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GM chooses "Chevy Happy Grad" for Super Bowl ad

Super Bowl commercials are big business, with multimillion-dollar 30-second spots and productions that seem to get more costly and elaborate every year. General Motors bucked that trend by giving independent film makers the opportunity to make their own 60-second spot, with the winner having their ad played in front of an estimated 110 million viewers during The Big Game.

Long Island, New York resident Zach Borst is that winner, and his first place entry is available after the jump. Borst decided to show what would happen if a new graduate was given a brand-new Camaro convertible as a graduation present – except the grad is really getting a mini fridge. Sounds like a bit of a letdown to us, but Chevrolet marketing boss Joel Ewanick says the ad "clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits."

Hit the jump to read the GM press release and stay to watch the minute-long video.

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New York independent filmmaker created winning Camaro ad
Advertisement to air during Super Bowl XLVI


DETROIT – "Chevy Happy Grad," an ad submitted by 26-year old Long Island resident Zach Borst, will be aired during the telecast of Super Bowl XLVI, beating out submissions by independent filmmakers from around the world as part of Chevrolet's Route 66 Super Bowl ad contest.

The ads had more than 32 million total online views between December 22 and January 14.

"We asked filmmakers to depict life's journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way," said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. "When I saw Zach's spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can related to – expectation and reality. 'Happy Grad' clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits."

Borst's audience on Super Bowl Sunday is expected to exceed 110 million television viewers. "Chevy Happy Grad" was filmed on location near his home on Long Island during a weather window that offered Zach, his cast and crew only four hours to complete the project.

"My Dad was a cop and worked real hard to be able to buy his kids their first cars. They were used, but mine meant the world to me," Borst said. "Then I wondered what it would look like if I got a brand new Camaro? I mean, after all, who wouldn't want a Camaro as a graduation gift?"

Borst, an aspiring filmmaker, has been producing films since his childhood and founded his own production company, Goat Farm Films, based in New York.

During Chevrolet's Route 66 Super Bowl ad contest, filmmakers from 32 countries submitted 400 scripts and 198 films for consideration. "Chevy Happy Grad" and other ads from the contest can be viewed at Chevrolet's You Tube channel.

Chevrolet Camaro Information

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