On Feb. 3, Biola announced on their Instagram that alumnus Nate Norell, Dylan Bradshaw and the rest of their team won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest. Their commercial, titled “Abduction,” aired on live television during the 2025 Super Bowl on Feb. 9. But how did Norell and Bradshaw come up with this million-dollar idea?
TIME CRUNCH
After finding out about the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest, Norell and Bradshaw had less than a month to submit a commercial.
“Since Dylan and I are both chasing our dreams out in Los Angeles to make movies and create content, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to collaborate and make a bold and creative spot that would be a good portfolio piece, win or lose,” Norell said.
However, “Abduction” didn’t just drop out of the sky. The pair brainstormed over 50 different ideas for the commercial. Their primary focus was keeping the Doritos’ tagline, “For the Bold,” at the center of whatever they produced.
“We wanted to make something that excited and challenged us, so we took inspiration from science fiction films — I’ve always been a big fan — and landed on the alien abduction idea,” Bradshaw said. “We workshopped the idea with some friends who are also filmmakers and they loved it. So, we ran with the idea and the script started to come together.”
Once they decided upon the idea for their commercial, production began. This took about a month, with pre-production, shooting the mockup, building the crew, location scouting and prepping all the creative aspects. One of the days they spent 12 hours in a cabin in the mountains with a real set, wardrobe and props.
“After the one-day shoot, editing and VFX work took two weeks,” Norell said. “We ended up submitting the commercial with just an hour and a half left until the deadline.”
WHAT’S AHEAD
Norell and Bradshaw got to see their grand prize-winning commercial air at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, walking away from the contest with $1,000,000.
“We’re still shocked,” Norell said. “It’s shown us that just one creative idea can spark amazing opportunities, so always believe in yourself and make things that are true to you and excite you. You never know where it will take you.”
Norell and Bradshaw are going to use the prize money to invest in their careers and any future projects, ensuring that this contest leaves a positive mark on both of their lives. They also plan on donating a portion of the money to charities or organizations that Norell and Bradshaw care about.
“Having this national visibility through the contest has been incredible, so we hope to continue to reach new people with our work and keep making projects like ‘Abduction’ that excite us,” Bradshaw said.
