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Mere Mortals power shift brings director home

THE original managing director of North East creative firm Mere Mortals has reportedly returned from a stint overseas to lead the recently-restructured business.

David Jeffries has returned to take on the role again from Steve Walmsley, who has now left the firm following its restructure to focus on its moving image work following ‘a significant deterioration’ of the group’s trading position over the last year.

Jeffries left the running of the Newcastle business in 2007 when he acquired another business in New Zealand as part of the group.Mere Mortals will now concentrate on the ‘moving Image arena’, with Jeffries looking to recruit for new key positions, according to trade publication The Drum.

In an interview with The magazine, Jeffries denied rumours that the company had entered administration, although he claimed that at one stage that was an option open to him, but one he had not chosen to take.“Moving forward we intend to focus on our core strengths,” he told The Drum.

“I have been involved in moving media since university some 20 years ago, firstly working in Leeds for what was then BOW TV then at Granada Manchester before moving to the North East. Mere Mortals has specialism in this area and I think our track record speaks for itself.”

Currently Jeffries is the only board director at the agency, but has said that this may change moving forward, while its service offering will include animation, editing and Audio Smoke, FCP, Avid, Pyramix, Maya and post production services.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .