Complaint Review: OTR Media Group Inc

      
This report is intended specifically for all those who are considering employment with OTR Media Group Inc. A wise man once told me that "a smart person learns from his experience but a really smart person learns from the experience of others" so it is with that in mind that I present my personal experience.

I was employed by OTR Media Group for 3 years. My duties were comprised of managing existing accounts and negotiating and securing leases for the placement of advertising signs. For all those who are familiar with the outdoor advertising industry you will know that sign leases are extremely lucrative and they generate a tremendous amount of money throughout their lifespan.

I will not even bother to describe my experience of working under Ari Noe (the CEO) who is, in my personal opinion and from my own personal experience, an extremely manipulative, ostentatious,  and intrusive individual with no respect for his employees or their privacy.

Anyway, to get to the point... For the three years that I was employed by OTR Media Group, Inc.  I never received my commissions in full like our agreement required but rather in small installments. With the exception of a few instances no matter how many times I requested my money I would never get more than $5,000 at a time and the resulting effect was that I became trapped in OTR and could not leave. Despite the fact that I was dissatisfied and unhappy with my employment I could not leave the company because I didnt want to forfeit my commissions. I had accumulated over $100,000 in commissions and could not withdraw it from OTR. Consequently I continued working and securing leasehold interest in many prominent signs throughout New York and my unpaid commissions only got bigger.

Eventually I decided to confront my employers and demand that I be paid for my work (which accumulated for over a year) and I told them that either they pay me or im quitting. What came next blew my mind.

Ari Noe the CEO of OTR Media Group refused to pay me a dime ( for work that was already done and owed to me for over a year)  unless I sign a brand new contract with all sorts of restrictive covenants. He wanted an extremely strict non compete that would prohibit me from working in the industry for a period of two years in any capacity. In addition he wanted all sorts of clauses that would make it extremely difficult for me to earn a living and which I considered career suicide. Naturally I was faced with a catch 22, either I sign his contract and I get paid for my work or I leave and I get nothing.

One can't imagine what it feels like to be duped to this degree. I single handedly increased company revenues by 23% making them millions upon millions and I received absolutely NOTHING from my commissions for my last year of employment. I refused to be a victim of economic duress and I didnt sign his contract. I told them that I would think about it and began looking for another job, I interviewed with some other companies and I began planning my escape from this prison called OTR. 

About a month later I was presented with a bunch of emails printed out of my personal Gmail account that showed my correspondence with competing firms seeking employment, and different arrangements I was making in preparation for my departure. Although there was nothing incriminating in my emails (and despite the fact that they were illegally obtained from my personal account) the context was meticulously rearranged and manipulated to present a case. I was accused of all sorts of ridiculous baseless claims that I was conspiring against the company and that I violated my fiduciary duties and I was subsequently threatened with a Frivolous lawsuit that claimed $13 million dollars in damages.

An ordinary person would have been intimidated by such an accusation but after working with these people for 3 years and watching them continuously present frivolous lawsuits against their opposition I knew that this was just another baseless scare tactic.

My catch 22 just became more complicated and is described as follows :

My employment was terminated and I was presented with a 10 page separation agreement  that required me to sign a two year non-compete, additional restrictive covenants a general release of all claims and a confidentiality agreement that would prohibit me from talking about my experience. In exchange I was offered a severance package of $36,000 paid in monthly installments over the course of 2 years and a document that would release me from the $13 million frivolous lawsuit. 

So my original dilemma of executing my career for $187,000 was replaced by $36,000 or a never ending lawsuit that would force me to spend money on defense and get me no where.

After a back and forth negotiation for 6 months OTR decided not to go through with their baseless lawsuit and I am still left with nothing. After pointing fingers and blaming the situations on everyone in his organization but himself Ari Noe claims he is a nice guy and thats why he isnt suing me. Considering the fact that i supposedly  caused him $13 million in damages he is indeed a very nice guy.

Coincidently since my ordeal 4 of the top 5 earners in the company have also quit their jobs.

Now that I have shared my experience I hope that all you readers out there learn from my experience and apply the lessons to your life. And always remember:

An agreement, whether verbal or written, is only as good as the people behind it.