Agency vet Barchou saw all sides

The Toronto advertising and commercial production community is mourning the loss of agency television producer Peter Barchou, a 28-year veteran of Young and Rubicam.

Barchou, who died last month of a heart attack at age 65, is remembered for his easy and honest way with people, listening skills, and ability to smooth over the kinds of conflicts unique to the advertising business. He kept a lower profile than other legends of the industry, but he was no less worthy of the title, say friends and coworkers.

By all accounts, Barchou was not your average agency television producer. His trademark Brooks Brothers suits and wing-tipped shoes stood out at the office, and few others spent their night playing jazz piano at Toronto bars.

But what truly set him apart was his ability to see all sides of the business, not just the production end, that made him special, says Gord McLean, director of account management at y&r.

‘He was involved in the creative end, built and managed client relationships, and probably launched more production careers than anyone else in the business,’ says McLean.

For more than half the 49 years y&r has held the Whitehall-Robins account, Barchou was the ‘linchpin’ holding the relationship together, says McLean. John Burghardt, Barchou’s longtime friend and former coworker, remembers his work with the Simpson family in an Anacin commercial for Whitehall.

Made them comfortable

The Simpsons, who, like the spot says, are a real-life family who run a small-town restaurant, were uncomfortable with the lights, cameras and chaos that make a shoot. Peter made them comfortable ‘just by talking,’ says Burghardt.

‘He was the key to making them trust how advertising worked, just by being a laid-back, honest, no-bullshit kind of guy.’

Barchou started at y&r in 1966. His characteristic straightforward approach to the job and genuine love for the industry didn’t change with the years. He had a remarkable ability to stay current with technology and industry trends, but who he was never wavered, says McLean.

‘He was truly a timeless individual. Peter personified a much kinder, gentler time in this business. You really understood through him what the good things were about this business,’ McLean remembers.

Part of what Barchou brought to his work was an eye for creative. Burghardt, who worked with him on projects for the Whitehall account at y&r in the ’70s, says if getting the job done was proving to be an incredibly difficult process, Barchou would go back and look for a flaw in the idea. ‘That proved to be a good check. His philosophy was, there’s always an answer.’

For some, the legacy of almost three decades of commercials he leaves behind is overshadowed by his mentoring of junior producers. Bette Minott, head of broadcast at Chiat Day; Winnie Alford, heading up her own company representing freelance producers, Second Unit; and George Archer, head of broadcast production at Ogilvy and Mather, are a few of Barchou’s protege.

Ability to listen

Another is Cynthia Heyd, comanager of broadcast productions at y&r, who was hired by Barchou in 1987. Peter had a remarkable ability to listen, says Heyd. As a junior producer with the usual number of bad ideas that come from inexperience, Barchou never left you feeling embarrassed, she says. ‘And he would take the punches for you if you got into trouble.’

Barchou’s charm was grounded in part in his ability to listen. It wasn’t listening in terms of waiting for you to finish your idea so he could interject his. It was genuine interest in what you had to say, says Heyd.

‘He taught me to listen, to be able to see things from all sides. He had this ability to bring out the diplomat in you.’

Some of Minott’s fondest memories are of Barchou sitting down at the piano keys and playing his rendition of Satin Dolls. In the early years, he played at the old Windsor Arms Hotel, and most recently at Phil’s Tavern and Louis Janetta’s Place.

‘He was just such a class act. His understanding and treatment of people never changed. He was so consistently Peter,’ says Minott.

Barchou retired from y&r last September without the grandiose bells and whistles that herald other industry icons, but it was in his nature to keep a low profile, says Burghardt.

‘Peter didn’t try to impress people. He did it without trying.’

Barchou is survived by his wife Leslie Holmes Barchou of Toronto and his brother Tony Barchou of Connecticut.