Producer Hopes Commercial Airs During the Super Bowl

A Wayne resident is looking to go to Super Bowl XLVIII but not in the way you might think.

Mike Leonard is a director and owns his own production company, Over the Edge Productions. He entered a commercial in Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest. Two grand-prize winners’ submissions will be aired during the Super Bowl XLVIII broadcast Feb. 2

Leonard studied television production at William Paterson University. He took a year off at 19 after his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and worked to help the family pay bills.

Leonard became a producer at MTV. He was offered full-time jobs at MTV and NBC but passed on them.

“I decided, if I’m going to take a risk now is the time to do it so I decided to go for it,” said Leonard, who is also a volunteer fire fighter with Company 2.

He took a loan out and founded his own production company in 2005. He has produced content for MTV and the Discovery channel and directed and produced commercials for Coca Cola and Gary’s Wine and Marketplace.

Leonard spent the summer out in New Mexico filming a new western-themed scripted television series.

Leonard’s used, with the help of the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department and the First Aid Squad, the Passaic County Fire Academy on Oldham Road to film a series pilot on extreme jobs.

Leonard shot the Doritos commercial at his production company's Pequannock office. It features zombies and a plane crash. If the commercial wins Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest. In addition to being broadcast during the Super Bowl, the grand prize winners will receive $1 million each, and attend the game. They will also join the crew on the set of “Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

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