Kevin Lerdwichagul
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Predecessor | Glitchy Boy, Glitchy Boy Productions |
| Founded | May 24, 2017 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founder | Kevin Lerdwichagul, Luke Lerdwichagul |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kevin Lerdwichagul (Producer), Luke Lerdwichagul (Animator) |
| Products | Animated series (Meta Runner, Sunset Paradise, Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, The Gaslight District) |
| Website | glitchproductions |
Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd., commonly referred to as Glitch and previously known as Glitchy Boy or Glitchy Boy Productions, is an independent animation company headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 2017 by producer Kevin Lerdwichagul alongside animator Luke Lerdwichagul—the creator behind the machinima web series SMG4—Glitch specializes in the self-funded creation and production of animated series such as Meta Runner, Sunset Paradise, Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, and The Gaslight District. The founders earned recognition on the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list within the Media, Marketing, and Advertising category.
Origins
Luke Lerdwichagul, co-founder of Glitch, started producing content for YouTube in 2009. At just 11 years old, he launched his initial web series—a machinima based on Super Mario 64—which later became known as SMG4 (an abbreviation for "SuperMarioGlitchy4"). The series initially utilized emulated footage from Super Mario 64 but later expanded to include characters from Garry's Mod, broadening its cast. Between 2014 and 2016, the channel’s subscriber count surged from 100,000 to over one million.
In 2016, Kevin Lerdwichagul, Luke’s elder brother, identified the channel’s commercial potential and joined full-time as a writer and producer. Meanwhile, Luke took on directing responsibilities and provided the voice for the main character, laying the groundwork for Glitch’s expansion into animation production.
Establishment
On 24 May 2017, Luke announced the creation of a company named Glitchy Boy to serve as the umbrella entity for the YouTube channels SMG4, Hobo Bros., and "TheAwesomeMario". Later, on 5 September 2018, the company was officially rebranded as Glitch Productions. Alongside this announcement came the debut of Hitbox, a live-action series featuring Kevin and Luke portraying Nintendo characters.
After releasing teasers, Glitch unveiled the trailer for Meta Runner on 5 December 2018. The first episode premiered on 25 July 2019. This project was funded by Screen Australia and quickly became their most successful online investment, attracting over ten million viewers during its inaugural season. Additional support came from Crunchyroll, AMD, and it was produced in partnership with Epic Games. On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia confirmed funding for a second season of Meta Runner.
2020–Present Developments
On 27 August 2020, Glitch separated the SMG4 channel from its main operations and launched the GLITCH channel to concentrate on projects outside of SMG4. This launch included a remake of the first season of Meta Runner presented in a Movie format. Following this were releases including a pilot episode for Ultra Jump Mania (a cancelled spin-off of Meta Runner) and the second season of Meta Runner.
On 12 March 2021, Glitch announced a spin-off from SMG4 titled Sunset Paradise, centered around the character Meggy Spletzer; its pilot aired on 26 March 2021. In May 2021, Screen Australia provided funding for this production.
On 9 October 2021, Glitch introduced the pilot for Murder Drones, created and directed by Liam Vickers. Unlike previous projects that operated at a loss, this series surpassed expectations by garnering millions of views per episode.
On 1 September 2023, Glitch announced "GlitchX", a livestream event scheduled for 9 November 2023 to reveal their forthcoming series, The Gaslight District. This project is a collaboration with animator Nick Szopko; its pilot premiered on 18 April 2025.
The pilot episode of The Amazing Digital Circus, co-developed with Gooseworx, debuted on 13 October 2023. It amassed over 100 million views within its first month, becoming the most viewed independent animation video to date and significantly elevating Glitch’s prominence. This achievement also contributed to their YouTube channel surpassing ten million subscribers and accumulating more than one billion total views.
On 7 June 2024, Glitch launched "Glitch Inn", a subscription-based platform priced at $9.99 monthly (as of June 2025), accessible through their website and Discord, designed to finance their content production.
On 5 July 2024, Glitch introduced FinalFinal_Project, a merchandise enterprise aimed at supporting funding for their productions as well as other independent creators. Their initial partnership was with Iron Circus Animation, known for producing the film adaptation of Lackadaisy.
On 4 October 2024, Glitch announced that their series The Amazing Digital Circus would premiere on Netflix—marking their first project on this platform—with episodes also debuting initially on YouTube. The company retains full creative autonomy along with independent funding for this production.
On 17 January 2025, Glitch revealed plans for their first fully two-dimensional animated series titled Knights of Guinevere. This project involves collaboration with Dana Terrace, John Bailey Owen, and Zach Marcus—alumni of The Owl House. Co-produced alongside Irish studio Studio Meala, it is scheduled to premiere in 2025.
On 10 March 2025, web animation collective ZAMination formed a partnership with Glitch to oversee creative direction for upcoming marketing initiatives.
On 16 May 2025, it was announced that Murder Drones had been added to Amazon Prime Video. Prime Video will also back future Glitch productions under a multi-title agreement while all content remains available both on YouTube and Prime Video platforms.
Controversies
In March 2024, Glitch encountered criticism after terminating Celeste Notley-Smith, the voice behind Tari in Meta Runner and SMG4, and replacing her with Lottie Bourne without prior notification to Notley-Smith. She publicly voiced her confusion and concerns regarding the absence of communication. Jasmine Yang, the general manager, later explained the situation as a communication mishap. This incident prompted Robyn Barry-Cotter, who voices Theo in Meta Runner, to depart from Glitch, resulting in an SMG4 character losing its voice actor.
Further accusations surfaced concerning prolonged working hours, blacklisting of former staff members, and harassment allegations mainly connected to Kevin Lerdwichagul. On 4 March 2024, Kevin issued a public apology acknowledging early managerial shortcomings but stressed that harassment was unacceptable. He referenced a case where his personal address was leaked as an example of the challenges faced. Additionally, he mentioned previous staffing shortages but affirmed that employee conditions had significantly improved by 2023.
Animation
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Finale date | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMG4 | Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
— | Production by Glitch began in 2017. | ||||
| TheAwesomeMario |
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YouTube channel featuring shorts and content related to SMG4. | |||||
| Meta Runner | Kevin Lerdwichagul Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
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Initial season aired on SMG4 channel; later seasons moved to Glitch channel. | ||||
| Sunset Paradise |
|
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A spin-off series derived from SMG4. | |||||
| Murder Drones | Liam Vickers |
|
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The first Glitch series not developed by the Lerdwichagul brothers; reissued on Amazon Prime Video in May 2025. | ||||
| The Amazing Digital Circus | Gooseworx |
|
— | Launched on Netflix in October 2024. | ||||
| The Gaslight District | Nick Szopko |
|
— | The inaugural Glitch series led by a Canadian showrunner. |
Live-action
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Finale date | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobo Bros. | Kevin Lerdwichagul Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
|
YouTube channel focused on Let's Play videos and reaction content; currently on indefinite hiatus. | ||||
| ' 'Hitbox | ' '
|
' '
|
' '
Glitch's only live-action production. |
Upcoming
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ' 'Knights of Guinevere | ' ' Dana Terrace John Bailey Owen Zach Marcus |
' ' 2025 | ' ' First Glitch project utilizing traditional animation techniques, co-produced alongside Studio Meala. |