Kiel Mead’s career centers on the design community and the platforms he has shaped to highlight the creative output of other designers. In 2008, Kiel co-founded the American Design Club to encourage and promote the efforts of emerging designers by partnering with museums, retailers, and curators to create showcases for designers and the process of design creation. Since then the AmDC has become a representation and consulting agency for brands looking to grow their business. Kiel's own product designs can be found worldwide.

The American Design Club (AmDC) was conceived in the spring of 2008. At that time, America’s relevance in the design world was being questioned, with some postulating that US-based designers would never be as influential or productive as their European counterparts. Kiel knew he was surrounded by talent and ambition in his fellow American designers, from close friends to former employers to recent design school graduates. All that was missing was an avenue for these designers to share their work with a broad audience. The AmDC's founding members resolved to improve the situation by creating a platform from which designers could launch new ideas and connect with one another.