Glitch Productions

Australian independent animation studio

"GLITCH" redirects here. For other uses, see Glitch (disambiguation).

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|

Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd.

Logo used since 2023

Trade name

| Glitch Productions
Formerly| Glitchy Boy (2017–2018)
Company type| Private
Industry| Animation
Founded| 24 May 2017; 8 years ago (2017-05-24)
Founders|

* Kevin Lerdwichagul
Luke Lerdwichagul

Headquarters|

Sydney, New South Wales

Australia

Area served

| Worldwide

Key people

* Kevin Lerdwichagul (CEO)
* Luke Lerdwichagul (CCO)
* Jasmine Yang (COO)

Number of employees

| 100+
Subsidiaries| FinalFinal_Project

YouTube information

Channel|

* GLITCH

Years active| 2017–present
Subscribers| 14.7 million[1]
Views| 1.842 billion[1]

Creator Awards

| 100,000 subscribers| 2020
| 1,000,000 subscribers| 2022
| 10,000,000 subscribers| 2024

* * *

Last updated: 2 July 2025
Website| glitchprod.com

Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd. (also known simply as Glitch and stylised as GLITCH; formerly Glitchy Boy or Glitchy Boy Productions) is an Australian independent animation studio based in Sydney, New South Wales. The studio was founded in 2017 by producer Kevin Lerdwichagul and animator Luke Lerdwichagul, who is known for being the creator of the sketch comedy machinima web series SMG4.

Glitch is known for independently producing and funding animated web series such as Meta Runner, Sunset Paradise, Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, and The Gaslight District. Glitch's founders were featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for Media, Marketing, and Advertising in 2023.[2]

## History

[edit]

### Background

[edit]

Co-founder Luke Lerdwichagul started making YouTube videos in 2009. On 7 May 2011, at the age of 11, Luke created his first web series; a Super Mario 64-based machinima later to be known as SMG4 (an acronym of his YouTube channel name, "SuperMarioGlitchy4").[‡ 1] Produced using footage from an emulated version of Super Mario 64,[citation needed] the series originally focused on Mario characters going on adventures that often involve parodies of internet memes and pop culture.[3] Over time, the series would begin using Garry's Mod (which uses the game engine Source as a base), and featured a more prominent cast of original characters. Between 2014 and 2016, the channel would experience significant growth in popularity going from 100,000 subscribers at the beginning of 2014 to 1,000,000 subscribers by the end of 2016.[citation needed]

Around 2016, Luke's older brother, Kevin Lerdwichagul, had observed the channel and its wide audience. He saw the potential to form a business around the channel, later joining SMG4 as a full-time writer and producer. Luke took on a directing role, as well as voicing his titular author surrogate character.[4]

### Formation

[edit]

On 24 May 2017, Luke uploaded a fan mail video to the SMG4 channel, where he briefly mentioned that he founded a company, dubbed Glitchy Boy, to represent the SMG4, Hobo Bros., and "TheAwesomeMario" YouTube channels.[‡ 2] On 5 September 2018, a more formal announcement video was uploaded called "SMG4 Direct (HUGE CHANNEL UPDATE)", where Kevin and Luke fully explained the concept of their company, now rebranded as Glitch Productions. During the video, they also unveiled Hitbox, a live-action series starring Kevin and Luke acting as various Nintendo characters.[‡ 3]

On 5 December 2018, following multiple teasers on the SMG4 channel, Glitch released the trailer for Meta Runner, and the first episode premiered on 25 July 2019.[5] The series was funded by Screen Australia, and became the top-performing online investment from the company, racking up 10 million+ viewers across its first season. Meta Runner was later reuploaded to the Glitch Productions YouTube channel.[6] The first season was also financed with support from Crunchyroll and AMD,[7] and was produced in association with Epic Games.[7][8] On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia announced that they would be funding a second season of Meta Runner.[9]

### 2020–present

[edit]

On 27 August 2020, Glitch officially separated the SMG4 channel from Glitch, and created the GLITCH channel to focus on its non-SMG4 projects. Its first videos released that day would be an announcement video and the first season of Meta Runner remade in Movie format.[‡ 4] They would soon after release the pilot to Ultra Jump Mania (a spin-off of Meta Runner that would later be cancelled) and season 2 of Meta Runner.[citation needed]

On 12 March 2021, Glitch unveiled an SMG4 spin-off centred on the SMG4 character Meggy Spletzer called Sunset Paradise. The pilot would be released on 26 March 2021.[‡ 5] On 12 May 2021, the show received online production funding from Screen Australia.[10]

On 9 October 2021, it was announced that Glitch would be releasing a pilot titled Murder Drones on 29 October, created, written, and directed by Liam Vickers. While earlier Glitch projects were essentially created on a monetary loss, Murder Drones greatly outperformed expectations and received millions of views per episode.[11][12]

On 1 September 2023, Glitch announced that they would be hosting a livestreaming event called "GlitchX" on 9 November 2023; where they would announce their upcoming show, The Gaslight District, in collaboration with animator Nick Szopko which went on to release its pilot episode on 18 April 2025.[13][‡ 6]

On 13 October 2023, the pilot for The Amazing Digital Circus, a series created in collaboration with Gooseworx, was released. The pilot garnered 100 million views in its first month, becoming the most popular indie animation video. The Amazing Digital Circus would also increase Glitch's notoriety, garnering news coverage, as well as their YouTube channel eventually reaching 10 million subscribers and 1 billion total views.[14][15]

On 7 June 2024, the company would launch a subscription service to help fund their programming called "Glitch Inn". As of June 2025, it costs 9.99 USD a month, as is accessed as a website and Discord server. [16]

On 5 July 2024, Glitch launched FinalFinal_Project, a merchandise company that helps funding with other shows, with Iron Circus Animation, the producers of the Lackadaisy animated adaptation, being their first partners.[‡ 7]

On 4 October 2024, following prior rumours, Glitch officially announced the debut of The Amazing Digital Circus to Netflix. It is the first Glitch production to be available on the platform. Glitch has stated that Netflix will have no creative control over the series, and new episodes would continue to premiere on YouTube first.[‡ 8]

On 17 January 2025, Glitch announced their first 2D animated series Knights of Guinevere in collaboration with The Owl House alumni Dana Terrace, John Bailey Owen, and Zach Marcus. It is tentatively scheduled to premiere sometime in 2025. The series will also be Glitch's first co-production, being co-produced by the Irish animation company Studio Meala.[‡ 9][17]

On 10 March 2025, it was announced that the web animation group ZAMination would be partnering with Glitch to creatively direct Glitch's future marketing campaigns.[‡ 10]

On 16 May 2025, Glitch announced that Murder Drones had been added to Amazon Prime Video. Earlier rumours had circulated about the show's addition, after the Italian and Turkish accounts for Prime Video accidentally revealed the news in advance. Prime Video will also support Glitch's future shows in a multi-title deal, with all shows being shown on both YouTube and Prime Video.[18]

## Controversies

[edit]

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In March 2024, Glitch was accused of firing Celeste Notley-Smith, the voice actress of Tari from Meta Runner and SMG4, in a callous manner, and recasting her with Lottie Bourne, which led to allegations against the studio and confusion among fans. Notley-Smith wrote on Twitter that she was not notified of her role being recast. Several days later, she released a statement in which she explained that after discovering she had been recast, she reached out to the Lerdwichaguls, asking why she was removed from her role without contact from the team. It was later stated by general manager Jasmine Yang that it was down to a communication error on Yang's part. Despite this, Robyn Barry-Cotter, the voice actress for Theo from Meta Runner, left Glitch Productions due to the controversy, which also left one of the SMG4 characters without a voice.[19]

The studio was additionally alleged of longer work hours, blacklisting of ex-employees, and harassment, largely from Kevin Lerdwichagul. On 4 March 2024, Kevin released a statement via Glitch's social media outlets addressing the controversies, doubling as an apology to workers who had negative experience with the company. Kevin acknowledged that during the early phases of Glitch, he was inexperienced, however, he mandated that harassment of his staff and community was not tolerated such as a situation where his address was leaked.[‡ 11] Kevin additionally claimed the studio had faced prior issues due to being short-staffed, but had largely resolved worker conditions by 2023.[20]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Animation

[edit]

Title  | Creator(s)  | Premiere date  | Finale date  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

SMG4 | Luke Lerdwichagul  | 8 May 2011 | —  | Produced by Glitch from 2017 onward.  | [4]
[‡ 1]
TheAwesomeMario | 14 July 2013 | 31 December 2017 | YouTube channel featuring SMG4-related shorts and other content.  | [‡ 12]
Meta Runner | Kevin Lerdwichagul
Luke Lerdwichagul  | 25 July 2019 | 10 September 2022 | First season was uploaded on the SMG4 channel, with two subsequent seasons uploaded on the Glitch channel.  |
Sunset Paradise | 26 March 2021 | 31 July 2021 | Spin-off series from SMG4 |
Murder Drones | Liam Vickers  | 29 October 2021 | 23 August 2024 | First Glitch series not created by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul. Re-released on Amazon Prime Video in May 2025.  |
The Amazing Digital Circus | Gooseworx  | 13 October 2023 | —  | Released on Netflix in October 2024  | [21]
The Gaslight District | Nick Szopko  | 18 April 2025 | —  | First Glitch series created by a Canadian showrunner  | [‡ 13][‡ 6]

### Live-action

[edit]

Title  | Creator(s)  | Premiere date  | Finale date  | Notes

|
|
|
|

Hobo Bros. | Kevin Lerdwichagul
Luke Lerdwichagul  | 3 December 2016 | 1 January 2021 | YouTube channel involving Let's Play and reactions. The channel is on an indefinite hiatus.
Hitbox | 21 September 2018 | 20 December 2019 | Glitch's only live-action series

### Upcoming

[edit]

Title  | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Note(s)  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Knights of Guinevere | Dana Terrace
John Bailey Owen
Zach Marcus  | 2025  | First Glitch series to use traditional animation, co-produced by Studio Meala  | [‡ 9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "About GLITCH". YouTube.
2. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2023: Media, Marketing, and Advertising". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
3. ^ Asarch, Steven (26 January 2022). "The trippiest gamer on YouTube reveals the one line he'll never cross". Inverse. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
4. ^ a b Walker, Alex (26 July 2019). "Inside The Mario House That SMG4 Built". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
5. ^ "Youtubers Kevin, Luke Lerdwichagul release Meta Runner online animated series". Daily Telegraph. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
6. ^ Hennessy, James (21 February 2020). "The world of film and TV is changing rapidly. Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason explains how the funding body keeps up". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020.
7. ^ a b Wright, Steve (25 June 2019). "Meta Runner is an anime funded by Screen Australia, Epic, AMD". Stevivor. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
8. ^ Takahashi, Dean (18 March 2019). "Epic Games awards $500,000 in final Unreal Dev Grants". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
9. ^ Leah Williams (20 April 2020). "Screen Australia Funds Second Series For Aussie Esports Drama Meta Runner". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
10. ^ Sean Slatter (12 May 2021). "Screen Australia announces $1.3 million in online production funding across five projects". IF Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
11. ^ Rouse, Lauren (26 October 2021). "This Aussie Animation Studio Has Made a New Horror Comedy About Murder Drones". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
12. ^ John Schwarz (9 October 2021). "Glitch Productions Reveals Murder Drones Complete With New Teaser". BubbleBlabber. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
13. ^ Jamie Lang (7 November 2023). "Glitch Expo Will Live Stream Conversations With Indie Animation's Hottest Creators This Thursday". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
14. ^ Schwarz, John (27 January 2023). "GLITCH PRODUCTIONS DATES MURDER DRONES EPISODE THREE ; ANNOUNCES NEW SERIES". BubbleBlabber. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
15. ^ Valens, Ana (25 October 2023). "Where and How To Watch 'The Amazing Digital Circus'". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
16. ^ "Home". The Glitch Inn. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
17. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (17 January 2025). "Glitch Prod. Teases 'Knights of Guinevere' from 'Owl House' Creator & Writers". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
18. ^ Sarto, Dan (16 May 2025). "Prime Video Licenses Glitch Productions' 'Murder Drones' Web Series". Animation World Network. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
19. ^ Ulatowski, Rachel (12 March 2024). "Breaking Down the Toxic Work Environment Allegations Against Glitch Productions". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
20. ^ Schwarz, John (6 March 2024). "Glitch Productions CEO Releases Statement Following Allegations". Bubbleblabber. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
21. ^ Valens, Ana (25 October 2023). "Where and How To Watch 'The Amazing Digital Circus'". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

###  Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

1. ^ a b "SMG4". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
2. ^ "Big Things Are Happening (AND TONS OF AWESOME FAN ART!) - SMG4 Mail Time #10". YouTube. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
3. ^ "SMG4 Direct (HUGE CHANNEL UPDATE)". YouTube. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
4. ^ Glitch Productions (27 August 2020). "WELCOME TO GLITCH!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
5. ^ "Sunset Paradise (Official Trailer)". YouTube. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
6. ^ a b GLITCH (17 April 2025). THE GASLIGHT DISTRICT: PILOT. Retrieved 18 April 2025 - via YouTube.
7. ^ @glitch_prod (5 July 2024). "80% of the funding of our shows comes from the merch we sell. It's wholeheartedly what makes this all possible. And that's why we decided to not only do our own merch, but also help other indie creators with their merch too! Introducing FinalFinal_Project, our new merch company, with our first partners being @LackadaisyCats" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 September 2024 - via Twitter.
8. ^ Glitch Productions [@glitch_prod] (22 September 2024). "BIG NEWS GUYS!!! - From October 4th, The Amazing Digital Circus is also coming to Netflix with Episodes 1-3 available to stream both there AND on YouTube! And to be clear; We're still independently funding everything, we still get full control of the show, and episodes will continue to ALWAYS come out on YouTube first. Honestly feel that this is a HUGE step for indie animation and we couldn't have done it without you all ❤️ SEE YOU WHEN EPISODE 3 RELEASES 👀" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 September 2024 - via Twitter.
9. ^ a b GLITCH (17 January 2025). Knights Of Guinevere [TEASER]. Retrieved 17 January 2025 - via YouTube.
10. ^ @zaminationyt (9 March 2025). "EXCITING NEWS! 🎉 ZAMination is teaming up with @glitch_prod to creatively direct their marketing campaigns! Huge thanks to the Glitch team for this opportunity. And don't worry—ZAMination videos aren't slowing down. BIG things are coming soon, so stay tuned! 👀✨" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 March 2025 - via Twitter.
11. ^ @glitch_prod (4 March 2024). "Hey all, Kevin here. Please read" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025 - via Twitter.
12. ^ "TheAwesomeMario YouTube channel". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
13. ^ "GLITCHX 2023". YouTube. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Glitch Productions

Ongoing|

* The Amazing Digital Circus (2023–present)

Ended|

* Meta Runner (2019–2022)
* Murder Drones (2021–2024)

* v
* t
* e

Animation industry in Australia

Companies/studios|

| Active|

* Act3animation
* Bogan Entertainment Studios
* Disney Studios Australia
* Ludo Studio
* Animal Logic
* Endemol Shine Australia
* Flying Bark Productions
* Yoram Gross
* Glitch Productions
* Honeydew Studios
* Plastic Wax
* RobotDNA
* SLR Productions
* The People's Republic of Animation
* Working Dog Productions

|

Defunct|

* Burbank Films Australia
* Disney Animation Australia
* Mr. Big Cartoons

Industry
associations|

* Australian Cartoonists' Association
* Screen Producers Australia

Awards|

* Ledger Award
* Stanley Award

Expos|

* Madman Anime Festival
* Supanova Expo

Animation icons|

* Chesty Bond
* Blinky Bill
* Harvie Krumpet
* Pearlie
* Awesome Magical Tales
* Sally Bollywood
* The Day My Butt Went Psycho!
* Bluey
* Erky Perky
* Nate is Late
* The Strange Chores

Related topics|

* Australian Comics
* List of Australian animated films

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