About Us

Andrea Burton

Andrea came to Vancouver in 1996 after a lengthy stint studying, living and working in Russia and Eastern Europe. Within a few months, she had accepted a full-time position at CCNMatthews, one of Canada’s premiere newswire services, and began working her way up to Operations Manager of the Western Region. When the Government of British Columbia beckoned in 2002, Andrea made the jump to Government communications.

As one of BC’s senior government writers, Andrea has written speeches, reports and communications strategies for politicians, public servants and various government departments. She has managed media relations, event planning, issues management and long-term projects such as communications related to labour negotiations and the implementation of a new health profession.

Keenly interested in politics and the world around her, Andrea can often be seen poking around on news sites, political sites or cheering on various politicians during question period. Under her own byline she occasionally writes human interest stories or columns for various magazines and journals.

What's a Babelzebra?

A babelzebra is an entirely mythical creature, so you needn’t fear one will sneak up and steal your bologna sandwich. The name was chosen for a variety of reasons:

1. Babel – We have always been intrigued by the idea that initially human beings spoke a single, original language. As the mythical root of all language, Babel is perhaps one of the best publicized communication conundrums of all time. Too bad we weren’t around to write them a communications strategy!
2. A babelfish is a fictional species of fish in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams, that can instantly translate any language to any other language. Handy! To take the story one step further, after man uses the babelfish to ‘outlogic’ god, he goes on to try and prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing. The irony is too good to ignore.
3. Zebra personalities are individuals who have a strong sense of right and wrong; love debate and enjoy forming friendships and relationships with those that hold diametrically opposing views. Zebra’s form opinions after deliberate and logical consideration and are known for their sharp wit. We appreciate these traits.
4. Zebra crossings actually have very little to do with zebras. You see them every day as you cross the street – the black and white pedestrian lines, like the ones on the cover of the original Beatles, Abby Road album. Necessary for the safe and effective movement of both cars and people, but not intrusive. Sort of how a good communications team works to get your message out.

Our goal was to choose a name that was unique, humorous and attention-getting. There are a lot of excellent communications companies around, but there aren’t many who approach communications with creative, innovative, fresh ideas and a willingness to work collaboratively with clients. Communications is a serious business and a pivotal part of the functioning of your organization. At Babelzebra we take care of the details, you take care of your business.