[2][3] Born to American parents in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, Knotwell spent most of his childhood in Southern California, near San Diego.
In December 1997, Knotwell moved to Utah and enrolled as a summer visiting student at Brigham Young University.
In March 2012, Knotwell announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Utah House of Representatives.
In the November 2012 general election he won the popular vote and was designated representative-elect until taking office on January 1, 2013.
Knotwell lives in Herriman, Utah, and works as senior vice president of global sales at Nuvi.