Dr. Terry Lam has been teaching at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other higher education institutes for over fifteen years. He has 20 years of experience in creative media practice and received his Ph.D. from RMIT University at the School of Design and Social Context. He is building his research path on creative practice that focuses on action narrative and creative practice development. He also participates in immersive media and interaction for creative practice research projects during the time in the meaningful game research center joint venture by Microsoft and the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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Dr Terry Lam is a film scholar-practitioner, educator, and scriptwriter.

Dr. Lam Wai Man Terry BFA(HKAPA) MDes(HKPolyU) Ph.D. (RMIT, Melbourne) now Dean of the School of Film and Television at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, has been teaching at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other higher education institutes for over fifteen years. He served as Acting Dean of the School during 2024, and his appointment as Dean took effect on 27 January 2025. He has 20 years of experience in film and digital entertainment creative practice.

Since 2007, Dr. Lam participated in the game industry and leads the industry research projects in immersive media and interaction for creative practice research projects during his time in the meaningful game research center PlayLab at the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

From 2010 to 2015 he was a founder and brand strategist at Co&Co Design Strategy, a Hong Kong design consultancy. He led the branding and marketing communications team for Philips’ in-house premium audio, beauty and home appliance brands, oversaw package design across more than thirty products and fifty regional adaptations, and led brand and marketing projects for L’Oréal, Ralph Lauren travel retail and the InterContinental hotel group in China. The studio’s channel identity revamp for Channel V won international branding awards.

From 2013 to 2016 he was based in Seoul as an AR and VR content strategy consultant with AsiaPD and FIX Korea, while remaining a partner at Co&Co. He led a national project with FIX Korea on virtual, augmented and mixed reality theme park content, planned brand strategies for digital entertainment content for five Korean city governments, and curated China–Korea joint venture theme park and e-sports projects. He returned to Hong Kong in 2016 as a Teaching Fellow in the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, before beginning his Ph.D. at RMIT University’s School of Design and Social Context.

Earlier in his career he supervised more than ten Hong Kong action movies in VFX production, and he has written eight screenplays, including the Hong Kong movie box office record broker ‘A Guilty Conscience’. His full filmography lists the credits in detail.

Dr. Lam is building his research path on creative practice focusing on action narrative and innovative development of action cinema and immersive media. He also participates in the curriculum development of the Digital Media programme in PolyU and the Cinematic Arts and Technology programme in THEi.

His Current Practice

Recognition and Service

His Research

The Transformation of a Practice in Hong Kong Cinema from Visual Narrative to an Action-Narrative Approach
(2022)
Lam, T. (2022), “The Transformation of a Practice in Hong Kong Cinema from Visual Narrative to an Action-Narrative Approach”, RMIT University, Australia,
https://doi.org/10.25439/rmt.27598650

Face mask effects during COVID-19: perspectives of managers, practitioners and customers in the hotel industry
(2021)
Kong, A., Oh, J.-E. and Lam, T. (2021), “Face mask effects during COVID-19: perspectives of managers, practitioners and customers in the hotel industry”, International Hospitality Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IHR-07-2020-0025

Investigating Customer’s Perspective in Service Quality Management
(2019)
Kwan, M., Lam, T & Kong, A. (2019). Investigating Customer’s Perspective in Service Quality Management, MOJ Current Research and Reviews, ISSN: 2641-9297
https://doi.org/10.15406/mojcrr.2019.02.00056

Delivering 3A’s Authentic, Attentive and Affective Service Quality Management
(2019)
Kwan, M., Kong, A., & Lam, T. (2019). Delivering 3A’s Authentic, Attentive and Affective Service Quality Management, American Journal of Tourism Management, ISSN:2326-0637
Published as “Strengthening Affective Service Quality Management”. The publisher’s site is currently offline.

Promoting Green Living by The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change in Hong Kong
(2019)
Kwan, M., Kong, A., & Lam, T. (2019). Promoting Green Living by The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change in Hong Kong, International Journal of Marketing Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, ISSN:1918-719X
https://doi.org/10.5539/ijms.v11n2p55

Game design principles for China
(2009-2010)
Co-investigator, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Projects General Research Fund

Viral reality technology with storytelling technique for efficient fight drug education enhancement for teenager
(2008-2010)
Project creator and co-investigator, the Hong Kong Beat Drug Fund

Using brain waves for game
(2009)
Project creator and co-investigator, collaborative project with NeuroSky (USA), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University ITRS Fund

Neuro-feedback technology interactive platform for ADHD treatment
(2008-2009)
Project creator and co-investigator, Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund

Game development technologies for efficient CG animation and CG visual effects production and live-action film pre-visualization
(2007-2009)
Project creator and co-investigator, Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund