Lucky Kraken has partnered with RPM Foundation to produce Endangered Skills, a 10-part educational series dedicated to preserving and teaching time-honored automotive restoration techniques.
The series was conceived by the RPM Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to training the next generation of automotive restoration professionals, and is being co-developed in partnership with Lucky Kraken, the Chicago-based creative studio specializing in strategy-driven, brand-produced entertainment.
Featuring world-renowned experts, the Endangered Skills will serve as a vital resource for students, professionals, and enthusiasts, ensuring these essential skills are passed down to future generations.
The first three episodes will be filmed on location at an upscale automotive facility in the Chicago area, the series will provide in-depth training on specialized restoration methods, with long-form educational content distributed through trade and industry organizations.
Plans are also in place to develop a version for future streaming distribution, expanding accessibility to a wider audience. Additionally, mid- and short-form content will be created to support educational outreach and engagement across social media.
“This project is about preserving a legacy of craftsmanship,” said Ted Lega, co-founder of Lucky Kraken and showrunner of Endangered Skills. “By documenting these techniques with the best experts in the world, we’re ensuring that future generations can continue learning and mastering these essential skills.”
Endangered Skills will capture the unique processes required for proper restoration of vintage vehicles by matching a master restorer with a real RPM Apprentice. The apprentice will learn directly from the professional, ensuring a thorough documentation of the skill on camera, while also passing the knowledge to another person in real time. These skills, once relatively common but only known by a few today, include babbitting, glass bending and gauge rebuilding. Each episode will focus on an individual skill, taking viewers through the entirety of the procedure.
Nick Ellis, Executive Director of the RPM Foundation, echoed the enthusiasm, “This is an exciting new chapter in the RPM Foundation’s mission of advancing careers in this industry. Endangered Skills will be a powerful tool to keep classic restoration techniques alive. Our collaboration with Lucky Kraken ensures these lessons will reach not just students in our Apprenticeship Program, but also hobbyists and professionals worldwide.”
Brian Corey, producer for the RPM Foundation, added, “This series is about far more than restoring cars. It’s an educational resource and a perhaps a final opportunity to document skills that are quickly dying out with age and retirement. We’re excited to bring this content to the masses to ensure the next generation can gain insight into the precision artistry and craftsmanship of restoration.”
Post-production for Endangered Skills will be handled by Rare Bird Post, Chicago’s boutique post production studio, led by industry veteran Clark Jackson, specializing in crafting high-quality content for television and digital platforms. Known for his expertise in high-quality automotive storytelling. Jackson, who previously served as post-production supervisor on Garage Squad, brings extensive experience in the space.
“This series has the potential to become a cornerstone of automotive education,” said Sam Wackerle, co-founder of Lucky Kraken. “We’re creating something that not only documents these endangered skills but makes them accessible to anyone who wants to learn.”
With pre-production underway and filming set to begin in the greater Chicago area in March, Endangered Skills is poised to set a new standard for automotive restoration content, ensuring that the craftsmanship of the past continues to shape the future.
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