SMG3
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| 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 web series (SMG4, Meta Runner, Sunset Paradise, Murder Drones, The Amazing Digital Circus, The Gaslight District) |
Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd.—commonly referred to as Glitch and formerly known as Glitchy Boy or Glitchy Boy Productions—is an independent animation studio located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 2017 by producer Kevin Lerdwichagul and animator Luke Lerdwichagul, the creator behind the machinima web series SMG4, Glitch focuses on the independent creation and financing of animated web series including 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 began producing content on YouTube in 2009, launching his initial web series on 7 May 2011: a machinima based on Super Mario 64 that was later titled SMG4 (named after his channel "SuperMarioGlitchy4"). The series featured emulated footage from Super Mario 64 and showcased Mario characters embarking on adventures that parodied internet memes and popular culture. Gradually, it expanded to incorporate elements from Garry's Mod alongside original characters. Between 2014 and 2016, the channel's subscriber count surged from 100,000 to 1 million.
Recognizing the channel’s commercial potential in 2016, Kevin Lerdwichagul joined full-time as writer and producer, allowing Luke to concentrate on directing and voicing his character.
Establishment
On 24 May 2017, Luke announced the formation of a company named Glitchy Boy to manage the YouTube channels SMG4, Hobo Bros., and "TheAwesomeMario". Subsequently, on 5 September 2018, the company was officially rebranded as Glitch Productions. Alongside this change, they introduced Hitbox, a live-action series featuring both Kevin and Luke portraying Nintendo characters.
After releasing teasers on the SMG4 channel, Glitch unveiled the trailer for Meta Runner on 5 December 2018, with its premiere episode airing on 25 July 2019. Backed by funding from Screen Australia, it became their most successful online investment, drawing over 10 million viewers during its debut season. The show also received support from Crunchyroll and AMD, and was produced in partnership with Epic Games. On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia confirmed funding for a second season of Meta Runner.
From 2020 Onwards
On 27 August 2020, Glitch separated the management of the SMG4 channel from the main company and launched the GLITCH channel to showcase projects unrelated to SMG4. Early content included an announcement along with a movie-style remake of the first season of Meta Runner. Soon after, they released a pilot episode for Ultra Jump Mania, a cancelled spin-off of Meta Runner, followed by the release of Meta Runner season two.
On 12 March 2021, Glitch announced a spin-off from SMG4 titled Sunset Paradise, centering on the character Meggy Spletzer; its pilot debuted on 26 March 2021. This series secured online production funding from Screen Australia in May of that year.
On 9 October 2021, Glitch premiered the pilot for Murder Drones, created by Liam Vickers. This project significantly surpassed previous viewership records, attracting 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, developed alongside Gooseworx, premiered on 13 October 2023. It achieved an impressive milestone of reaching 100 million views within its first month, becoming the most viewed independent animation video. This success propelled Glitch’s YouTube channel beyond 10 million subscribers and over one billion total views.
On 7 June 2024, Glitch introduced "Glitch Inn," a subscription platform priced at $9.99 per month as of June 2025. Available through their website and Discord, this service aims to support their programming financially.
On 5 July 2024, Glitch launched FinalFinal_Project, a merchandise venture designed to fund their productions as well as support other independent creators. Their inaugural partner was Iron Circus Animation, known for producing the adaptation of Lackadaisy.
On 4 October 2024, Glitch announced that their series The Amazing Digital Circus would premiere on Netflix—marking their first production featured on this platform—while retaining independent financing and creative autonomy by debuting episodes initially on YouTube.
On 17 January 2025, Glitch revealed plans for their first co-produced 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—alongside Irish animation studio Studio Meala. The series is slated for release in 2025.
On 10 March 2025, web animation collective ZAMination partnered with Glitch to oversee creative direction for upcoming marketing campaigns.
On 16 May 2025, Glitch announced that Murder Drones had been added to Amazon Prime Video, initiating a multi-title agreement to stream future productions concurrently on both YouTube and Prime Video platforms.
Controversies
In March 2024, Glitch encountered significant criticism after dismissing Celeste Notley-Smith, the voice behind Tari in Meta Runner and SMG4, without any prior notification, subsequently replacing her with Lottie Bourne. Notley-Smith publicly expressed that she had no advance knowledge of the recasting and later reached out to the Lerdwichagul family for further explanation. Jasmine Yang, the general manager, attributed the situation to a breakdown in communication. This dispute prompted Robyn Barry-Cotter, who voices Theo in Meta Runner, to depart from Glitch, resulting in one character from SMG4 being left without a voice actor.
Further accusations surfaced regarding prolonged working hours, blacklisting of former staff members, and harassment allegations predominantly associated with Kevin Lerdwichagul. On 4 March 2024, Kevin issued a public apology acknowledging his earlier lack of experience but underscored that harassment is not tolerated under any circumstances. He referenced incidents such as his personal address being leaked and mentioned previous staffing shortages while asserting that employee conditions had markedly improved by 2023.
Animation
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Finale date | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMG4 | Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
— | From 2017 onward, produced under Glitch. | ||||
| TheAwesomeMario |
|
|
YouTube channel featuring shorts related to SMG4. | |||||
| Meta Runner | Kevin Lerdwichagul Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
|
Initial season aired on SMG4 channel; later seasons released via Glitch channel. | ||||
| Sunset Paradise |
|
|
A spin-off derived from SMG4. | |||||
| Murder Drones | Liam Vickers |
|
|
The first Glitch series not created by the Lerdwichaguls; slated for re-release on Amazon Prime Video in May 2025. | ||||
| The Amazing Digital Circus | Gooseworx |
|
— | Premiered on Netflix in October 2024. | ||||
| The Gaslight District | Nick Szopko |
|
— | Marks Glitch’s initial series led by a Canadian showrunner. |
Live-action
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Finale date | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobo Bros. | Kevin Lerdwichagul Luke Lerdwichagul |
|
|
YouTube channel featuring Let's Play content and reaction videos; currently on indefinite hiatus. | ||||
| ' 'Hitbox | ' '
|
' '
|
' '
Glitch’s only live-action series. |
Upcoming
| Title | Creator(s) | Premiere date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ' 'Knights of Guinevere | ' '
Dana Terrace |
' '2025 | ' 'First Glitch production employing traditional animation, co-produced alongside Studio Meala. |