UCF radio-television graduate Brian Kleinschmidt, who entered a video commercial in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest, is one of 10 finalists vying for the $1 million grand prize that will be determined by voters around the world.
Kleinschmidt, who lives in Tampa, and the other finalists have been invited to the Feb. 1 game in Arizona, where the winning commercial will be announced live.
The 2004 graduate said he came up with the commercial idea one day while he was on his parents’ back porch.
In the video, titled “Mis-Spelling Bee,” the final two contestants don’t vie for the championship prize – but instead for the second-place award, which is a supply of Doritos. One of the contestants sabotages the other to claim the chips.
To see Kleinschmidt’s entry, go to www.Vote4MisSpellingBee.com. A link to the other ads in the competition also is on the page.
Kleinschmidt has been on the go since graduating from UCF.
His former marketing career and his appearance as a contestant on “The Amazing Race” have taken him around the United States and the world, but he’s settled back in Tampa, where he owns three Anytime Fitness gyms.
“I’ve always put my sails up and let the wind guide my direction,” he said.
During the years he said he always wants to do creative things, so he entered the Doritos contest.
“The Mis-Spelling Bee” commercial was filmed at a community theater with the help of his friends and family. By keeping the shoot a family-and-friend affair, Kleinschmidt said he finished the commercial in a couple days for under $500.
He said he enjoys “making the world smile, in this case one misspelled word at a time.”
Voters can cast a ballot once a day through Jan. 28.