Director's Works
WD-40, Protect & Lubricate Richard Prendergast
Richard Prendergast is a narrative-driven commercial director whose work blends cinematic craft with emotional resonance. With over 15 years in the industry, beginning as a Director of Photography on global campaigns for brands including Nike, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and BT Sport, he now brings a deep understanding of visual storytelling and performance to directorial work.
Co-founder of the UK-based production company SubMotion, Richard has earned international recognition for his ability to create impactful stories that connect with audiences, through both his writing and directing. His debut short Sylvia won more than 25 awards worldwide, was BAFTA long-listed, Oscar qualified, and later acquired by Disney+. His follow-up Maximus continued that success, further establishing his reputation as a filmmaker driven by humanity and truth.
Richard’s recent spec ad, Protect and Lubricate, has achieved nearly twelve million views organically (that we know of), reinforcing his belief that commercial storytelling can be as emotionally engaging and culturally relevant as narrative film.
Across his work, Richard aims to elevate every brief with authenticity, character, and cinematic precision, creating branded films that audiences feel, remember, and share.
After a string of emotionally heavy charity doc films, I needed to make something light-hearted and funny, something that harked back to the old, narrative-driven, tongue-in-cheek ads I grew up with. I’ve always loved the bold, ridiculous Pot Noodle commercials (the wrestling ring one stands out), and I wanted to channel that energy into a spec ad for a global household brand that wasn’t currently making much noise in the advertising space.
WD-40 felt like the perfect fit - widely recognised, useful, and quietly iconic. The goal was to create something people wouldn’t want to skip.
As a dad of two girls, I leaned into the classic “dad vs. boyfriend” trope and played with the audience’s assumptions. I wanted viewers to believe the dad was about to cause some serious damage, framed within a good Christian household, with strong family values, but a 'Shameless' edge. When we see him eyeing up his tool wall, I want the audience to think, “Oh shit, this poor lad is done for.”
Then of course, I twist it. The dad’s just fixing the squeaky bed with a can of WD-40 - no violence - he’s just doing what Dad's do - fix, and don't interfere.
That alone would’ve landed, but I wanted one last beat, a final punch. So we flipped the embarrassment back onto the kids. The dry retch from actress Leah, reacting to her own parents’ "bedroom noise," was the perfect closer, and a painfully relatable note to end on.
The cast nailed it, the tone walked a great line, and we pulled it together in just a few days, with a small but brilliant crew. It was a chance to lean into comedy, strong visual storytelling, and carefully timed performance, and it ended up going a lot further than we ever expected.
The ad has now had 15 million views, been shared over 2 million times and has even been translated into French and Spanish - all in the space of 1 month. WD-40 love the ad and admitted it had travelled through their global offices, creating much laughter! However, they felt they could not endorse it as they have such strict guidelines in what they share with audiences. A huge shame for them, but for us, the global response has been enough!
