[6] After financing his education at the University of Florida by buying the exclusive right to sell advertising for the yearbook, Leigh became a top salesman for a sign company in Birmingham.

In 1929, he moved to New York and got a job at the General Outdoor Advertising Company, but quit in 1933 to strike out on his own.

A Camel billboard blew smoke rings from a steam generator,[9] while one for Kool cigarettes featured a blinking penguin.

The Coca-Cola sign at Bryant Park gave an ever-changing weather forecast (featuring a house and pictures of sun, rain, snow, etc.)

Leigh also lent his talents as a consultant for outdoor displays and spectaculars to Freedomland U.S.A., a New York City theme park, during its 1960 debut.