March 27, 2017

Meet Michael & Kathy Knowles of Knowles Karate Academy in Central Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael & Kathy Knowles.

Michael & Kathy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We’re calling this our Act II. My wife Kathy and I have both had relative success in our professional careers: me, as an actor/writer/ director/producer, and Kathy as a fashion designer. Kathy became (in her early 30’s) the youngest of the Top 200 Senior Executives at a Fortune 50 company, and I have worked with Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actors. The film business as well as the fashion industry are acquired tastes and we were both ready to move on from those industries after having spent almost half of our lives in it.

We aren’t young and we aren’t old, which our 4 1/2-year-old son, Logan, reminds us of every day. We wanted to provide a healthy, supportive, positive environment for Logan to learn and grow up in, and were also very interested in having a space that can help build and contribute tangibly to a community. Since I am a 4th degree Black Belt and have had much experience teaching adults and children over the years, we felt opening a Karate School was a good move, especially as both Kathy and Logan were interested in training as well. Eight months in, we’re thrilled with our progress: the neighborhood has embraced us; the enormous positive energy & support we witness amongst the students as well as from the parents; and friendships that have developed amongst everyone. Things keep growing and we keep growing along with it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We already own and operate two other successful businesses (Dragonbaby Productions / Atlas Camera Support) so we were familiar with what was required to get something off the ground quickly and smoothly. As with most new businesses, getting the word out without incurring high marketing expenses is always a challenge.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Knowles Karate Academy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Knowles Karate Academy is a Martial Arts School. Our main offering is Korean Karate, but we also have 5 other programs: Yoga, Tai Chi, Women’s Self-Defense, Jiu-Jitsu and Kids Creative Movement/Dance.

The primary focus of all our programs is to provide a way for students to find inner peace and happiness through developing a healthy mind/body relationship, building self-confidence, and getting in touch with their authentic self. We believe that a respectful and positive environment encourages students to learn and grow and motivate them to do their best.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We plan to offer acting, writing and directing classes in the near future at our studio and the long-term plan is to be able to open more locations throughout Los Angeles.

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