Rockford East grad produced a Super Bowl commercial hit. Just don't call her a rock star
If you got a chuckle from the Workday "Rock Star" commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, you can thank former Rockford resident Seng Rimpakone.
Rimpakone, a Los Angeles resident and a member of advertising and marketing firm, Ogilvy, produced the commercial.
The 60-second spot is for Workday, a financial and human resource software vendor. The ad features heavy rockers like Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Paul Stanley, and Gary Clark Jr. who all take exception to "corporate types" calling each other "rock stars."
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Rimpakone, who still has family and friends in Rockford, said she has produced countless commercials in her career, but called the Workday commercial one of her favorites.
"I grew up in the 80s and 90s. So, this was a dream production to be able to work with these icons," said Rimpakone, a 1989 East High School graduate.
The commercial was a three-day shoot, Rimpakone said, and was produced on time and on budget.
"It was such a great concept and so much fun to produce and I love the creative leadership from my team over at Ogilvy," she said.
Rimpakone studied advertising at Augustana University, but learned the trade from the ground up by working for an ad agency.
As an executive producer she oversees virtually all aspects of the commercial including seeking a director, a production company, editors, music, casting and visual effects.
"Pretty much everything to complete the project," she said.
It's not like the words "rock star" are trademarked, but Rimpakone said even she and staff members had fun taking the commercial to heart and were careful not to toss around the words "rock star."
"We came up with things like 'MVP' or 'rock supernova,'" she said.
Producing the star-laden commercial for a Super Bowl audience was not a first for Rimpakone.
"I've been on other shoots with celebs as well as other Super Bowl commercials," she said, "but this one happens to be a little hard-hitting, and it's also my favorite."
Rimpakone also produced commercials that aired during the 2019 Super Bowl for McDonald's featuring comedians Ken Jeong and JB Smoove.
Other celebrities she has had the pleasure of working with include Jennifer Garner in a Capital One "What's in your wallet?" commercial, Patti LaBelle in an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield commercial as well as Mary J. Blige and Patrick Warburton.
For more information about Rimpakone and her "furry babies," visit hellogoodwork.com.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford resident produces Super Bowl commercial
