Last edited Mon Mar 23, 2020, 01:11 AM - Edit history (1)
The article notes that "Sanders also imagined a third organization, described broadly as a political ad agency, that has not materialized."
If you look at Open Secrets, Sanders campaign has paid close to $12 million to Aisle 518 Strategies:
https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/expenditures?id=N00000528
What is Aisle 518 Strategies? It is political ad ageny and it was formed by a close Bernie Sanders associate:
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/14/bernie-sanders-campaign-2020-election-1098795
Tagaris, a member of Sanders inner circle who was expected to be part of any 2020 campaign, is known as a trailblazer in small-dollar fundraising. Now the owner of Aisle 518 Strategies, he has been running Sanders email program and digital advertising. Curran, in addition to working on Sanders 2016 campaign, was the Democratic National Committee's email director during the 2018 midterm cycle.
Asked about their future roles, Tagaris confirmed that, along with him and Curran, who is now vice president of digital strategy at Aisle 518 Strategies, his firms Hal Irish and Saron Olkaba have also pledged to be part of any 2020 Sanders campaign.
https://aisle518.com/about-us/tim-tagaris/
Tim Tagaris, the owner of Aisle 518 strategies, served as the Digital Fundraising Director for Senator Bernie Sanders historic 2016 presidential campaign that set records by raising $218 million online with an average contribution of just
$27.
So, as noted in the OP, it seems like Bernie did help for a political ad agency, and his campaign is now paying close to $12 million to a new political ad agency formed by a Bernie associate, his former Digital Fundraising Director.