Wikipedia

Glitch Productions

(Redirected from SMG4 (web series))
"GLITCH" redirects here. For other uses, see Glitch (disambiguation).
"The Gaslight District" redirects here. For other uses, see Gaslight district.

Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd. (also known as Glitch, and formerly Glitchy Boy or Glitchy Boy Productions) is an Australian indie 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 machinima sketch comedy web series SMG4.

Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd.
Glitch Productions
FormerlyGlitchy Boy (2017–2018)
Company typePrivate
IndustryAnimation
Founded24 May 2017; 7 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)
Products
ServicesComputer animation
Web series
SubsidiariesFinalFinal_Project
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
Subscribers12 million[1]
Total views1.316 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers2020
1,000,000 subscribers2022
10,000,000 subscribers2024
Last updated: 7 July 2024
Websiteglitchprod.com

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

History

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Background

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Co-founder Luke Lerdwichagul started making 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").[3] Produced using footage from an emulated version of Super Mario 64, the series originally focused Mario and other characters from the greater Mario franchise going on adventures that often involve parodies of internet memes and pop culture.[4] Overtime, the series would begin using Garry's Mod as a base, and featured a more prominent cast of original characters.

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.[5] In interviews, the brothers have acknowledged their use of copyrighted characters from Nintendo and other third-parties in their videos. However, they were always careful to never place such characters in hateful or defamatory context.[4][6]

Formation

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Logo used from 2018 to 2023

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.[‡ 1] On 5 September 2018, a more formal announcement video was uploaded called "SMG4 Direct (HUGE CHANNEL UPDATE)", where Luke and Kevin 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.[‡ 2]

On 5 December 2018, following multiple teasers on the SMG4 channel, Glitch released the trailer for Meta Runner, and the first series premiered on 25 July 2019.[7] 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 posted on Glitch Productions. [8] The first season was also financed with support from Crunchyroll and AMD,[9] and financed in association with Epic Games.[9][10] On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia announced that they would be funding a second season of Meta Runner.[11]

2020–present

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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.[‡ 3] 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.

On 12 March 2021, Glitch unveiled an SMG4 spin-off centered on the character Meggy Spletzer called Sunset Paradise. The pilot would be released on 26 March 2021.[‡ 4] On 12 May 2021, Sunset Paradise received online production funding from Screen Australia.[12]

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.[13][14]

On 1 September 2023, Glitch announced that they would be hosting an livestreaming event called "Glitch X" on 9 November 2023; where they would announce their upcoming show, The Gaslight District, in collaboration with animator Nick Szopko.[15]

On 13 October 2023, the pilot for The Amazing Digital Circus was released, a series created in collaboration with Gooseworx. The pilot would garner 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.[16][17]

On 3 November 2023, Glitch uploaded a new version of its YouTube channel trailer titled WELCOME TO GLITCH, wherein the Lerdwichagul brothers state the goals of the company in a slight comedic manner, with Luke stating that the main goal is "to make unique animated shows and tell stories that could never have existed in the Western world without independently-funded animation".[‡ 5]

On 7 June 2024, the company would also launch a subscription service to help fund their programming called "Glitch Inn".

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.[18]

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.[19]

Controversy and criticism

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In March 2024, Glitch was accused of firing the voice actress for Tari from Meta Runner and SMG4, Celeste Notley-Smith, 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 her (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 the SMG4 character SMG2 without a voice.[20]

The studio was additionally alleged of longer work hours, blacklisting of ex-employees, and harassment, largely from Kevin Lerdwichagul; however, these allegations have since been labelled as dubious. 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 additionally claimed the studio had faced prior issues due to being short-staffed, but had largely resolved worker conditions by 2023. The response was accepted by the majority of Glitch's employees and fans, though some were still concerned that Notley-Smith's firing was never addressed.[21]

Filmography

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Current

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Title Creator(s) Premiere date Current season Note(s) Ref(s)
SMG4 Luke Lerdwichagul 8 May 2011 14 Produced as an independent project from 2011-2017 [5]
The Amazing Digital Circus Gooseworx 13 October 2023 1 Second series not created by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul [22]

Upcoming

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Title Creator(s) Premiere date Ref(s)
The Gaslight District Nick Szopko TBA 1

[‡ 6]

Former

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Title Creator(s) Premiere date Finale date Note(s)
TheAwesomeMario[23] Kevin Lerdwichagul
Luke Lerdwichagul 		14 July 2013 31 December 2017 YouTube channel featuring SMG4-related shorts and other content. The channel was created on 12 July 2013, two days prior to the release of the super mario 64 bloopers: youtube mario? episode, and was originally run by Mario in-universe.[‡ 7]
Hobo Bros. 3 December 2016 1 January 2021 (On indefinite hiatus) YouTube channel involving Let's Play and reactions
Hitbox 21 September 2018 20 December 2019 Live action series
Meta Runner 25 July 2019 10 September 2022 The 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 of SMG4
Murder Drones Liam Vickers 29 October 2021 23 August 2024 First series not created by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul

References

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  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. ^ "SMG4". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "SMG4". Glitch Productions. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ @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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "TheAwesomeMario YouTube channel". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.

Primary sources

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "SMG4 Direct (HUGE CHANNEL UPDATE)". YouTube. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  3. ^ Glitch Productions (27 August 2020). "WELCOME TO GLITCH!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Sunset Paradise (Official Trailer)". YouTube. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ Kevin Lerdwichagul, Luke Lerdwichagul (3 November 2023). WELCOME TO GLITCH. Glitch Productions.
  6. ^ "GLITCHX 2023". YouTube. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  7. ^ "super mario 64 bloopers: youtube mario?". YouTube. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
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