A trio of USC students are among three finalists to have a commercial aired at the upcoming Super Bowl 59, along with a $1 million grand prize.
Co-directors and Socal natives Zach Shenouda and Ryan Robinson met as sophomores in high school and connected through a mutual love of film. Both are seniors at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
I met the duo during my freshman year at USC through McBride, one of the project’s producers. The commercial is only her second time officially collaborating with Shenouda and Robinson.
Their ad, “The Barbershop,” was one of just three finalists out of thousands of participants in the Doritos “Clash the Super Bowl” competition.
The contest, which debuted in 2006, lasted for 10 years before being shelved in 2016. The company reinstated the contest this year as an opportunity to give young creatives a chance to showcase their talents on television’s biggest stage.
“When it popped up, we were like, okay, we have to do it,” Shenouda said. “We came up with a universal concept – getting a haircut. And we thought, what’s the worst thing that can happen when you get your haircut? And when we think about Super Bowl commercials, we’re like, oh, man, they all have a final joke, a final button, or a twist.
“Barbershop”: Behind the Scenes
The trio drew inspiration from previous famous Doritos ads, including the 2013 commercial “Cowboy Kid” and 2016’s “Doritos Ultrasonic.”
“The biggest thing we took inspiration from was the ‘Be Bold’ tagline,” Robinson said. “[We tried] To find moments where our characters are bold and a little weird, but still remain commercially friendly. ”
The commercial was produced with only two and a half years’ notice, after Shenouda and Robinson learned of the competition weeks after its release.
“We spent hours every day calling barbershops around Los Angeles,” McBride said. “Some of our crew members were like guidance counselors from high school or friends of friends’ fathers.
Since being announced as finalists, the crew has engaged in a guerilla marketing campaign around USC, showing up at classes, parties, popular campus bars, and table near USC Village wearing Doritos merchandise.
“We knew our strength was on the ground and with USC,” Robinson said.
If chosen as the winner, the filmmakers intend to repay the crew and reinvest the remainder into their first feature film.
Voting ends on January 28th. Voters can re-vote daily to continue supporting their favorite ads.
The Super Bowl is the most-watched broadcast each year in the United States. Super Bowl 58 in 2024 had an average audience of 133.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched televised event since the moon landing in 1969.
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