Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Tom is a Lecturer in Humanities in the Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities.
His research interests include the study of online fandom, audience and reception studies, and the cultural, economic, and political concerns of the UK videogames industry. Tom is currently writing a monograph on performance, promotion, and fandom within women's professional wrestling, considering case studies from the UK, US, and Japan.
Prior to working in IIH, Tom was a Senior Research Associate for CREATe, the RCUK funded Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy, contributing to Work Packages at UEA and the University of Edinburgh. Tom studied at UEA, achieving his BA and MA before completing his AHRC-funded PhD thesis (‘Fandom and Beyond: Online Community, Culture, and Kevin Smith Fandom’) in 2013.
Key Research Interests
Broadly speaking, Tom's research concerns the production and reception of popular media.
In terms of production his work focuses on the videogames industry in the UK, examining the contexts in which games are made and distributed, particularly at the independent level. This work is chiefly shaped by the input of industry professionals via interviews and workshop discussions. This has led to outputs examining issues affecting the contemporary sector such as cloning, free-to-play business models, cultural value, and transmedia planning.
Focusing on reception, Tom is interested in media audiences, particularly the study of fandom and fan culture. His work is frequently concerned with online communities and their responses to popular culture, and he has researched the new media contexts of a variety of fan cultures, including fans of professional wrestling, Star Wars, and Kevin Smith.
Research Group or Lab Membership
Tom is currently affiliated with CREATe, the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy, based at the University of Glasgow. CREATe is funded jointly by the AHRC, EPSRC, and the ESRC. He has previously contributed to two work packages, and is currently undertaking a literature review on the value of videogames tax relief.
Tom was also affiliated with the Tracking IP Across Creative Technologies project (TRI-PACT), based at the Universiy of Brighton and funded by the AHRC. He contributed to the videogames strand of the project, which broadly aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange across a cross-disciplinary spectrum of partners and stake holders, from film, broadcast, and games domains.
Teaching Interests
Now working primarily on the Humanities Foundation Year, Tom has teaching experience across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, including modules in Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, and the School of Art, Media and American Studies.
Current Teaching
Videogames: Theory, Practice, and Reception
Introduction to Visual Cultures
Previous Teaching
New Media and Society
Reception and Audience Studies in Film and Television
Film, Television, and New Media
Analysing Film and Television
Humanities: The Key Concepts
Creative Industries
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Investigating the 'Value' of UK Games Tax Relief
Arts and Humanities Research Council
2/06/14 → 22/09/14
Project: Research
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Scholarly grappling: Collaborative 'work' in the study of professional wrestling
Litherland, B., Phillips, T. & Warden, C., 27 Dec 2021, In: Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. 36, 1, p. 213-228Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile33 Downloads (Pure) -
Is this Progress? Punk, Participation and the (Potential) Radical Politics of British Professional Wrestling
Litherland, B., Phillips, T. & Warden, C., 2020, Professional Wrestling: Politics and Populism. Mazer, S., Levi, H., Laine, E. & Haynes, N. (eds.). Seagull Books, p. 119-139 21 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Simultaneously Laughing, Screaming, and Crying: Reacting to the Force Awakens Trailers
Phillips, T., 2019, Disney's Star Wars: Forces of Production, Promotion and Reception. Proctor, W. & McCulloch, R. (eds.). University of Iowa Press, p. 254-266Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Wovon sprechen Musiker*innen, wenn sie uber Copyright reden?
Street, J. & Phillips, T., 2019, 100 Jahre Copyright. Brion, L. & Diederichsen, D. (eds.). Berlin: Matthes & Seitz Berlin, p. 190-209 20 p.Translated title of the contribution :What do musicians talk about when they talk about copyright Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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“Angry False-Teeth-Chattering Mayhem”: Synecdochic Fandom, Representation and Performance in Mature Woman Fandom of British Professional Wrestling
Phillips, T., May 2018, A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies. Booth, P. (ed.). Wiley, p. 227-242Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
406 Citations (SciVal)
Prizes
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UEA Engagement Award for work with the Norwich Gaming Festival
Phillips, Tom (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Norwich Gaming Festival
Tom Phillips (Contributor)
2014 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Festival/Exhibition/Performance
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Fan Studies Network (External organisation)
Thomas Phillips (Founder)
2013 → …Activity: Membership › Network, Working Group or Professional Association
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Since 2013, Tom has helped organise seven FSN conferences, three of which were held at UEA (2013, 2015, 2016). In addition, under the FSN banner Tom co-edited a special issue of Participations journal, featuring work from members of the Network.
Thomas Phillips (Organiser)
2013 → …Activity: Other activity types › Other