Official Biography

Simon Tam is an author, musician, and troublemaker.

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.

Simon’s work in arts and activism has been highlighted in over 3,000 of media features across 129 countries, including: The New York Times, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NPR, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. His work has been documented in over 200 books and is taught in classrooms across North America.

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 Simon 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.

Simon regularly consults world leaders and major organizations on policies related to creative expression, intellectual property, and the Asian American community, including Google, Amazon, Meta, Pixar, and Walmart. In 2016, Simon joined President Barack Obama, George Takei, Jeremy Lin, and other celebrities in the #ActToChange campaign to fight bullying. Simon 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, Simon has received numerous distinguished fellowships, residencies, and awards in the worlds of music, theatre, and writing. Exhibits about his work are on display at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, First Amendment Museum, National Constitution Center, The Wing Luke Museum, Songsbirds Museum, Oregon Historical Society, and Portland Chinatown Museum. His groundbreaking opera, Slanted: An American Rock Opera, was widely acclaimed and is now featured on the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame library.

Simon 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.