USC might be going to the Super Bowl – not to play on the field, but to entertain millions of fans during commercial breaks.
USC film and television production majors Ryan Robinson and Zach Shenouda’s “The Barbershop” is one of three commercial finalists in Doritos’ revived “Crash the Super Bowl” competition. Out of thousands of submissions, their creative, comedic take on a Doritos dust barbershop mishap has a chance to air during the Super Bowl and win them a prize of $1 million.
Winning would not only fulfill a childhood dream, but also mark Robinson and Shenouda as the youngest creators to have aired a Doritos Super Bowl commercial. When they first heard the news, their reactions were a mix of shock and excitement.
“We lost our minds a little bit,” Robinson said. “We stopped everything we were doing, and we gave each other a big hug.”
Shenouda added, “This was a moment of like, ‘This will change our lives.’ All we want to do is direct, and we’ve been wanting to do this since we were young. Now, this is a chance to open up some doors.”
The Doritos competition, which ran from 2006 to 2016, was resurrected for 2025, offering filmmakers the opportunity to showcase 30 seconds of creativity that aligned with Doritos’ slogan, “Be bold.”
Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America, said in a press release, “We still firmly believe that the best ideas arise when we are willing to be bold, take risks, and champion our fans. Now that our fans have more access than ever to creative and ad-making tools, we can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves.”
The two seniors have been collaborating on projects since high school and always dreamed of submitting a commercial for the Doritos competition, but it was put on hold until Doritos announced its return.
“USC [the School of Cinematic Arts] emailed us and said the competition was back,” Robinson said. “We looked, and we only had a month left . . . we dropped everything, and the whole thing was made in two and a half weeks.”
“The Barbershop” is a fresh take on a familiar setting, brought to life with a USC student-led team of producers.
“We were brainstorming relatable things,” Shenouda said. “We thought, okay, haircuts. What is the worst thing that could happen during a haircut? What if your barber had Doritos dust on his fingers?”
The Doritos dust is irresistible for the young man in the chair, and Shenouda emphasized how crucial it is to lean into the humor.
“There’s one thing that has to happen,” Shenouda continued, smiling. “He has to lick the dust off.”
Creating a 30-second commercial was a new challenge for the duo, who usually work on narrative films. The team “pre-visualized” their ad, shooting the commercial in Robinson’s living room with an iPhone and testing the humor and timing of each frame. Pre-production took one and a half weeks, shooting lasted one day and editing wrapped up after three days.
Robinson and Shenouda wanted to capture the unexpected, bold essence of classic Doritos commercials of the past. Competing head-to-head with bigger production companies and ad agencies was not a deterrent to their creative spirit. The duo wanted to push the edge and grab people’s attention.
“I think there’s a thing that because you’re young, you’re not ready yet,” Shenouda said. “We believe that young artists are just as capable of making things that entertain and inspire.”
They also mentioned the support they’ve received from the SCA community. “Being able to do this while still in school is awesome,” Robinson said. “This would not have been possible without the people we’ve met here. We would not have this final product.”
The two directors would join a lineage of USC representation in the Super Bowl. In 2011, SCA alumni created “Pug Attack,” earning the grand prize. The following year, “Sling Baby” took first place, and in 2015, six alumni won with “Middle Seat.” All of the previous USC winners were already out of college when they took the grand prize.
Imagining their commercial on the most televised broadcast is beyond surreal to both of the 22- year-olds.
“Ryan and I want to entertain as many people as possible,” Shenouda said. “I’ve wanted to do film since I was 10, and Ryan around the same age. It would bring the 10-year-old out of me to say, ‘Wow, you did it.’”
Fans can vote once per day at doritoscrash.com to help “The Barbershop” earn its spot on Super Bowl screens. Voting closes on Tuesday, January 28, and the winner will be announced on February 2.
To Robinson and Shenouda, making it this far is a victory in itself.
“If you’re in the top three, you’ve already won,” Robinson said. “You’ve already made it to where you need to go, and the rest is icing on the cake, but it’s pretty damn good icing.”