Case Study

Josh Vander Vies “Born without Limits”

Challenge

A first-time candidate, Josh Vander-Vies came to us as a successful Canadian Paralympic athlete and lawyer born with no arms and no legs. We helped his campaign grow awareness for his brand of politics, one that refused to be defined by limits. He was to be the candidate that would champion accessibility, tackle mental health stigma and address the housing crisis.

Process

We worked to project an image for Mr. Vander Vies which demonstrated his excellence in paralympic sport and juxtaposed this with his strong drive to succeed in the professional world as a lawyer. As a new political candidate, we focused entirely on making him the centerpiece, by using medium and close up shots. Burrard Strategy worked to convey his relentless focus when faced with adversity and portrayed him as someone with familiarity to the issues that mattered to Liberal voters in his riding – housing, homelessness, mental health stigma and the opioid crisis. Everything from the shot selection, locations, and music was designed to illustrate a candidate that refused to be defined by what he can’t do. We built awareness and trust for a candidate with no previous political experience. While he did not win, he has established himself in the community as a unique, talented leader and someone with clout for future political aspirations.

Outcome

	Narrative Development: Introduce first-time candidate
	Political Strategy: Build brand recognition for future political aspirations
	Content Creation: Campaign Launch Video