Reading all of this hate mail towards Aaron and Heathmill is quite amusing for a veteran. Its funny how people who have worked there at different times over the years all seem to leave with the same impression. Ive met people whove worked for various incarnations of Aarons companies spanning a decade or so and their anecdotes are eerily similar, though I dont think thats a result of any formal ex-employee handbook (though that might be fun to read), but its just theres always some overlap between, regimes, if you like. That was certainly the case when I got there. There were the old timers who were entrenched in the Heathmill ways and all the bullshit just didnt faze them. And these folks would tell you stories, some of which you wouldnt believe about the old days and some things were just incredible (remember the time Aaron threw a knife at one of his sales team? and all about Ians urm, habit of urm, well, lets just say it extended to more than cigarettes). And I suppose over time, as these people left, I and those who came after me passed these and other stories on to those who came after us. Of course, there were also the virgins, some of whom fled crying from the room when Aaron erupted, never to return. And then there were some, like myself, who were eased in to the Heathmill ways. If you lasted more than a few months, Aaron seemed to warm to you and as long as either he or Ian needed you for something, you were okay. But nobody was immune to his wrath. I remember the first time Aaron went off at me. It was probably after Id been there only a few months, and it was over something really silly and quite unreasonable (Id later learn that was actually the norm). Fortunately, I found a most unlikely ally who helped steer me through this meltdown of his. Very quickly, I learned to navigate these landmines on my own. It seemed the less time I spent in pointless meetings listening to Aaron talk about one grandiose idea after another (squinting to read spreadsheets, insults flying faster than flow charts), the more work, I actually got done. I suppose that didnt go unnoticed as I ended up doing quite a lot with him, Ian, Stuart, Tim, Chris, Thiaga, John, Darren, Jackie, Gary, and others. Wonder if any of them are still there? Ivors still alive? Surely he must be blind by now? Back then of course, it was all call centre, postcodes, and sales (mobile phones, magazines, software, etc) and Aaron was the big, scary top dog who chain smoked out on the fire escape with Ian who he dwarfed in size. There was no payday and healthcare business and no coffee shop or anything else really. Its amazing they made any money at all. But even then, the building was a mess and the toilets were in the worst run down state imaginable. Something youd expect in an old school that hadnt been used in fifty years! And the longer I spent there, the more I saw people come and go. I stopped caring after a while as most of them were a complete waste of time, yet amazingly some (Sandeep) still seem to be there. I guess it goes to show, you never can tell. Dont get me wrong, Aaron is a vile, morally defunct, total wanker (thats being polite) and I would never recommend anyone work at Meade, or whatever its called now. And Im frankly surprised theyve remained in business this long. They didnt have any money when I was there and were constantly struggling to pay the rent, suppliers, staff, people in general. I suppose they must have gotten lucky and made some money though (rather predictably of Aaron), wasted it on complete and utter crap. I didnt see the film and I actually didnt know it had anything to do with them until recently. What was he thinking? His previous film expertise was in publishing that rather embarrassing cinema magazine, Flicks and even that folded after a while. Still, reading these posts make me chuckle, even though I dont know how much truth there is to them. In my day, Loretta was a rather fashionably dressed offices manager and not the Cruella de Vil creature shes made out to be and Yogesh simply worked in the call centre with Sandeep (who was completely useless, so I'd agree with that), and this other fat guy whose name I cant remember. That said, the general mood at the place hasnt changed a bit. It still sounds like a dreadful place to work, and you never know whether youd get paid or not. Even back then, there were rumours of closures, bankruptcies and disqualifications, affairs, etc (which Aaron never denied), so its interesting to read that Aaron and co were disqualified. It doesnt surprise me though because, from my experience, most rumours about Aaron tend to be true. Fortunately for me, something a lot better came along and I have never looked back. I havent even been back to that general area so can just imagine the current state of the place. It was a dump then, and it sounds as if its become an even bigger dump. As for my old bosses, I think I share the same sentiment that just about everybody else has. Let em hang... from the roof and leave em for the critters, if theyd have em.
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