Breaking Down the Toxic Work Environment Allegations Against Glitch Productions
Glitch Productions has been accused of firing a voice actor in a callous manner, leading to an outburst of additional allegations against the studio and leaving many fans confused about which ones are true or false.
Glitch is a computer animation studio that specializes in creating animated web series. The company was founded by two brothers, Luke and Kevin Lerdwichagul. Luke was just 11 when he created his first web series, SMG4, which frequently produces pop-culture parodies using footage and characters from Nintendo’s Mario franchise. The web series soon expanded to include original characters, such as Tari and Meggy. Eventually, Kevin began working on the channel full-time, helping Luke release Meta Runner. The series received funding from Crunchyroll and AMD and soon put together a small voice-acting cast.
Celeste Notley-Smith was cast in the lead role of Tari, a cyborg girl who has the power to warp into video games. The series was renewed for three seasons, with Glitch eventually producing additional well-received series, including Murder Drones and The Amazing Digital Circus. However, the company has recently found itself embroiled in controversy over its alleged mistreatment of employees.
The accusations against Glitch Productions explained
The controversy surrounding Glitch Productions began when Notley-Smith came forward with allegations about how she had been recast. After the success of Meta Runner, Tari was set to become a full-voice character on SMG4. However, a video posted to SMG4 on February 24 credited Tari’s voice actor as Lottie Bourne. Voice recastings aren’t uncommon in the industry, but as discussion and speculation arose about the reason for the recasting, Notley-Smith explained what happened.
According to Notley-Smith, she was not notified that her role was being recast. She found out that Bourne was replacing her at the same time that viewers did with the release of the SMG4 video.
Several days later, Notley-Smith released a longer statement on the matter. She explained that, after discovering she had been recast, she reached out to Luke and Kevin, asking why she’d been “abruptly removed” from her role “with no contact from the team.” According to her, Luke responded with a very brief and unacceptable explanation, essentially saying, “Thanks for everything, and sorry we didn’t tell you.” Further questions received no response, leading Notley-Smith to contact Glitch’s general manager, Jasmine Yang.
At first, Yang claimed she had no involvement in the recasting. However, she later backtracked and claimed it was her fault and that she “somehow forgot to contact” Notley-Smith of her replacement. When Notley-Smith inquired why she was replaced, she was told only that they needed an actor who was more available. This only further confused the voice actor, who explained she had never missed a deadline or been unavailable in the past. No one from Glitch could cite specific evidence of her not being readily available. Notley-Smith also made sure to address a false narrative that she had stepped away from the role due to being a mother, slamming the “backward and destructive thinking” of that assumption.
Notley-Smith’s statement resulted in an outcry against Glitch Productions, as this is an unacceptable way to recast a long-time company employee. It could also qualify as workplace discrimination if management truly replaced her because they assumed, without speaking to her, that motherhood would make her unavailable. Robyn Barry-Cotter, part of the team behind AnimeAmerica, announced that she was immediately resigning from her SMG4 role as SMG2 over the allegations.
Shortly after Notley-Smith’s statement, a Reddit user claiming to be a former employee of Glitch made a post to compile all of the allegations former employees have made about Glitch Productions. The post includes a link to the company’s Glassdoor reviews. Out of 8 reviews, the company has 1.3 stars out of 5, with most reviews alleging poor management, tight schedules, unrealistic deadlines, and no opportunity for advancement. AnimeAmerica has also been sharing statements from anonymous former employees about the company’s poor work environment.
One employee warned that Glitch’s promises of being “animation industry pioneers” are all just “PR talk” and that it’s not a good environment for amateur animators. Several former employees have stated that the Glassdoor reviews are credible and described their experiences with crunch time and micromanagement from the CEOs. One particularly disturbing account alleged animators were expected to work unpaid overtime constantly, with some even staying overnight to meet impossible deadlines. Most of the allegations identified Kevin as the one pushing animators to their breaking point and fostering a toxic work environment.
Glitch CEO responds to allegations
Glitch’s co-CEO, Kevin, issued a statement in response to all the allegations. He explained that Glitch was started from his and his brother’s bedroom and admitted that they lacked experience when they brought on their first team of animators, resulting in some mismanagement and “hardships” for employees.
Kevin apologized for those poor early experiences but went on to claim that he had made it a priority to improve management, hiring a new team to look after the business. He also denied the overtime and crunch time allegations, stating that deadlines were routinely pushed back for employees. He also requested that users refrain from harassing him and his team online.
However, many noticed that the statement did not mention the Notley-Smith situation. While some users have continued inquiring about her recasting, there have been no public statements or apologies from Glitch. Most users seemed to accept Kevin’s statement and apology at face value, and discussions on the controversy have largely trailed off. As AnimeAmerica pointed out, it is commendable if Glitch has improved its environment for new employees but it doesn’t necessarily cancel out all the mistreatment that Notley-Smith and other animators allegedly experienced.
There are still lingering questions about Notley-Smith’s replacement and the validity of the additional allegations, which paint a picture of a toxic work environment far beyond poor management and inexperience. Time will tell whether Glitch Productions’ apology and its stated desire to improve the experiences of new employees is genuine.
(featured image: Glitch Productions)
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
