JTG MINI: The Glitter Conspiracy
6/17/202641 min
Nobody knows who buys most of the world's glitter. And whoever it is REALLY doesn't want you to find out. Back in 2018, a New York Times journalist rang one of the biggest glitter companies on the planet and asked a simple question: who is buying all the glitter? They refused to say. Seven years later, the internet still hasn't worked it out. This is Just The Gist (MINI!) of the glitter conspiracy: the weirdly secretive industry, the interview with 'Glitterex' that kicked it all off, the theories from boat paint to the US military, and the one question nobody will answer.
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Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer: James Joseph | Senior Editor: Sammy Petersen | Producers: Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley | Acast Legend: Guy Scott-Wilson | Production Assistant: Pocket
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What Is Glitter? (The New York Times, 2018)
The Glitter Conspiracy Theory: Who Is Taking All Of The Glitter? (IFLScience, 2022)
The End of the Glitter Conspiracy (CHUPPL, YouTube, 2023)
The Great Glitter Mystery (Endless Thread, WBUR, 2019)
Glittery Curiosity (Call Your Girlfriend, 2021)
The Discovery, Development of Glitter (Paper, Film & Foil Converter, 2021)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRosie Waterland· Host0:00
Beep boop, beep boop, beep boop. A Just A Network production. Beep boop boop. [laughs] [laughs] That sounds good. Sam.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:12
Rosie.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:13
Sam Jimothy Peterson.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:16
[laughs] God, you always know my middle name. It's weird.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:19
I know. Well, it's because I go to say Samuel- Yeah ... and then I remember your name is just Sam.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:23
I know, and you were so shocked when you found that out, so I'm not gonna interrupt again, please.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:26
Okay. [laughs] Sam, in 2018, a journalist from The New York Times set out to write what was supposed to be a very light, fun, festive little Christmas story. Not a lot going on at that time, you gotta fill your column inches.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:41
Beautiful.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:41
The story was: what is glitter?
Sammy Petersen· Host0:44
Oh.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:44
What is glitter? Where does it come from? How is it made? Why is it in everything at Christmastime? A nice little easy story. I worked at Mamma Mia, I know what it's like when you've gotta phone it in.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:55
Yeah, yeah, sure.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:55
You know what I mean, when you're just desperate to do some content.
Sammy Petersen· Host0:57
A deadline, yep.
Rosie Waterland· Host0:59
So as part of this story, this journalist rang up what she could find as one of the biggest glitter companies in the world, and she asked a very simple question, like, "Who's your biggest customer?"
Sammy Petersen· Host1:11
Sure.
Rosie Waterland· Host1:11
Like, "Who do you make glitter for?" Like RuPaul's Drag Race, surely.
Sammy Petersen· Host1:15
Yeah. Yeah.
Rosie Waterland· Host1:15
The gays.
Sammy Petersen· Host1:15
Drag queens- Yes ... the gays, clowns, maybe magicians.
Rosie Waterland· Host1:18
Who... Yeah.
Sammy Petersen· Host1:18
Yeah.
Rosie Waterland· Host1:18
Exactly. What industry buys the most glitter- Mm ... for you to be a profitable company? But the glitter manager company, the company-