Cheryl Denyer, also known as Chezzi, didn't like her name growing up as it was associated with middle-aged Aussie housewives or a character from the show Neighbours. She wanted a unique name and eventually, in her late twenties while working at Sunrise, her Line Producer David "Dougie" Walters gave her the nickname Chezzi which stuck ever since. Chezzi is married to Grant and they have two children, Sailor and Scout. They live on a farm outside Bathurst in NSW, which covers 27 acres.
Chezzi has a degree in Communications - Broadcast Journalism and Theatre Media. She has worked in various jobs, including at a local radio station in Bathurst, MC'ing jobs, and spruiking work with a Sydney-based company. Chezzi made her way into the Prime TV Newsroom during her time at university, working for free for nearly two years to make herself useful. She did anything from making coffee to sitting in on edits for journalists to writing stories. Chezzi landed her first job as a journalist working for Prime in Orange, but she soon realized that she wasn't cut out to be a journo. Her writing style was deemed too "conversational" and "humorous" as opposed to "factual" and "newsy."
Chezzi continued to work in the media industry, recording voice-overs for commercials and program announcements while also filling in as a host on radio shows. She enjoyed making up character voices and shocking people when they couldn't pick her voice. Chezzi even used this skill to trick people into thinking they had called the wrong number.
After completing her degree, Chezzi was offered a job at NSW Parliament House under the then-Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski. She assisted with writing policy and legislation and worked for three years for Member of Davidson, Andrew Humpherson. During her time there, she experienced a leadership spill where John Brogden took the reins from Kerry. Chezzi found the experience of being at Parliament House when it's sitting incredibly exciting, but when it wasn't sitting, she found it incredibly lonely. She sat a lolly jar on her desk to entice colleagues to call in for a lolly and a chat.
It wasn't very political, but Chezzi made lots of friends from both sides, and from all different positions from the top to the bottom – library staff, mail workers, Media and Policy Advisors – all because of that lolly jar. Oh, and credit should probably be given to Chezzi's office pet – a goldfish named Pedro, who, unbeknownst to Chezzi at the time, was illegal to have in Parliament House, and thus did not last long.
Chezzi eventually decided to leave Parliament and search for a job back in television. She studied television presenting and worked as a Cellulite Massage Therapist in a women's gym. After completing her course at TV ProGlobal, Chezzi was offered a job with them, helping train and place other aspiring TV professionals. She was later contacted by Channel Seven and began working as a producer on the News Chief of Staff desk. Chezzi loved her job and the comradery of the newsroom. She enjoyed directing journos and cameramen towards their stories and celebrating when they nailed the ratings. Chezzi even aspired to become a Chief of Staff in a newsroom.
During her time at Seven Newsroom, Chezzi was offered a casual role at Sunrise and quickly rose through the ranks to become a producer on the show. She and her team worked long hours with a tiny budget, but they loved every minute of it. Chezzi was dedicated to the show and the people she worked alongside. She even helped organise meet and greets with the hosts of the show and facilitated tours of the Channel Seven Martin Place studio for fans with terminal illnesses. Chezzi's empathy and compassion for people made her realise the power of television and how it can positively impact people's lives.
In 2010, Chezzi married her fellow colleague Grant and went back on the road as the Sunrise Weather team. They did this for a year until Chezzi fell pregnant with Sailor and became too sick to work.
Chezzi has had a variety of experiences throughout her life, from selling cars to working as a Kangaroo mascot. She doesn't fit into any mould and has seemingly dramatic experiences that led her to start her website and share them with others who can relate.
Now, Chezzi is a kind of housewife/ freelance producer/farmer, but most importantly, she's a mom to two spirited little girls who keep her on her toes. With Grant away more than he is home, things can be a little chaotic for Chezzi.
