WILMINGTON — On Monday morning, a UNCW film studies graduate appeared on “TODAY” after winning an international brand’s commercial contest, which will put his work front-and-center during the nation’s most watched sporting event.
READ MORE: UNCW filmmaker has a shot at $1M and commercial airing during Super Bowl
Dylan Bradshaw and co-director Nate Norell submitted to the Doritos Crash Super Bowl Contest by entering a 30-second commercial. They were among three finalists from 2,000 entries garnered last fall. Their winning commercial will air during the first quarter of the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m.
Bradshaw and Norell said on “TODAY” the goal was to have “a great portfolio piece” even if they didn’t win the contest. When they were told the entry would air “on the biggest stage for advertising,” the two yelled: “Let’s go!”
Bradshaw and Norelll will be in New Orleans at the 59th event, featuring the final NFL face-off of the season between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs and won $1 million from the contest.
PCD reached out to the fillmmakers Monday morning but didn’t hear back by press; this will be updated upon their response.
Best friends, Bradshaw is a 2019 graduate of UNCW and Norell attended California’s Biola University. They brought in actor Michael Strassner and told PCD last month they took inspiration for the commercial from their love of sci-fi and alien movies, particularly directors like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Named “Abduction,” the commercial includes Strassner, asleep in his office cradling the bag of tortilla chips. He is startled awake by an approaching UFO and ends up fighting an alien — performed by Norell — attempting to steal the Doritos.
The Doritios bag is lifted into the air by a space beam, but the man quickly snatches it and aggressively bites into a chip. In response, the space beam picks him up and throws him around the small office space amusingly. He continues to fight until the bag is ripped from his hands and out the window toward a UFO, which is then split in half and bursts into flames.
The commercial then cuts to the Doritos logo, featuring the slogan: “For the bold.”
It ends on a humorous note, with Strassner and the alien sitting and enjoying Doritos together.
In a statement, Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America, released the following statement:
“They truly pushed the bounds of creativity with their Abduction ad. We can’t wait to showcase their vision on the biggest stage in advertising, as we know the spot will inspire our fans to continue stepping outside of what is expected.”
The commercial will welcome in a new flavor for the brand, Doritos Golden Sriracha, according to AdWeek.
Bradshaw and Norrel told PCD the $1 million won would help fund future projects and iterated on “TODAY” the next step is to embark on a feature film.
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