By Zanub Saeed
Doritos announced that they teamed up with comedy and musical trio The Lonely Island to donate $250,000 to the Berkeley United School District as part of their collaboration on the annual Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.
The group, consisting of former "Saturday Night Live" regular Adam Samberg and his fellow group members Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, chose the Berkeley United School District (BUSD) as it was a place close to their heart. All three members attended high school there, and Samburg's mother has been a longtime educator in the area, noted the press release issued by PepsiCo, Doritos' parent company, on Friday.
"The Berkeley Unified School District has been a huge part of our lives - it's where we met and became friends," The Lonely Island members Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone stated jointly for the press release. "Now having the ability to give back to it feels great. Hopefully it will help today's students pursue their creative dreams and make their school a generally nicer place to be."
The donation was made specifically to improve the Berkeley Community Theatre at Berkeley High School for their music and theatrical performances, said the press release. The Lonely Island's participation came from the Super Bowl contest, where consumers and football fans were invited to create their personal customized ads for Doritos.
Two winners from over 6,100 entries were chosen for this past year's Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, said the press release, and got the opportunity to consult with The Lonely Islands on a future Doritos brand project. The winners, Jonathan Friedman and Kevin T. Wilson, were also each awarded $1 million bonuses prizes for their top ad rankings.
"Working with The Lonely Island has been a real pleasure, and they have truly embraced everything about this program," Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, was quoted as stating for the press release. "Their involvement in Crash the Super Bowl has served as an inspiration to Doritos fans with dreams of pursuing an entertainment career, and we felt it was only fitting to show our gratitude by helping them give back to where their success got its start."
