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SANDY — It is said that "the third time is the charm." One Utah man definitely hopes that is the case as he competes as a finalist for his third consecutive year in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.
Tyler Dixon, 37, has a passion and dream for film making. While he sells Dish Network door to door, he does freelance writing and directing on the side with a dream of one day making it to Hollywood as a working commercial director. Dixon currently juggles his time between Lehi and Los Angeles and gets involved in any film opportunity he can.
He was a Top 5 finalist in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest for the past two years in a row, but left without winning the grand prize.
"I have come so close to winning $1 million twice," Dixon said. "It's hard to come that close and to walk away."
This year he is again a finalist and hopes to win the opportunity to work with producer Michael Bay on the latest installment of "Transformers," as well as receive the cash prize of $1 million.
"It would be a dream come true," Dixon said. "If I won $1 million, I could quit my job and devote all my time to film."
With his $2,500 budget for the contest, Dixon filmed his ad in just six days, and submitted the commercial five minutes before the contest ended. Dixon decided to film a humorous commercial involving a little girl and dog fighting over a chip in the backseat of a car. He wanted to do something that he felt people could relate to.
"Everyone can relate to the battle of the backseat on family road trips," Dixon said. "This spot shows what happens when a bag of Doritos chips comes between a kid and a dog in the lawless environment of the backseat."
"Road Chip" was shot entirely in a car — not an easy task with sound and lighting. It also required the ultimate casting call. Dixon auditioned 40 toddlers and perused more than 100 dog photos to find the perfect toddler/dog duo, ultimately casting Shayna as the girl, and Yoda, the little dog.
"It was funny because we couldn't get the dog to eat the chips, and we couldn't get the little girl to stop eating them," Dixon said. "It was Shayna's first time having Doritos. She is hooked."
Dixon hopes that his commercial will receive the most votes to win the air spot during halftime of the Super Bowl. People can vote for his video once a day from Jan. 4 to Jan. 29.
