Patrick Lam

Patrick Lam is the founder and CEO of Munky King, a designer toy company with a flagship store/gallery on Melrose and a production arm that makes toys with top-flight contemporary pop artists and its own branded products.

Armed with a USC film school degree, Patrick set out to make his first feature by renting a quaint storefront to serve as a location and production office in LA's Chinatown in 2002. A year later, with the lease expiring and the film still in development, Patrick opened up Munky King as a front to keep his landlord happy and the film dream alive.

To his surprise, the shop was an instant hit because it was the only place in SoCal where people could see designer toys in person. Artists discovered it as an open and inviting space to exhibit their work, and thus Munky King began hosting art shows. Filmmaking took a backseat as business was booming, and Patrick expanded to a second location on Melrose to hold larger exhibitions and reach a wider audience. With a growing roster of artists, Munky King took the natural step to license their work and design and produce their own line of designer toys. Munky King now ranks as one of the top toy companies in the collectible market, producing high-end vinyl, platform toys (Omi), giant fiberglass sculptures, and other design objects.

This 8 year detour into the world of designer toys has come full circle, as Munky King is now developing animation projects with its artists. Patrick is happy that he can now tell his mom that he didn't go to film school for nothing. He lives in LA with his wife and co-owner Chanda, and their two art toy-obsessed kids.