E3: Holiday Special / 2026’s AI Reckoning & Nate’s 6,000-person Holiday Party

In our first, festive and extra-flat holiday special, Flatlander Studio founders Nate Voss and Megan Thome cover everything from seasonal traditions and serious 2026 industry forecasts. We dive into the logistics of massive 6,000-person corporate gala and why a reckoning for human creativity could be coming for your feed next year.What We Cover:6,000-Person Party: Nate recounts the scale of Garmin holiday events—complete with aerialists and military targeting systems—and why bigger isn't always better for company culture.Potluck Pitfall: Megan explains why asking employees to bring the food to their own party is a culture fail, and how small agencies win by keeping it "family style.”Human-made Please: Why the "human fingerprint" is still preferred in presentations.Product #2 & Self-Funding: A cryptic tease of Flatlander Studio’s next big thing and our commitment to staying self-funded."Cloud Dancer" Controversy: Our immediate (and skeptical) reaction to Pantone’s 2026 color of the year.The Best Bits7:02 Holiday Rapid Fire and "Kringle" the Spider 11:48 Global Entrepreneurship Week KC (GEWKC) Recap24:13 Flatlander Studio BusinessUpdate (Staying Self-Funded)37:06 Holiday Party Breakdown: In-house vs. Agency Vibes52:07 2026 Predictions56:03 Pantone 2026 and "Cloud Dancer" Mentions: Jet-Puffed marshmallows TruTone Christmas lightsBrach’s candyElf on the ShelfFisherman sweatersGlobal Entrepreneurship Week KC (GEWKC) Union Station Planetarium Garmin Boulevard Nutcracker Ale Joslyn CastlePantone 2026 "Cloud Dancer" DestinyShuffle dancingThe Brothers Karamazov If you’re in the business of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell for more Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.