During February’s live broadcast of the Super Bowl, millions of Americans tuned in to watch the game and the commercials.

Unbeknownst to the viewers, however, 60 percent of those television advertisements were on some level produced with the help of graduates from Midtown’s Creative Circus.

The unorthodox design and advertising school is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month.

“We operate almost nothing like a school,” said co-founder and Executive Creative Director Norm Grey. “We operate more like the industry. When these kids go out into the world, this is what they’re going to see.”

With a two-year program, students come from all levels and backgrounds to earn a certificate in design arts or advertising while building a respectable portfolio. When the doors opened in 1995, the school had 100 students. Now, it boasts 230.

“The goal was to become a great school where people were able to learn the commercial arts or design arts, directing and copyright by people that actually work in the field,” said school co-founder and freelance headhunter Carol Vick.

The faculty is comprised of industry professionals who mostly continue their jobs outside of the school.

“Because we have all this real-world experience, we try to simulate that in the classrooms,” said Berwyn Hung, the school’s program chair for the design department.

Ms. Vick said she credited the success of the school over the years to its model of putting students first.

“We seek to create the most avidly sought-after graduates,” she said. “If we create the best possible graduate, then that is the best business model.”

Grey stressed that even though the classes are intensive and demanding, the school’s goal is to help develop each individual.

“There’s a certain sense of nurturing,” he said. “We don’t just destroy a kid if he’s not talented. We nurture the student.”

Recent graduate Rich Ford came to the school after receiving his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Colorado in Boulder. He received a job offer before he even finished school.

“It was kind of a self-actualization thing. The school really fostered the raw creativity I had and helped me channel it into a practical and marketable direction,” he said. “It’s allowed me to go from no chance of getting a job at the smallest ad agency to be able to walk in and get a job at one of the best agencies in world.”