Pros
There's some really awesome core people there. They are the kind of people that are so passionate that they carry productions on their back. The vibe on the floor...when people aren't worried about getting canned...is such a good vibe. Animation runs a bar on Fridays, and it's always a great time. You really have a good opportunity to get into the trenches of production at Reel. The pipeline, although always in a state of flux simply because of all the curveballs management throws, is a solid core and artists and TD alike really get a chance to make their mark quickly. Especially if you're junior, you've have plenty of opportunity sharpen your skills and grow (just note that any growth you may have probably won't get recognized). The projects that Reel FX takes are often pretty cool. Their emphasis on VR in recent years is exciting and opens up plenty of potential opportunity, and there were some cool projects on the horizon when I left. Dallas is not really a bad area; cheaper than LA, and Deep Ellum is climbing back with lots of cool bars and restaurants. Dallas is a very good place to raise a family and plant roots, with a lot of employees doing that; which unfortunately management takes massive advantage of.
Cons
The problems with Reel FX start with management. They are so aloof and disconnected, you'd think they'd be on the TV show Dallas. Favoritism among the management is rampant; some departments were left bloated during a year of relative inactivity while others were so bare-bones that they had to put in consistently long weeks just to keep up with the projects that were 'invented' to keep people around. Speaking of hours, if you're on the floor expect long weeks and expect nothing for them. Although it's been known for a while that Reel FX doesn't do paid overtime for salaried employees, it had in the past given comp days instead. This practice hasn't happened since post Book of Life. Personally, I had a terrible life-work balance at Reel FX; I routinely found myself working on weekends and at odd hours...some of that came with the territory, but Reel FX was not even remotely interested in altering the environment so that it was healthier for me. Instead, it was a round-robin blame game with management blaming the lack of work and show budgets not supporting it. Salary-wise, Reel FX tends to prey on fresh out of school juniors while over-paying a small select few due to bringing them from Cali. This means that unless you're one of the few that can command six-figures, odds are you'll be extremely underpaid. Merit raises or even cost of living bumps are hard to come by. Every year there's some excuse ranging from lack of work for the studio to no funds due to a legal battle; every year they'll say they'll address a few months down the road but nothing ever comes of it. In years past, one of Reel FX's selling points was that it was stable. Stability tends to go a long way in counteracting or at least tolerating the shenanigans. However, this is no longer the case. Yes, sometimes projects get canned or slip, but in the past few years RFX made a nasty habit of not diversifying, which management fumbled repeatedly. This fumbling ended up with an abrupt couple of rounds of layoffs. Many employees, the ones that can, are seeing a sinking ship and are jumping for dry land. The ones that are stuck in Dallas are just holding on for dear life.