CircleToonsHD bet on himself after discovering his ‘superpower’

Christian Brantley is better known online as CircleToonsHD. With a unique animation style that focuses on strategically simple character designs, he has created a workflow that allows him to not only create comics on a regular basis, but also comment on new news and trends in gaming, technology, and other areas of pop culture.

The graphic designer turned indie animator’s irreverent sensibilities and energetic demeanor have earned him more than 1 million views on videos like “How AI Broke the Internet” and “How One Item Destroyed the Elden Ring Fanbase.” He regularly posts videos and has over 500,000 followers on TikTok and 4 million subscribers on YouTube. Additionally, he launched his own video game, a virtual card game called Fool’s Blade.

But how did Circle grow from a side project to an indie animation success story? While attending VidCon 2026, Brantley sat down with Mashable Entertainment editor Christy Puchko to dig into the secrets of his success, including how he discovered his “superpower” and when he knew it was time to bet on himself.

What do you love about creating content?

CircleToonsHD: I think what really got me interested in content creation was when it finally became like a physical representation, a place where fans could be seen, like VidCon. Because it’s easy to get caught up in numbers, likes, and subscriptions. And it’s kind of nebulous. But once I’m finally able to make a real tangible impact with my game, [Fool’s Blade] Or is it my content? People say, “You influenced my work,” or “The work you published helped me get into college.”

At the handshake event, one person told me that he was going to university to study animation, partly because of the work I was watching. I feel the same way [had] A long time ago, I watched animators on early YouTube, and that inspired me to create. So if you can make that kind of impact and make that connection, that’s what it’s all about to me.

That’s what makes it tangible, you know? There was a great exchange meeting yesterday. We met so many amazing people and they showed me the art they were making on their iPads. They showed me their channel and stuff and said, “We have 300 subscribers, but that’s very low.” And I said, “Have you ever seen a room with 300 people? That’s so big. That’s so cool.”

Which animators have influenced you?

Ah, the early Newgrounds days, the early YouTube days, the egoraptors of the world — he’s still making great work with Glitch Productions. In fact, those early days pioneering YouTube were extremely important and formative for everything I create.

Was there a moment when you thought, “I did it!”?

There seem to be two modes of “done”.

In 2016 or 2017, several videos became a huge hit and received millions of views. And I thought, “Oh my god.” I made it for the first time. But I didn’t have a subwoofer or enough consistency to make it a full-time job. No money came in. So it was really amazing to see millions of people watching that content. But this is what I thought. “It’s not a full-time job. It might be a bit of a job in the pot.” Because it’s very easy for something to explode and then not to explode again.

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So I was really excited. I worked full time as a graphic designer and large format printer. I also worked on YouTube for about 3 years. Then one day, the money went up a little. And I thought, “I’m going to bet on myself, I’m going to do this.” And I quit my job to do YouTube full time. This is the best thing I’ve done so far.

I made that bet on myself. I was nervous at first, but once that came through and I was able to put that kind of time into it full-time, it really started to flow. So I bent down and created that style. I’ve built a production so that I can create animations every week. Because it wasn’t common in the YouTube industry, and it still isn’t common.

I honed a different style that was efficient and fun, which allowed me to look at jokes and current pop culture head-on. So when something crazy happened in the gaming space, in the movie space, in the internet space, I really stepped up. I can do something in three minutes, and all my fellow animators are like, “Oh my god, that’s a superpower.” And that’s when I knew I could make it happen full time and bet on it. The timing was right.

What do you like about working on the Internet?

Ah, we can connect even over long distances. I have a lot of concrete, direct friends [relationships] Now — but it started with me filming messages on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord saying things like, “I love your work, would you like to make something?” And that can’t happen anywhere else.

When I was just starting out growing up, I was often very nervous to reach out to these great creators. And now that it’s the other way around, I think I have a window into what it felt like to help.

So my friend here, GarrettThe Carrot from YouTube, I’ve watched him grow from like 70,000 subscribers to like 6 million now. He told me he was really nervous about reaching out to me, so I said, “Hey, your work is great. If you’re creative, I don’t care if you have one follower.” Meeting other creators is contagious, makes your creative work better, and makes it easier to work online.

When did you know you wanted to be an animator?

I’ve always been interested in art. I draw a picture. I’m doing graphic design. I was always sketching in books. But I think it was true when I realized that indie animation and people putting themselves out there could be just as successful and as fun and as lucrative later on as TV and film. Now that it’s real, I thought, “I’d like to give it a try.”

How long did it take for your number of followers to increase significantly? What do you think was the trigger?

I tell people I made over 2000 things before I made a dime. Many people posted their 10th video, [if it doesn’t go viral are] Like, “It’s not for me.” And I think, “You’re not even in the fire! You have to get in there.”

My YouTube channel was created in 2012 and has some fun animations on it. But maybe around 2016 or 2017. [I developed the style I use now]So [there were about] It took five or six years for us to start doing things that were recognized as a brand. But I was always posting on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter and honing it.

So I always say to people who don’t explode in the first six months, “You’re not even 10% hooked yet. You have to bet on yourself over and over again.” And it’s important to enjoy what you’re doing. If you’re doing it for the express purpose of making it explode or getting bigger, you’re not doing it for the right reasons.

Mashable is reporting live from VidCon 2026 in Anaheim. Follow our coverage of creator interviews, panel highlights, the biggest moments from the convention floor, and more.

The above interview has been edited for length and clarity.