You know that weirdly specific thing your friend’s obsessed with? Like speed jigsaw puzzling. Or dressing up as Santa. Or raising wild turkeys. This show is about those people.
Each episode, host Leslie Eiler Thompson finds a niche interest—and then gently, curiously, hilariously peels back the layers to find out why it matters for everyone. It’s funny. It’s surprisingly moving. It’s like a deep dive into the strange and beautiful stuff that makes us, us.
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You know that weirdly specific thing your friend’s obsessed with? Like speed jigsaw puzzling. Or dressing up as Santa. Or raising wild turkeys. This show is about those people.
Each episode, host Leslie Eiler Thompson finds a niche interest—and then gently, curiously, hilariously peels back the layers to find out why it matters for everyone. It’s funny. It’s surprisingly moving. It’s like a deep dive into the strange and beautiful stuff that makes us, us.
🎅🏽 Professional Santas | Part 2: Here Comes Santa Claus
Niche to Meet You
31 minutes 10 seconds
11 months ago
🎅🏽 Professional Santas | Part 2: Here Comes Santa Claus
Meet the Santas behind the beard.
Email us with your favorite part of this episode or what it made you think about!Â
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Find pictures from Leslie’s time with Santas here.
EPISODE NOTES:
In the second episode of our Professional Santa miniseries we meet the folks who portray Santa and learn what it takes to do the job. From meetups and conferences to spending thousands on uniform, these Santas take their jobs seriously. We talk to Shed and George, Black santas wth a mission to see representation in the niche, and meet Jerusalem’s only certified Santa Issa. Then, we shadow a Santa Donald on a gig to a school serving children with low vision.
SANTAS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Jerusalem Santa
Santa Shed
Santa George
Santa Ben
Santa Phil
Santa Jay
Santa Stephen
Santa Lincoln (Green Gloves)
Santa Hop
Santa Chris
Santa True
ABOUT NICHE TO MEET YOU:
Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio, has been seen by millions through a recent viral instagram reel, and has been featured in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletters. It's like if Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Revisionist History teamed up for a Netflix special. We use miniseries and individual interviews to introduce listeners to folks involved with Warhammer 40,000, Rubik’s cube enthusiasts and competitors, armored combat champions, wild turkey conservationists, and more.Â
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW HERE.
SHOW CREDITS:Â
Creator/Reporter/host: Leslie Thompson (IG: @leslieeilerthompson)
Associate script producer: Chris ThiessenÂ
Mastering by Kevin Morris
Show theme composed by Abigail Flowers with this holiday arrangement by Mike Hicks
Show artwork created by Rachel Hardacre
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Jon McLaughlinÂ
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Niche to Meet You
You know that weirdly specific thing your friend’s obsessed with? Like speed jigsaw puzzling. Or dressing up as Santa. Or raising wild turkeys. This show is about those people.
Each episode, host Leslie Eiler Thompson finds a niche interest—and then gently, curiously, hilariously peels back the layers to find out why it matters for everyone. It’s funny. It’s surprisingly moving. It’s like a deep dive into the strange and beautiful stuff that makes us, us.
