Pros
There aren't many pros about the company. I can say that I truly enjoyed working with the sales and editorial teams—but we were all pretty miserable working for Seth Semilof. And why are there fake reviews on this thread? They're clearly planted by the owners: They all have the same "Advice to Management" section.
Cons
There are no benefits whatsoever. There's no 401k. There are no health, dental, or vision benefits. And there are no sick, personal, or vacation days. The bonus and raise structures are arbitrary at best. You're not given the means to reach your goals. This is the first place I've seen where new hires don't show up for their first day of work. Other new hires last two days, then decide it's not worth their time. Haute Living is truly a high-turnaround company. Nobody has a shred of respect for the owner. Seth Semilof tries to justify his stance on having no vacation days by saying that he lets his employees work remotely...but of course, you'll get berated by a 10-tantrum email if you say that you'd like to work from home. Both full-time and part-time employees are severely underpaid. Many have taken pay cuts because they have been promised either more creative freedom or a good work-life balance. These promises were never fulfilled. In terms of working, you're always given a directive...only for it to be changed once you've completed your work. This in itself would have been fine—but the manner in which the owner berates you is downright disrespectful. He won't take responsibility for his own directives and lay the blame on you. Another thing that's really bothersome is the company's business practices. The owners never give out accurate information. They are constantly lying to potential advertisers. They lie about circulation. They lie about traffic. There are fake ads in the print magazine. And the print magazines are supposed to be controlled-distribution issues featured in the best hotels and private jets. But they're not. (A potential advertiser did her research and alerted the sales team about this. This is how we found out about the sham.) The owner in charge of operations—in particular—is very crafty with his words, in that he spontaneously lies about everything. It's almost pathological. He would lie about very good and hardworking employees to get others to be loyal to him—but the staffers know better. He also lies to his partner, who is in the money man behind it all. Anyone who tries to expose his lies is booted out the door immediately—in part, because he wouldn't be able to fund his lifestyle. That same owner also comes in reeking of weed, which is just beyond unprofessional.