Getting to know... Steve Grainger

In the latest instalment of Bdaily's Getting to know feature, which looks at the person behind the business profile, Steve Grainger, managing director of Newcastle-headquartered digital design agency Enigma Interactive, talks about his path into the tech sector, the thrill of working in teams to solve challenges and why he loves the North East...

We know you as the managing director of Enigma Interactive, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

This is the bit where I’m supposed to say, ‘I rise at 4am, spend an hour in the cryochamber, then head to the gym and have a light breakfast of wholegrains and pulses,’ right?

Sadly, I’ve nothing so inspirational to offer.

I’m firmly cut from the old-school ‘Northern bloke’ cloth, so at least have that trademark blend of optimistic cynicism — the kind that helps us get excited about what we can do to make each day special without worrying about conforming to the latest fads or trying to impress people we don’t care about.

Did you always want to work in tech?

I grew up when home computers like the ZX81 and BBC Micro were first becoming a thing – effectively year zero for the tech sector as we know it today.

Everything was much more basic: no mobile phones or internet (at least, not in the form we know now) but everyone at my school could sense this was the start of something special.

It was like the wild west: new computers and software appearing all the time, and everything was so accessible.

You could programme the computers directly, so everyone learned from each other.

It was basically punk for geeks; it was a very exciting time.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

The best thing is being able to surround myself with a team of brilliant creative people, who genuinely care about what they do.

Being in meetings where people are collectively working out how to solve a technical challenge, or create a new digital experience that outperforms what has gone before, is still spine-tinglingly thrilling.

The worst bit? Not being able to do any of the development myself anymore.

All our senior managers, who’ve come from that background, still reminisce about the days when they were coding.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Achievements in our sector are always team-based; you’re constantly relying on the contributions of others.

As an agency, Enigma has delivered many projects that have gone on to have a big impact, and I’ve been very proud to be part of some of those teams.

But none of that could have happened without the brilliant people I’ve worked alongside over the years.

How do you relax outside of work?

I tend to shun social media, preferring instead the more traditional form of social networking – a pint and a catch-up with friends.

I still play a bit of five-a-side (badly), and in recent years I’ve taken to doing park runs with my son.

My other son works away, so catching up with him is always a great opportunity for a weekend get-together.

Throw in the many events, festivals, gigs and nights out that the North East has to offer, and it’s easy to keep things fun.

What makes the North East such a great place to live and work?

We have clients across the UK and Europe, and whenever someone visits our Newcastle Quayside headquarters for the first time, they’re always blown away by how great the North East is.

We don’t shout about it in the way other regions do (and I kind of wish we did*).

We’ve got vibrant, lively cities; glorious beaches and beautiful countryside; world-class restaurants, bars and culture; great jobs, great people and so much to do.

The friendliness of the North East might be a cliché, but clichés usually come from truth.

It’s the authenticity of that friendliness that I see shine through time and again when people visit us from elsewhere in the world.

*Though perhaps part of the joy is that we don’t.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…

Two truths and a lie:

• I can still sing all the words to the 1980s Um Bongo advert, and will do so at every opportunity
• My life’s regret is that I can’t remember the rest of the 1980s advert that started with: Florida is horrider than Whitley Bay, there’s no McEwan’s Best Scotch in the USA…
• I once got very drunk with the former 1980s advert star ‘The Milky Bar Kid’ at Huddersfield railway station. Contrary to the myth, the Milky Bars were not on him. He did, however, get his rounds in.

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