Explorers at Sea: How a Global Agency Builds Culture Without a Physical HQ Part 2—Set teams up for success
Remember when remote work meant everyone lived within driving distance and "async" was just a typo? We sure do. Back in 2013, Edgar Allan was 13 people working in the same room at Atlanta's Goat Farm Arts Center. Fast forward to 2025: we're 55+ people scattered across four continents, passing the baton across time zones like a workday relay race.
Remember when remote work meant everyone lived within driving distance and "async" was just a typo? We sure do. Back in 2013, Edgar Allan was 13 people working in the same room at Atlanta's Goat Farm Arts Center. Fast forward to 2025: we're 55+ people scattered across four continents, passing the baton across time zones like a workday relay race.
Part 2—Set teams up for success
Part 2 of our remote culture series // Read Part 1: Explorers at Sea: How a Global Agency Builds Culture Without a Physical HQ
Remember when remote work meant everyone lived within driving distance and "async" was just a typo? We sure do. Back in 2013, Edgar Allan was 13 people working in the same room at Atlanta's Goat Farm Arts Center. Fast forward to 2025: we're 55+ people scattered across four continents, passing the baton across time zones like a workday relay race.
Going fully remote in 2020 forced us to figure out what "company culture" actually means when you can't rely on proximity, shared snacks, or the occasional office chicken under your car. Spoiler: it's not about forced fun, matching mugs, or inspirational posters. It's about how talented people can collaborate effectively, stay invested in the work, and not burn out in the process.
Five years in, here's what we've learned: culture isn't about location. It's about intentionality, transparency, and being willing to constantly rewrite the script when something isn't working. This series covers what we've figured out about building remote culture that actually works—no fluff, just the practical stuff that's kept us sane(ish) and thriving.
Culture Tip 2: Structure things to enable connection.
There are three big things about how we’re structured that inform and support EA’s culture.
- The pod system
Though we’re global and remote, we intentionally hire in geographic clusters. That means nearly everyone on our staff can physically sit across a table from one of their teammates without traveling more than a few miles.
Our Serbian team has a physical office in Belgrade, with an open-door, come-in-when-you-want policy. They also hang out together pretty regularly.
Our Atlanta-based U.S. team uses the Switchyards coworking network to have informal meetups and schedule at least quarterly gatherings. Some of us meet up individually regularly as well.
Argentina and South Africa meet up similarly, on their own timetables, in their own clusters.
Why this works: When you need to have a serious conversation, or celebrate a launch, or just reassure yourself that you are indeed real and the people you work with have actual legs, it doesn’t take a plane ticket and an act of congress to get someone to meet you in the flesh.
- Dual all-hands: Tuesdays and Fridays
Every Friday and every other Tuesday at 9:30 Eastern Time, the company gathers on Zoom. Tuesdays are work-focused: project updates, product demos, launch hoorays. Fridays are human-focused: PechaKucha presentations from new team members, state of the agency updates, and other loose programming. (Why Tuesday? So everyone can have Monday to get their bearings for the week, and the conversation can be more in-depth.)
We record special presentations to add to our onboarding repository. And while attendance is strongly encouraged, it’s definitely not mandatory. Some weeks, the clients just win the fight for the timeslot, and that’s OK.
The point: Intentionally separating “work talk” from “human connection” is something we do on a number of levels at EA. This one’s just formalized and on everyone’s calendar.
- Flat structure
From the top to the bottom, EA’s structure is: one managing member, five VP-level department leads, a handful of mid-level team leads…and everyone else. That’s it. Beyond that, everyone is empowered to interact with our clients, take the wheel on projects as Engagement Leads if they want to, and write their own ticket in terms of growth and career trajectory. Team leads act as cruise directors in that respect, helping our staff figure out what they want to be building next–for the company and themselves. The best part: anyone is reachable, from the top of the pyramid to the newest junior hire.
Why it matters: Zero “that’s above your pay grade” mentality. Everyone has a lane, but is accessible and willing to help.
Our structure anchors us and keeps us communicating. But being willing to blow up any “good” idea we’ve ever had when it comes to culture creation is probably the most important part of making it work for us. We’ll cover that in the next article.
FAQs
1. How do you structure a remote team across multiple locations?
Use geographic clustering—hire in specific regions so team members can meet face-to-face without plane tickets. Create "pods" where everyone has teammates within a few miles, whether that's Belgrade, Atlanta, Argentina, or South Africa. Combine this with a flat organizational structure: leadership, department leads, team leads, and everyone else. Skip unnecessary hierarchy layers. This approach gives people both local connection and company-wide accessibility. The key is balancing global reach with local proximity, so serious conversations and celebrations don't require crossing continents.
2. What's the best meeting cadence for a distributed team?
Try dual all-hands meetings with different purposes: one work-focused, one human-focused. At Edgar Allan, we do every Friday and every other Tuesday. Tuesdays cover project updates, demos, and launches. Fridays focus on people—new team member presentations, agency updates, loose programming. Record special presentations for onboarding. Make attendance strongly encouraged but not mandatory, because sometimes client work wins. The separation between "work talk" and "human connection" helps both happen intentionally rather than hoping they'll emerge organically across time zones.
3. Should remote teams have physical office space?
Not necessarily full offices, but geographic clustering with flexible meetup options works well. Some teams might want an open-door office (like our Belgrade team), while others use coworking spaces for informal meetups and quarterly gatherings. The goal isn't replicating traditional office life—it's ensuring people can sit across a table from teammates without major travel when they need real conversation, celebration, or just proof that coworkers have actual legs. Let each geographic pod determine their own meetup frequency and style.
4. How flat should a remote company's organizational structure be?
As flat as possible while maintaining clear lanes. A simple structure—leadership, department heads, team leads, everyone else—eliminates "above your pay grade" mentality. Empower everyone to interact with clients, lead projects, and shape their own growth trajectory. Team leads act as cruise directors helping staff figure out what they want to build next. The benefit: anyone is reachable, from newest junior hire to top leadership. Flat structure in remote environments increases accessibility and reduces communication friction across distances.
5. How do you enable connection in a globally distributed team?
Structure connection intentionally through: geographic clustering so local meetups don't require plane tickets, regular all-hands meetings that separate work updates from human connection, and flat hierarchy that makes everyone accessible. Don't rely on spontaneous hallway conversations—they don't exist remotely. Instead, formalize touchpoints: scheduled gatherings, recorded presentations for async viewing, and empowered team leads who help people navigate growth. Connection in remote teams requires deliberate design, not hoping proximity will do the work.