Interview with Gabriel Tam

Tell us a little about who you are

My name is Gabriel Tam. I’m a Chinese American born in the 1980s, and I was raised in Tacoma, Washington. My parents immigrated to Washington as teenagers and met when they were young, which shaped much of my upbringing and perspective.

I grew up actively involved and working in churches and Christian nonprofit organizations, which instilled a strong foundation in service and community. Over time, I developed an interest in photography and marketing, eventually turning those into professional pursuits.

For the past decade, I’ve worked in the firearms industry, where I’ve combined my creative background with hands-on experience in a highly specialized field.

Why is celebrating our APA Heritage important to you?

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage matters to me because it connects closely to my family’s story and the path that shaped my life. My parents came to Washington at a young age and built their lives here, and that experience of navigating identity, culture, and opportunity is something I grew up with in Tacoma.

It’s also important because representation hasn’t always been present in the spaces I’ve worked in, whether in creative fields like photography and marketing or in the firearms industry.

Recognizing APA heritage helps bring visibility to those stories and shows there’s room for diverse voices everywhere.

What’s your ethnic background and what do you appreciate about your APA heritage?

I’m Chinese and my family is from Hong Kong. I grew up in Washington with a strong cultural identity at home, balancing my family’s roots while building my own path. Like many first generation kids, there was pressure to follow a traditional, stable route, but I was drawn to creating, building, and expressing ideas visually.

My APA heritage shaped my work ethic and perspective, especially in spaces where people who look like me are uncommon. Working in the firearm industry and building a brand like tamfamgram has allowed me blend culture, creativity, and a niche space in a way that feels true to me. Through design, patterns, and storytelling, I’ve been able to take pieces of my identity and turn them into something distinct instead of fitting a standard mold.

At the end of the day, I see this as intentional. I believe God has opened doors I wouldn’t have been able to plan for myself, and with that comes responsibility. Not just to succeed, but to represent well, stay grounded in my faith and background, and help create space for others who might feel out of place in similar industries.

What is one of your favorite firearms and why?

One of the most meaningful pieces I own is a green Geissele receiver set my wife surprised me with, and it’s one of the few gifts she’s been able to surprise me with. I’m usually quick to move through firearms as my interests evolve, but I made a decision early on that this one would be different. It’s gone through different builds and projects over time, but it’s always stayed a constant for me. More than anything, it represents the thought she put into it and a moment I don’t take lightly. No matter how many times it’s evolved into a different rifle, that receiver set will always hold its value to me.

What’s a top firearms safety tip you can share?

I’ve noticed a growing trend in firearm content where the focus is more on grabbing attention than handling things responsibly, and it’s been hard to ignore. Recently, I even saw someone representing a major brand pointing a rifle directly up his nose, which honestly caught me off guard in a bad way. I’ve also come across content at shooting ranges where basic safety rules are being ignored just for the sake of a photo. Stuff like that doesn’t just stay online, it shapes how people view the entire industry.

I think it’s important for people to care less about attention and more about doing things the right way, because careless behavior ends up misrepresenting everyone involved.

What’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever accomplished?

One of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished was building a brand and business in a space where I didn’t have a roadmap or many people to lean on.

Coming into the firearms industry from a creative background in photography and marketing meant I had to learn everything on the fly regarding sales and manufacturing, from product development to forming relationships to understanding an industry that’s very detail heavy and unforgiving when mistakes happen.

There were a lot of moments early on where things didn’t work, timelines slipped, or ideas just didn’t land the way I expected, and I had to keep adjusting without losing momentum.

At the same time, I was balancing life outside of business, including my role in church, marriage, children, while trying to figure out how to turn creative ideas into something real and sustainable. There were seasons where it felt like I was constantly learning through stress, especially when it came to managing expectations, working with partners, and trying to grow something that actually meant something to people, not just selling products. A lot of it required patience in a way I wasn’t used to.

On a personal level, I’ve always been more of an introvert, so naturally I tend to stay behind the scenes. But I’ve also learned that building something meaningful requires being accessible and relatable to people, especially when they support your brand. That meant stepping out of my comfort zone and being more present, more open, and more willing to connect.

I’ve tried to carry the mindset that every person who supports what I do deserves genuine appreciation, and in a lot of ways that’s pushed me to grow socially and become more intentional about treating people like friends, not just customers

What’s an exciting firearms-related project or initiative you’re working on?

This month is a big one for TAM as a brand, and honestly it’s been a long time coming. We’ve got collaborations lined up with Haley Strategic, December Customs, and Standard Co USA, all of which I’ve been working on since last year. Every Friday we’re dropping something new, and it’s not just about putting products out, it’s about finally bringing ideas to life that have taken a lot of time, patience, and trust to build behind the scenes.

The project with Haley Strategic hits different for me on a personal level. Almost ten years ago, I bought my first AR15, and it was the HSP Jack Carbine. Back then, I was just a customer who genuinely respected what they were building. Over time, that turned into small opportunities to contribute on the marketing side, working on content around their FlatPack and other pieces. One of the most memorable moments was when my wife surprised me with a trip to their Arizona facility for my birthday. Being able to walk through, see everything up close, and meet Travis Haley in person was something I won’t forget.

What makes this even more meaningful is how everything lined up. We realized we share the same birthday, May 8, and this year also marks the 10 year anniversary of their FlatPack. So we decided to release a collaboration featuring their new FlatPack X in our Tamography pattern on that exact date. It’s one of those moments that feels full circle in a way you can’t really plan. Going from being a fan to building something together on a milestone like that, it means a lot to me, and it’s something I don’t take lightly.

Where do you go for firearms news and culture?

When it comes to firearms news and culture, I mostly stay plugged in through Instagram and YouTube since that’s where things tend to move the fastest and where you can get a real sense of what people are actually doing. At the same time, I’m pretty selective about who I pay attention to. For more reliable information, especially around suppressors and industry updates, I trust sources like Silencer Shop, and when it comes to laws, I lean on local attorneys who actually understand the details and how things apply in real life. There’s a lot of noise out there, so I try to filter things through people and sources that have proven they know what they’re talking about.

What’s one thing you wish would change about the APA community?

I’m also heavily involved in the import car scene and car shows, and one of the things I really appreciate about the APA community, as well as those overlapping spaces, is how tight knit it can feel. There’s a real sense of family in a lot of it. People look out for each other, share knowledge, and build connections that go beyond just shared interests. Car communities like Namsayin will promote car cruises to international districts and meet ups in small business areas to support and promote the overlooked and avoided places. That part of it is something I genuinely respect and value.

At the same time, I think one of the challenges is how difficult it can be for newcomers to feel fully welcomed. Whether it’s in APA spaces, the car scene, or especially the firearms industry, there can sometimes be an unspoken barrier where people feel like they need to already know the right people or prove themselves before they’re accepted. In some cases, you also run into individuals who come across as gatekeeping, where there’s this attitude of “we’ve been here longer so we know better,” which can make it intimidating for someone just trying to get involved.

What I would like to see shift is more intentional openness toward new people coming in. Every strong community grows because someone was willing to teach, share, and make room for others. I think the culture gets better when experience is used to bring people in rather than separate them. The best parts of these communities already show that, and I’d love to see more of that mindset carry across the board.

Bonus Question: What does it look like to leave a real impact in the spaces we’re part of, beyond just building a name for ourselves?

For me, it comes down to creating things that last longer than a trend and treating people well along the way. Whether it’s in the APA community, the car scene, or the firearms industry, I’ve seen how easy it is for things to become surface level or competitive in the wrong way. The impact that matters most is the kind where you helped someone feel included, gave someone a chance, or built something that opened doors for others.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it’s just about what you accomplish, but what you contribute to the people and communities around you while you’re doing it.