Ex-Rooster Teeth Director Reveals Toxic Work Environment and Financial Exploitation

A former director and producer at Rooster Teeth has come forward with allegations of a deeply ingrained culture of harassment, overwork, and financial exploitation. Kdin Jenzen, who worked at the company for nine years, detailed her experiences in a recent post, stating that she often went unpaid or was underpaid, and faced a pervasive culture of crunch time and harassment from coworkers. Jenzen began working at Rooster Teeth in 2013 as a contractor and eventually became a full-time employee, but she alleges that her initial contract work went unpaid for over ten months. When she raised the issue as she was being hired permanently, she was reportedly dismissed with the comment, 'It's been so long already, it's not really a big deal, is it?' She also claims that she was not paid for voiceover work on the company's animated series, such as RWBY, and was encouraged to work long hours without adequate compensation. Jenzen's salary as a producer and director was $40,000 per year until 2020, which she claims is below industry standards. She was also subjected to harassment by her manager and coworkers, including being called a derogatory slur that was even used in videos she participated in. After reporting these incidents to HR, Jenzen claims that she was asked to confront her manager in a one-on-one meeting, which led to no meaningful resolution. The situation allegedly worsened, and she was told by one of the company's founders that she was 'too nice' to work at Rooster Teeth and should quit. Following the publication of Jenzen's post, several former Rooster Teeth employees, including Gavin Free and Geoff Ramsey, have issued apologies for their past behavior. Rooster Teeth has also released a statement acknowledging the need for change and detailing steps the company has taken to address its cultural issues, including working with a diversity and inclusion consultant and conducting a pay parity review.