2.0
5 Sept 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
Coworkers are friendly and hours are flexible
Cons
Lots of overtime Micromanagement Low pay Plays favourite
3.9
74% would recommend to a friend
65% positive business outlook
Pros
Coworkers are friendly and hours are flexible
Cons
Lots of overtime Micromanagement Low pay Plays favourite
Pros
I worked at Pixelcarve as a web developer coming from an internship program into being accepted as a full-time employee. Considering that I absolutely was unskilled and lacked in experience, the day I got the job in Pixelcarve was the happiest day in my life. I have nothing but respect for Pixelcarve and its boss, Curtis Priest. A lot of bosses assume their workers know their employers would go and beyond for them; Curtis is different: he clearly told me that he had my back, and that he believed in me! This for me had been a helpful emotional and material relief as I changed careers with web development. Being Asian and new in Toronto, I had foolish inferiority issues which had its fair share in my self-awareness: how I respected myself and the quality of my work. Despite this, Curtis respected me and lifted me up. He was there to make me feel appreciated. He was there to celebrate my strengths. He was there to guide my way to success. Thank you, Curtis. I will never forget you. At times that I would feel let down, I will rest assured that in the past, someone believed in me and actually cared for me in a land foreign to me, not because of what I can give or what I can do in the company, but because you are a leader--an ally, a mentor and a coach--who genuinely wanted to motivate your people to bring out their best selves. To Ryan Priest, our creative director, you were such a creative genius and a light in the workplace. You cared for our projects like your own, and with more than words, you made sure to thank each who worked with you. I learned to take risks and improve my decision making because you reassured your support in me, with just a single "pat on the back". I will always admire your ideas that are fresh and inventive. I will be forever grateful for your high tolerance on my mistakes, just so I wouldn't be afraid to learn and do my thing. To Slava Yakobson, our full-stack developer and technical director, it was an honour to work with you. You had that magic in your hands that solved all my problems at work: a wizard with solutions ready in mind; a funny, intelligent yet humble all-around guy whose voice in politics and entertainment is enlightening. Because of your traits, you created a safe environment where I knew I could--and should--think, act and speak with reason, like a man of class. Thank you for never forgetting my contributions in our projects, no matter how little they were. Without even trying--and though you didn't have to--you encouraged me a lot more than you will ever know. To our women in Pixelcarve: Nathalie, Daria, and Dulce--our project manager, our web developer, and our design intern, respectively--you were among the reasons why my experience in Pixelcarve had been rewarding. Thank you for sharing a vision with me that demonstrated how all of us in Pixelcarve were engaged in a larger purpose. Now that I no longer work in Pixelcarve, I can only look back and feel gratitude for Curtis for trusting in who I was and who I would be. Thank you for the motivation your company gave me! Thank you for the confidence that in this big city, I have a family in you. The future is getting brighter for the brand Pixelcarve has been, Sir Curtis! I believe in you and in your leadership. Cheers, Pixelcarve! I will miss you (...and the office parties).
Cons
Personally, I encountered nothing that affected me negatively as I worked here.
Pros
I have grown a lot while working at Pixelcarve. It's party because of the projects that we get to work on and partly because the owners care so much about pushing the boundaries and creating something unique and beautiful every time. Working under the Creative leadership of Ryan has opened my eyes to entirely new ways of thinking about design and layout. The team here is wonderful. I love working with everyone, they are all so positive and happy to help and work together solving problems. The culture here is very unique, I guess maybe because it's a family owned business, but you really feel like family more than an employee. I've heard others say this too. The working hours are flexible, the perks are generous, the bar is always open, and it really helps us do awesome work. Since being here I've been directly involved with creating over a dozen large websites. We do run at a break neck speed, but our project manager is pretty hardcore and I can't even tell you the satisfaction we all have when a website launches on schedule and it's even better than the client had ever imagined. Even the team regularly gets thank you's from the clients, that's something I've never experienced before at any other company. Just yesterday I was brought into a meeting with a client so they could acknowledge me. Wow! Then I got back to my desk and there was a $50 Timmies card waiting for me.
Cons
Because the team feels like family it can take too long to fire people who aren't a good fit. Curtis and Ryan can get too invested in the people they hire. We did have a few people working here in the past who had a bad attitude, including one with a temper who was very unpleasant to be around. The owners spent too long trying to help them, and it would have been much better to fire them more quickly. But they're all gone now, and it's a much better experience :)
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