Pros
Most of my experience is in the SF office. If you get the opportunity to work at Kettle, make sure its the NYC office. That is the only place you will be happy at this company. There are some really talented people working there. There are people that care, however, none of those people are in senior or executive management. There are snacks in the office, the benefits are good for a small agency. 401k plus a 4% match Affordable healthcare (it's not great insurance, but it's better than not having any) FSA for healthcare and transportation 3 weeks PTO Summer Days (3 full days off or 6 half days between Memorial Day and Labor Day) Shuttle to the South Bay for the client I will say, they pay competitively, but you are on call 24/7, there is no such thing as downtime as this is a global client.
Cons
Please note, this is a review of the SF office only. The team in NY is smart, innovative, compassionate and they get all the good work. San Francisco is the exact opposite. They have one client here and senior management has made it clear that they only want to work with that one client on this coast. It is run by two French best friends. They will talk about you in front of your face in French assuming you don't know what they're saying. You will likely get a bait and switch. The job you get recruited for will be different from the job you do. Kettle recruits the best of the best, and good on them for that. If you come in as a web designer, you will end up being a production designer. If you come in as a producer, you will be an account person. The copywriters are the only ones that escape this trap. You will push pixels. It will feel life and death. It is not. The SF office is located in the Mission, and not the nice part of the Mission. Leaving the office late at night, you are greeted with needles on the street and the ladies of the night getting ready for their shift. Kettle SF does not have a culture. It's a bit of a sweatshop. You are expected to be online from 7am to 9-10pm. This includes answering emails, making creative changes and appeasing both the clients and senior management after hours. They are a butts in seats kind of agency. You are expected to be at the office until 6pm even if you have finished your work for the day. Even if you are online later in the evening, you are still expected to be at the office until the end of office hours.