisonParrott

3.0
24 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fantastic Colleagues Opportunities for growth and stepping well outside comfort zone (if proactive and ambitious) Lovely office location Work is demanding and rewarding

Cons

Some company culture concerns Despite bureaucracy, decision-making feels ill-informed and full of personal bias

1.0
15 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The other Artist Coordinators were great and helpful 6 free therapy sessions. You'll need them

Cons

When you read the reviews here, notice that the assistants and coordinators give low ratings and senior staff don't. Notice that assistants/Coordinators mention each other as the best thing about the job. It's because it's hell on earth and the only people who are interested in your wellbeing are the peers who are also drowning. Notice also how short periods of time people have been employed for. There's a reason for that. Systematic overtime. They even got a programme where you had to not only clock your hours but also say which tasks you were working on. They claimed it wasn't used as surveillance, but they'll be happy to use it against you if they try to figure out why you're not meeting targets. So draw your own conclusions. As a coordinator, you ask your peers for help. Not the managers. That's just something you learn when you've been belittled enough times. It's common to see people cry or almost cry during lunch breaks. I have seen higher-up people throwing tantrums, not just in writing. You will be told "that's the business, toughen up". But the second you leave HP and speak to others in the business, you'll realise that other agents and promoters and artists all know. HP is famous for being ruthless. I was told "you don't know how good you have it" when I handed in my notice. Now I know. It was terrible. When I tell people I used to work at HP, I often get a nervous face and a "what was that like?". I'd wish I'd known before I applied and started. You are likely to have artists who never perform in the country, so don't count on going to concerts and meeting your artists being a perk here. When you meet former ACs after they've also left HP, you'll bond over how nice your new jobs are and how terrible you had it at HP. Honestly, it's mad. The real world outside is nice. Managers are supposed to be nice. A red flag is a company with employees who have either been there less than 2 years or more 10 years. No in-between. Huge turn-over in junior staff, and managers are happy to trash talk those who quite or were fired when you take over as a newbie. There's so much talking behind others' backs within the company. Very unprofessional of the managers/directors. It's like being on a date with someone claiming all their exes were psychos. Maybe it's a them-problem? If HP think all of their staff are useless, isn't it on them to apparently not attract better applicants (salary and HP's rumor deters people)? Isn't it on them for not providing a better training and system? How come when you start at the job, you're told that all of your predecessors were useless? Why should you be the exception? The people before you all started in good spirits like yours, and it only takes about 6 months before you realise how your predecessor must have felt There are a few good people in senior positions. It's so easy to tell that they're sometimes carrying out work they can't put their name on. Giving you tasks, handling your frustrations etc with a sense of "I know what the company is doing is wrong but I'm following orders". I'd wish I could give 0 stars, but I guess the one star represents those managers/directors who try to help. I wouldn't wish this job on my worst enemy Also, the pay is a joke. Apply for the same job at any other agency, and you'll make more money and be happier. Literally no reason to apply for a job here. It took months in a new job to stop shaking whenever my phone rang and I saw my new manager's name in the display

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