Unique projects, challenging work, and a tight-knit team
Pros
Fast-paced work with cool projects, interesting clients, and every day is different. Very little downtime, as clients have demanding schedules, but it is a good challenge to meet everyone's needs on time and to exceed their expectations with really unique work. The nature of the work requires that the whole shop perform as a united team with good communication being absolutely key to daily tasks. Daily (brief) work-in-progress meetings for the ENTIRE shop keep everyone on the same page and all orders prioritized properly. Production works HARD and the items we produce are a real point of pride. HR has proven to be FANTASTIC and truly kind. They can take charge of a bad situation with a level of empathy I've never seen in the corporate atmosphere. I have never worked for a company this large that had their priorities so well set with their employees. I KNOW that my manager has my back ALWAYS. The company as a whole is quite large, but the unity within each individual shop is what truly makes ARC/Riot WORK. We can rely on each other, and we know that we can send a project across the country to another team that has the same ethos and drive to get it done right.
Cons
The deadline stress is REAL. A few clients are entitled raving nightmares; though that is no fault of the company, it is something employees have to deal with and isn't exactly fun. The computer systems are not the most efficient, but we make them work. If you miss even one day you will FEEL it. If someone else misses a day, you will likely have to take up a fair portion of their load on top of your own, and that can be a hectic juggling act. The teams are small, and even one absence in a key area will be felt by all. Not a deal-breaker, but it does add to the stress.