Simon Tam

As the recipient of the Mark T. Banner award from the American Bar Association and the Hugh M Hefner First Amendment Award, Simon Tam may be best known for winning a landmark case at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2017. The case (Matal v. Tam) was named Milestone Case of the Year from Managing IP Magazine. His memoir, Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court was named "One of the Best Books on the Constitution of All Time" by BookAuthority and won an award for Best Autobiography/Memoir from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Tam’s work in arts and activism has been highlighted in thousands of media features across 129 countries, including: The New York Times, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NPR, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He is the founder and bassist of The Slants, one of the first all-Asian American dance rock bands in the world. He is also a co-founder of The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible for arts, activism, and civic engagement. Through his role as board chair and executive director of numerous nonprofits, he has helped generate over $500 million in philanthropic investments, passed bi-partisan legislation in numerous states, and mentored a new generation of leaders.

He has appeared at thousands of events across four continents as a keynote speaker, including TEDx, SXSW, Comic-Con, and INTA. Each year Tam speaks to Fortune 500 companies, universities, and many of the world's top leaders in law, entertainment, and education. He holds a world record for TEDx stage appearances and coaches numerous TED presenters.

Tam regularly consults world leaders and major organizations on policies related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, including Google, Amazon, Meta/Facebook, Pixar, Walmart, and Verizon. In 2016, Tam joined President Barack Obama, George Takei, Jeremy Lin, and other celebrities in the #ActToChange campaign to fight bullying. Tam has also worked with other music icons such as Jay Z, Killer Mike, and Chance the Rapper on legislative efforts to protect artistic expression.

As an artist, Tam has received numerous distinguished fellowships, residencies, and awards in the worlds of opera, theatre, and writing. Exhibits about his work are on display at the First Amendment Museum, National Constitution Center, The Wing Luke Museum, and Songsbirds Museum.

Tam believes that apathy is not compatible with love. His passion for ideas that combine arts and activism is evident in all of his work, from his music to his writing. He works to change the culture by transforming systems with an equity framework, all while holding down harmony and rhythm on the bass guitar.