FROM computer games to television programmes, animation and broadcast company Mere Mortals is helping to turn the region into a centre of technical expertise.

As a result, its managing director, David Jeffries, and technical director, Graeme Love, have seen the business, based in Pink Lane, Newcastle, grow from two staff to 13 in five years.

They now have plans to increase that to 25, and open offices in New Zealand, which would turn Mere Mortals into a 24-hour operation, within the next two years.

Mr Jeffries, 37, said: "When our staff in Newcastle are going home at the end of the day, staff in New Zealand are just going into work.

"By opening a New Zealand office, we would be able to work around the clock. The beauty of e-mail and the Internet is that we can pass information from Newcastle to New Zealand, and vice-versa, securely, which will speed up the work we do.

"It is also a bit of an ambition of mine to live in New Zealand. It is a country with a population of around four million, which is roughly around the same as that of the North-East."

It is easy to see why the pace of life of New Zealand, where traffic congestion is virtually unheard off, would appeal to Mr Jeffries.

Born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and brought up in Holmfirth, home of BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine, Mr Jeffries prefers the pace of country living to that of the city.

He said: "I am not married at the moment, and do not have any children, so the time is probably right. My girlfriend is also keen on the idea."

Mr Jeffries believes that Newcastle and New Zealand have other similarities.

"Both places could be kept afloat by technology. The North-East has seen the demise of its traditional industries, with a move to new technologies seen as a way of creating the jobs of the future.

"New Zealand is similar. It is building its reputation on film-making, which has been enhanced by its involvement in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A future remake of King Kong is also being filmed there.

"The lifestyle is not dramatically different to ours, but the pace of life is a lot easier. Labour rates are also cheaper, with wage levels around two-thirds of those of the UK."

Mr Jeffries studied fine art at Cardiff University, but moved into video capture and graphics.

He said: "A man came to see my end of year show and was so impressed with my ideas that he gave me a card and told me to contact him. He was involved in television graphics."

As a result, Mr Jeffries found himself working in London, before a move to Manchester, and Granada television's graphics department.

"From there, I was poached by a client and from there I was poached again by one of their clients," said Mr Jeffries.

"That brought me to the North-East, where I eventually made the decision to work for myself, and with my business partner Graeme, we formed Mere Mortals."

Mere Mortals prides itself on its ethical approach to business.

Mr Jeffries said: "We try to be ethical about everything we do. We pay on time, and expect to be paid on time.

"We try to take on staff from the local community, to provide sustainable and professional career options for local graduates.

"More business in this region needs to be proactive in their efforts to attract new graduates, retaining their excellence in the North-East.

"Each member of the team makes a vital contribution to the business, and we have an open environment which enables them to understand their own contributions and those of their colleagues.

"We also encourage a flat reporting structure, where any member of the workforce can report directly to me to tackle issues, or simply seek advice."

As the reputation of Mere Mortals continues to spread, its impressive client list also grows.

During the past year, big names including the BBC and Japanese games developer Phoenix Games have turned to the company.

Its client list reads like a who's who of the broadcast and gaming industries, with Tyne-Tees, Liberty Bell, BSkyB, Granada, Sony, EA Games, and another local software development company, Eutechnyx, all satisfied customers.

In September last year, production company Zenith North commissioned Mere Mortals to produce a new title sequence for its children's drama, Byker Grove.

That followed the success of one of its employees, earlier in the year when Anth McGrath was awarded the title of best digital image designer by the Royal Television Society, for his work on the title sequence of Jools Holland's Piano.

"Turnover at Mere Mortals reached £1m last year, a landmark that has instilled a new feeling of drive and ambition among all those working here," said Mr Jeffries.

"As we continue to enjoy an enormous amount of success, plans are already in place to identify ways in which the company can improve, and offer its clients an unrivalled level of service."