Louisville native Mark Alex Vogt is in the semifinals of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition where folks create commercials for Doritos to show during the Super Bowl football game. Creators are eligible to win $1 million dollars and have their commercials shown during the game. Vogt is a Los Angeles based creator working in the film industry.
Doritos issued a challenge to its fans and the critics of their Super Bowl commercials in September: “Think you can do better? Prove It.”
Thousands of entries came through and today, 25 semifinalists were named. Vogt is one of the lucky 25. His “Containment” spot is up against a creative bunch of Doritos hopefuls, several using urns and ashes of dead relatives in somewhat disturbing ways.
The submissions can be viewed at DoritosCrash.com and to give support to Mark’s spot folks can share his work using the #DoritosCrash.
LEO sent a few questions to Vogt about his work in the Doritos challenge.
LEO: Why did you enter the competition?
Mark Alex Vogt: I’ve been a filmmaker since I can remember picking up a camera and I’ve been a fan of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest since it started in 2006. I’ve always looked forward to seeing the finalists every year and watching the Super Bowl commercials with my family became an annual tradition. Growing up as an aspiring filmmaker in Louisville, it was always a dream to enter the contest. When I heard that the competition was coming back after an eight-year hiatus, I knew I had to give it my best shot. I made several films and commercials in Kentucky, then went to film school in Georgia and I’ve been working on professional projects for the past eight years. I now live part-time in Los Angeles and put together an amazing team of creative professionals that I met in film school during my time on the east coast to bring this commercial to life.
What inspired your commercial?
When it comes to making an original concept, I’m always overwhelmed with the possibilities of what it could be. The thing that helps me the most is a clear understanding of your limitations. Sometimes it’s best for me to think inside the box to force the most creative choices possible. As a co-owner of a special effects shop and a kid who grew up on a healthy diet of Spielberg movies, I knew the spot was going to be high concept with fun set pieces, props, and creature effects.
We wanted to make something that felt like a scene ripped from a longer story. The idea of an entire laboratory dedicated to containing the flavor of Doritos seemed like a fun place to start. Of course, we want to jump right into the action as the flavor has escaped containment and caused chaos across the lab. There are all sorts of homages in the spot, but the big ones are Independence Day, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Terminator: Judgement Day.
How does it feel to be in the semifinals?
I’m still in shock! I’m just so proud of the team that made this happen. We’re a relatively small group of filmmakers and artists that love practical effects, escapist stories, great ad campaigns and Doritos (of course). We celebrated as a team when the news came out and now, we’re just excited to spread the word and show everyone what we created!
What is your current career field?
I’m currently splitting my time between Louisville and Los Angeles working as a freelance director and a co-owner and hands-on artist at the special effects shop, MacGuffin Makers. In addition to directing and being on set as much as possible, my other three business partners and I have worked to build MacGuffin Makers as a modern home for practical effects, props, miniatures, creatures and set pieces! I’m a maker at heart and this opportunity has allowed me to bring all of those aspects that I love together in one project.
This article appears in Dec 18, 2024 – Jan 16, 2025.