Meet Our Founder
| Meet Our Founder - Angela King |
THE STORYA influencer in the world of professional cheerleading, Angela has made her mark on the industry. In 2022 she was honored as a charter inductee to the NFL Professional Cheerleader Hall of Fame, honoring her years as a pro cheerleader, NFL cheerleader director/coach, and the continuation giving back to the world of cheer. Known as the Queen of Sports Fashion, Angela was honored with the "Sports Fashion Innovator" award by Lux Magazine. Sharing her journey through dance, cheer, NFL and the sports industry is a highlight for Angela. You can hear her story by clicking these links for recent podcasts. Business Under Fire "Dance has always been a huge part of my life, beginning at age 3, dancing and performing is a part of my every memory." says Angela, founder of Angela King Designs, Inc. Angela, a self proclaimed “Studio Rat”, spent all of her non-school hours in the studio, learning and teaching. Summers were spent in Hollywood and Las Vegas studying dance under the best in the industry. During high school, she was a member of the dance/pom squad and in college she instructed songleading and dance camps for the United Spirit Association, teaching high school and college teams cheer and dance throughout the states of California and Texas. In 1983, at age 17, Angela stepped into the Professional Cheerleading world with the San Francisco 49ers "Gold Rush" Cheerleaders, where she was a member for 7 years. She cheered with the 49ers at three Super Bowls, each resulting in a win for the team and Super Bowl Rings for Angela. In a natural progression, Angela moved into management with the 49ers, and directed/coached the 49ers Cheerleaders for five years, which included two more Super Bowl Championships.
As a professional dancer, Angela appeared in TV commercials, toured the world with USO Celebrity Tours, and danced with some of the best... Paula Abdul, Patrick Swayze, and was a Kenny Ortega Dancer. Angela published the first book of it's kind for the professional cheerleading community. "There wasn't a resource available for aspiring directors; those who want to move from cheerleader or dancer into management. Now there is - I hope this book fills a void and helps dancers prepare for their transition into administration." says Angela of the reason she wrote the book. When asked why she started AKD, Angela explains, “When I was a cheerleader and dancer, I felt the need for a better costume. As a dancer, my costumes were made by people who weren't dancers, or ever a member of a team, let alone a professional dance/cheer team. I knew something needed to change. That’s why I started AKD. Dancers need costumes made by a dancer. It was important then and is still very important today.” In 2008, Angela realized the demand of the AKD Brand and she began to develop another label for the company, one that would reach a broader client base. Go Wild Wear was created by Angela and launched in 2009 to provide cheerleaders and directors with the most popular AKD house patterns and costumes. The goal was for the AKD brand to be available on-line for quick delivery in basic team colors and fabrics. In addition, Angela wanted Go Wild Wear to be a one-stop-shop, including everything a cheerleader would need for a costume or performance. Poms, warm-ups, work-out wear, audition costumes. In keeping with the fast pace of the industry, Angela works to bring new and different aspects to the now developed AKD Enterprises. Some of which include the creation of The Costume Lounge Club. The Costume Lounge brings industry information to the world of professional cheerleaders, dancers, and directors. It links together the community and shares updates on products, events, and advice stemming from the best in the industry. Currently, AKD has an in-house production facility and administrative staff available to assist customers with image and costume development. |
During that time, Angela co-founded the NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders and coordinated dancers for three west coast NBA teams and one other California NFL team. Also, Angela coordinated the cheerleaders for the NFL American Bowls in Germany, London, Spain, Mexico, and Japan. "Being a dancer and working with dancers comes naturally to me. It is something I love and believe in strongly."