The past four days, I’ve worked for four different clients, and it struck me that I’ve worked with a lot of companies the past couple of years. Given the amount of offices I’ve worked in, I thought maybe I should rate them. That’s the thing I like most about being freelance : it feels like I’m a corporate tourist. 🙂
Here we go:
Office with the best view: Porter Novelli. They’re in the World Trade Center which is both frightening and cool. When I’m in their office overlooking all of Manhattan, I feel like I’ve actually achieved something in my life (I haven’t). I feel like I’m top of the world, because in a way, I literally am. They also have a really swanky private bathroom.
Best work schedule: Simon& Schuster. I mostly work with PR and advertising agencies, so I’m used to working 13 hour days, weekends, and going home at 3 a.m etc. Imagine my shock when I worked for publisher Simon & Schuster, where I never needed to work late. NEVER! Heck, they even had summer Fridays which meant people could leave by 2p.m. Also, free books!!
Swankiest office space: This one is a bit hard to decide as most advertising agencies need to project an aura of hipness. I’m going to give it to McCann because I’ve worked there most often, I’ve been on different floors, so I have a better idea of what it looks like as a whole. McCann also wins the “easiest to get to” award, as it’s right by Grand Central. Also, there’s a team in McCann that has a stash of free candy.
Coolest building: Publicis. Their building on tenth Avenue has probably the hippest looking elevator bank I have ever seen.And they’re right next to the High Line, which must be really nice in the summer. Plus free sodas!!
Most remote: There’s a couple of offices vying for this spot because it’s apparently trendy to have a view of the river. I”m giving it to Ogilvy because you can see the Intrepid from their window, and I’ve had to trek back from their office at midnight. Ogilvy is so far out west that it has a cafeteria for its employees because of the lack of food choices in the area. I do like the cafeteria though. Also, another inconvenience is that Ogilvy spans a few floors, yet you need a building I.D to gain entrance to every floor. This is a pain when you’re a freelancer with no building I.D….now I’m never going to get another job there am I?
Freebie-est office: Mediacom. They have piles of magazines you can take home, and if you’re lucky, one day they’ll give away pudding or juice.
Office with a 3-D printer: Ruder Fin. The only place where I’ve seen a 3-d printer.I don’t know what they use it for, I just know I’d like to give 3-d printing a try.
Creepiest experience: before my freelance days I was a full-time art director at DraftFCB. When I was hired, DraftFCB spanned three floors, and when I left, it was reduced to two floors. It was really weird to come back to that third floor, freelancing for Universal McCann. I was working late one night and decided to visit my old desk. The office was empty, but there was one lone woman sitting at my old desk, working away. It was like watching my past self slaving away on a new business pitch. I now think that desk is cursed. Maybe my aura is still lingering around the desk, forcing people to work overtime.
Well that about covers it. I was thinking of also adding a “most free food” award, but that one is hard to gauge. Just last week at Jack Morton, they brought in Mexican food for lunch, but I wasn’t there long enough to know whether that was a one time event or a weekly thing. Berlin Cameron also had free pizza when I worked there, but again, I don’t know if that’s a thing they do often…I really like free food.