The Greatest Spec Job Ever Sold

By Olufemii
Published: Nov 03, 2026

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For 10 years, Doritos ran Crash the Super Bowl. Anyone could make a 30-second ad, and the winner aired during the biggest game on TV. Some people won a million dollars. Some got studio deals. One winner was a millionaire for less than 24 hours. And more than 30,000 people made Doritos an ad for nothing.

This is the story of the contest, the people on both sides of it, and what it means the next time a client asks you for a free test edit.

? Charge More Without Losing Clients, my short workshop on raising your rates: https://www.olufemii.com/charge-more-money-workshop

Chapters
0:00 Two guys win $1,000,000
1:14 2006: a chip brand in trouble
2:06 Doritos raises the stakes
3:05 The big break
3:34 A millionaire for 24 hours
4:46 The case against spec work
5:46 The other side
6:44 Is free work ever worth it?
7:36 How I think about it now
8:32 Who’s keeping the chips?

Featuring
Ann Mukherjee, Jonathan Friedman, Mark Freiburger, Kevin Willson, Scott Belsky, Ana Masoud, Patrick Llewellyn (99designs), John Winsor (Victors & Spoils), Shannyn Lee, Dylan Bradshaw & Nate Norell

Clips from news reports, podcasts and official Doritos and PepsiCo ads are used for commentary and criticism. All credit to the original creators and outlets.

#freelancing #videoediting #superbowl

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