Vale Legendary TVC producer Cheryl (Chez) Gough: “Australian advertising has lost one of its very best and a central figure of Australian advertising’s golden age.”

Many in the Australian advertising and production industry will be saddened to hear that legendary tv commercial producer Cheryl (Chez) Gough has passed away in Sydney.

Chez started her career in advertising in 1969 in the production department of Fred Schepisi’s Film House doing everything from casting to propping.

In the late 70s she joined The Campaign Palace, Melbourne when it was a cross between a jeans store, a tropical island and a rock concert, as its letterhead stated at the time. Account service was her first role until a TV Production department was set up. Over the nine years at the Palace she worked with just about every major creative person in Australia.

In 1986 Chez, along with fellow producer Kare Godsell, teamed up with newly arrived British director and DoP Iain MacKenzie to form The Commercial Picture Makers, a hugely successful Sydney-based production company in the late 80s, early 90s.

The company churned out a blitz of highly innovative commercials for Ted Horton and Chris Dewey, including Dine, Cointreau, Qantas ‘Keel’, Holden ‘Love It’, and Faberge Jeans.

As word got out about the hottest new production company in town, they went on to shoot Candy Shoes, AMLC ‘Dinner with Tom Cruise’, Sportsgirl and Antz Pantz for The Campaign Palace.

In March 1988 Kare Godsell left to produce for former Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney ECD Ron Mather, forming Mather Godsell, leaving Chez as sole producer of The Commercial Picture Makers.

In 1990, when the ATV Awards polled the industry in search of the Best Commercial of the last 20 Years, it was Antz Pantz that won.

Some work from The Commercial Picture Makers that featured in a Campaign Brief article in 1989

Good friend and Palace chairman Lionel Hunt emailed this tribute:

“Chez joined The Palace from Fred Schepisi’s Filmhouse, and became a firm favourite as an account executive, later agency producer.

“I used to call her Czarina, for no particular reason other than there was a C and a Z in her name and she had a vaguely Imperial air about her.

“After a great career at The Palace she joined the hilariously funny director Iain MacKenzie and helped the Palace even more by producing such memorable commercials as Antz Pantz ‘Sic, em Rex’ and many others.

“A striking red head with a wicked smokey laugh Chez was greatly loved by all who knew her.

“She spent her last years on Dangar Island up the Hawkesbury River in Sydney and got a seat on the local council, no doubt knocking them into shape.

“She is survived by her son Beau and deeply missed by everyone who knew her.”

Ron Mather sent us this tribute:

Chez was very special lady.

I have many fond memories of Chez, both as a producer and a good friend.

Chez was a great producer and always managed to make working a lot of fun, which is one reason she was so popular at the Palace.

As Lionel said, Chez will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her.

I’d like to say RIP Chez, but I’m not sure Chez enjoyed resting.

Will miss you Chez.

X

Ian Watson, former flatmate and colleague of Chez at The Campaign Palace sent in this tribute:

I met Chez when I started at The Palace in 1978 at 155 Cecil Street. She was probably the first fully functioning hippy I’d ever met, and who says hippies can’t have fast cars and expense accounts.

I learned some wonderful life’s lessons from her in quite a short amount of time:
1. If you’re going to be religious, be a Buddhist – buddhists have more fun and are allowed to stay up late.
2. Never get fussed when things go wrong, as fussing will only make things worse, and then the whole wretched thing will be your fault
3. Write everything that must happen after a meeting in a big book and tick things off when they’re done-there’s nothing as satisfying in life than ending the week with a book full of ticks
4. If you’re organising an agency Melbourne Cup party in the Flemington car park, make sure you book 2 Rolls Royces – 50% of Rolls Royces break down and never make it- and have full agency cheque signing rights for vital expenses . Actually a dozen handfuls of hundreds for out of pockets would be even better.
5. If the clapped out ex-Australia Post van you’d organised – with most of the Palace’s creative department on board – catches fire driving through the night from Alice to Uluṟu, keep calm, stop van, extinguish flames, start van and continue. If the bush around the van catches on fire keep driving and don’t worry – wildfires are rare in the desert and look after themselves.
6. If you move into a new house with the new owner, grab the biggest bedroom and tell the owner to live in the attic
7. Always be kind to red haired women – they’ve suffered enough.

Farewell Chez – and may your world be eternally full of your much loved Ida Rentoul fairies.

Sarah Barclay, co-creator of Antz Pants and Candy Shoes, sent CB this tribute: 

“Chez was a wonderfully relentless and formidable producer who it was my absolute pleasure and privilege to have worked with. It was a great period of ad making and Chez helped keep it magical.”

Ted Horton sent in this tribute:

In the late 70’s and early 80’s Cecil Street, South Melbourne was the epicentre of Australian advertising.

At one end Chez shared a house with Ian Watson.

Across from Ian and Chez was Jack Vaughan. A bit further down was Ron Mather.

Opposite Ron lived Lionel Hunt.

And occupying the street’s most prized Victorian mansion was The Campaign Palace.

That’s where you’d find other luminaries like Tony Stewart, John Turnbull, Chris Dewey – the list just went on and on.

But at the very heart of it all was Chez – often arm in arm with her great friend and colleague, Kare Godsell.

The work Chez produced was the very best of the very best in the very best time of Australian advertising.

Later, when she established The Commercial Picture Makers with fellow producer Kare and director Iain Mackenzie, the standard of work bearing Chez’s name never waivered.

Like many of my peers, the work Chez, Kare and Iain produced for me was invariably much better than the scripts
I ever presented them, and for that I’m forever in their debt.

A lifelong devotee of Buddhism, it’s not surprising Chez spent her latter years surrounded by nature, or that she was
active in helping make her community a better place to live.

I imagine for many reading this, news of Chez’s passing will be the first time they’ve ever heard of her; but believe me, Australian advertising has lost one of its very best and a central figure of Australian advertising’s golden age.

My sincere condolences to Beau, Kare, Chez’s family and many friends.

Vale Chez.

Horton: “The work Chez produced was the very best of the very best in the very best time of Australian advertising.”

In 2019 Chez was invited to attend the inaugural Campaign Brief All-Time Dream Team Legendary Lunch in Sydney for many of the original creative legends of the 70s and 80s.

Chez (right) with good friend Jo Shorrock