CARTHAGE, N.C.,None — Sawyer Frye has taken a big step toward his goal of becoming a filmmaker.
The 22-year-old recently took the top prize in a nationwide contest sponsored by McDonald's to promote its McRib sandwich.
He is the son of Sammy and Sandra Frye of Carthage.
Frye came away with $10,000 and a trip to Germany - the last country in which the McRib has remained a staple on the McDonald's menu.
The sandwich is periodically offered in the United States.
It was about three weeks ago that a McDonald's spokeswoman called to tell Frye the good news.
"I was just stunned," Frye said in a phone interview from Raleigh.
"I was kind of at a loss for words. I didn't realize what she said. I had to check a couple of times to make sure."
Frye, a graduate of Gray's Christian High School in Sanford, learned about the contest when he was online. The contest was aimed at a marketing campaign with "The Legend of McRib" theme, according to entry rules posted online.
"The judges are looking for a compelling story or adventure that best exemplifies the excitement a McRib fan feels," the rules said.
Hundreds of the videos, which had to be less than two minutes in length, were submitted, according to Tara Hayes, McDonalds program manager.
Frye had an idea.
"I thought the last McRib would be the most epic of stories," he said.
Thus was born "The Ultimate Legend of McRib."
It's a story of a man, played by Frye, on a search for the last McRib sandwich and finding it buried beneath a tree.
After recovering the sandwich, the man ponders what to do with it.
The video ends with the man taking the McRib into a McDonalds.
"Sawyer's entry was unique, imaginative and fun," Hayes said in an e-mail. "He clearly enjoyed making the video and truly exemplified what a legend entails."
It took about two weeks to film and edit the video, which is one minute, 59 seconds long.
It was an extremely low-budget project, Frye said. He shot the scenes in Moore County and had a friend who helped.
"You have to work with what you have," Frye said. "You try to make it the most realistic you can make it. I knew I had to make it look like I really was on a search. I just knew that it would have to happen to make it believable."
He found the accompanying music online and submitted the project.
Frye plans to use some of his winnings to upgrade his video equipment and to have for spending money on his trip to Germany.
He's working on an arts degree and plans to be a professional filmmaker.
"I have a few ideas for short films planned," Frye said. "Eventually, I would like to do full feature independent films."
Watch Frye's "The Ultimate Legend of McRib" winning submission video below: