“I love taking ideas and bringing them to reality,” Nate Norell (B.A ’18) says. “Those ideas can be anything — a documentary film, a commercial, social media content. There's nothing cooler than doing that.”

Norell made one of those ideas a big reality when he directed a commercial that won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. Norell and his friend and co-director, Dylan Bradshaw, won a $1 million grand prize and saw their commercial aired during Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025. Several Biola alumni assisted with the commercial’s production.

The award-winning spot, “Abduction,” tells the story of a Doritos eater defending his snack from a space alien. “Abduction” was selected from among thousands of submissions to air on the world’s biggest stage for advertising.

“‘Abduction’ is the ultimate embodiment of Dorito’s ‘for the bold’ ethos,” said Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America. “We know this spot will inspire our fans to continue stepping outside of what is expected.”

Stepping outside of what is expected also defines Norell’s career path. After earning his degree from the Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts, Norell got his professional start working for fellow Biola alumnus and social media star Zach King (B.A. ’12). Norrell spent five years as a camera operator, producer and director at King Studios.

“I loved working for King Studios,” Norell says. “The only better job I could imagine was working for myself and having the freedom to build my own life. I didn’t want to look back in my old age and regret that I didn’t take the risk because I was afraid to give up the idea of security.”

Norell left King Studios in 2022 to pursue a career as a freelance director and social media content creator, quickly building an audience of 6.2 million followers on TikTok. It’s a creative career that often finds Norell crossing paths with other Biola alumni.

“Biola fosters an environment where you rub shoulders with amazing, talented people who are also God-centered, good people,” Norell says. “That story’s not over just because I graduated. It’s been so cool in my adult life to be associated with other Biola alumni. When you get those talented, God-centered, good people together, it might not happen today or tomorrow, it could be five years down the road, but you’re going to make an impact on the world together.”