As a tribute to the Taco Bell Chihuahua campaign that helped shape his love of advertising, creative director Brahm Finkelstein finally brought to life an idea he’d long hoped to make.
The result is ¿Taco Pizza, a 30-second passion project inspired by the iconic Taco Bell Chihuahua campaign that became a pop culture phenomenon in the late 1990s. Created with director Scott Drucker and longtime collaborators at Nimiopere, TA2 and Alter Ego, the film celebrates the advertising that shaped Finkelstein’s career.
The idea came together after Panago announced the return of its fan-favourite Taco Pizza for a limited time. Seeing an opportunity to put a twist on one of advertising’s most memorable taco campaigns, Finkelstein decided to finally bring the concept to life. With time between assignments and Drucker immediately on board, the project quickly moved from conversation to production.
“I was a teenager when the original campaign came out,” says Finkelstein. “My brother and I drove our parents crazy every time they asked what we wanted for dinner. That spot shaped me in more ways than one, and this was my way of paying homage to a formidable piece of my youth.”
The campaign stayed with him for decades, literally, Finkelstein still owns the Taco Bell Chihuahua T-shirt he bought as a teenager. After wrapping a series of freelance assignments, he mentioned the opportunity over lunch to longtime friend and director Scott Drucker. What began as a conversation quickly became a collaborative endeavour.
Production partners from Nimiopere, TA2 and Alter Ego donated their time and talent to help bring the spot to life. Finkelstein also cast himself and, in the film’s closing scene, his daughter, giving her a behind-the-scenes look at the business he’s loved since childhood. Even the canine star was recruited from Finkelstein’s local dog park—with no formal training, Finkelstein got the most he could out of the talent and supplemented the rest through prompts.
Finkelstein is currently available for freelance and full-time creative opportunities.
