Trump Confidante Turned Tell-All Memoirist Adds 'Ad Agency President' to His Resume

Cliff Sims is far from the average ad industry executive. For one, he is currently suing his own former employer, President Donald Trump, for allegedly using the Trump 2020 campaign organization to "improperly seek retribution against" him, according to The New York Times. He has also been the subject of a Twitter rant from Trump thanks to the publication of his best-selling memoir, "Team of Vipers," which details his experience working in the White House. That suit came several days after the Trump organization promised to sue Sims, claiming he violated an NDA by writing and publishing the book. While he is hardly the first administration official to exit in a very public way, Sims did set a precedent in pursuing legal action against Trump, despite the fact that people familiar with his career told Adweek he remains "well connected with many of the key players in Trump's administration and family." Now he has added a new title to his portfolio: advertising agency executive. Yesterday, Birmingham, Alabama-based digital shop Telegraph Creative announced that Sims would be joining the agency as its new president and partner. [kickout id="1"] Politics is not new to Sims. While attending the University of Alabama and serving as the chair of its college Republican group, he founded Yellowhammer News, a locally focused site with a conservative bent that started as a blog before Sims decided to expand its mission to "report the news stories that matter and to place Alabama in a more positive light." Media personalities such as Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham have since cited the organization's work. He continued to work in state politics, running Yellowhammer and hosting a daily radio show. According to a writeup about the memoir on his own site, Sims used that influence to support Donald Trump's run against Hillary Clinton, later joining the Trump organization in the campaign's final months and quickly becoming "a trusted ally of the soon-to-be president." Adweek's sources said he was "an early advocate of using social media for Trump," earning the candidate's personal attention before being hired as a communications aide in the White House. So why did the agency make this unconventional hire, and what does it mean for clients and employees? Politically speaking, Birmingham is an anomaly as a blue dot in a deeply red state. The city's African American mayor Randall Woodfin, for example, has expressed his support for Colin Kaepernick. [kickout id="2"] Telegraph's leadership told Adweek that Sims' appeal stemmed from his unusual experience—and its potential applications for both current and future clients. "Talent isn't partisan," said CEO Kevin McLendon. "Some of our clients and potential clients have found it fascinating to interact with someone who worked in the West Wing, or that they saw on The Late Show or CNN and MSNBC, but ultimately they want Cliff working on their account because he's a world-class talent. He built one of the most successful state-based digital media companies in the country prior to working in politics." Agency clients include Shipt, a grocery delivery service that was acquired by Target for more than $500 million in late 2017. It also co-hosts Sloss Tech, described as one of the Southeast's largest tech conferences; past speakers include Endeavor CMO Bozoma Saint John along with executives from Google, Twitter and more. [kickout id="3"] "One extraordinary thing about working in the White House is the people you meet—one day it’s Elon Musk and Tim Cook, the next day it’s the King of Jordan, the next day it’s special forces soldiers preparing to deploy covertly to some dark corner of the Earth," said Sims. "I was able to learn how people at the top of their field operate at the highest level, with the highest stakes. That experience will be applicable to whatever I do for the rest of my life. I also learned a lot about leadership and management, both good and bad." Regarding more specific experiences, he added, "I had an up-close view of whole-of-government digital transformation initiatives led by the White House, which exposed me to the opportunities and challenges of technological innovation for Telegraph’s enterprise clients. I built the messaging for policy initiatives that impacted every single American, an experience that will benefit our brand strategy and communications clients. And I dealt with some of the most difficult PR issues imaginable, which will benefit our clients who are concerned with reputation management." None can deny that Trump remains a highly polarizing figure. But Adweek's sources said the memoir reveals Sims was not always completely loyal to the president, and the very connections mentioned above could lead to more new business opportunities even as some companies may potentially take the association into account when considering where to fill their marketing needs. Another important point: Sims is neither as widely known nor as controversial as current and former administration officials like Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway or Stephen Miller. For now, Sims' hire has inspired conversations around the collision of Alabama's political and marketing industries while providing Telegraph with more press hits than at any previous point in its 8-year history.