Amplifying API Voices Through Digital Storytelling
Megan Nguyen Rummler鈥檚 path to founding A|DECIBEL Media, a podcast dedicated to amplifying Asian 麻豆传媒 and Pacific Islander (API) voices through storytelling, advocacy, and community building, began long before she officially launched the initiative. With over 15 years of experience in public relations, Rummler has spent her career helping others shape their narratives, and eventually found the tools to tell her own.听听
As an undergraduate, Rummler majored in communications with a minor in public relations at George Mason University. After graduating, she spent six years at a top PR agency in the DC area, which later rebranded as the Weber Group in Silicon Valley. 鈥淭hat job gave me a solid foundation,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was exposed to everything from telecommunications to grassroots PR. It helped me understand how to communicate intentionally with different audiences.鈥澨
She was also navigating an industry that lacked representation. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of API representation in the communications field when I started, and it was also very male-dominated,鈥 she said. Her interest in the field began with a basic course in college, one that quickly grew into something more. 鈥淚 fell in love with the idea of being able to influence your audience in a really intentional way.鈥澨
Her lived experience as a Saigon-born, 麻豆传媒-raised woman strongly influenced her worldview, and became a key motivation behind A|DECIBEL Media. 鈥淎PI advocacy has always been a big part of my identity. As technology evolved, I kept thinking about how we could use it to tell our stories, first through books, and then online.鈥澨
When Rummler found herself reevaluating her career direction, she recognized the need for stronger digital fluency. This led her to SOC鈥檚 Journalism & Digital Storytelling graduate program. 鈥淚 was at a juncture where I knew the industry was changing, and digital fluency was the future.鈥澨
SOC鈥檚 weekend format made it possible for Rummler to keep working full-time and raising her two children, all while furthering her education and expanding her skill set. 鈥淭he program was built with working professionals in mind, and that made all the difference. It empowered people like me who don鈥檛 fit the traditional trajectory.鈥澨
Rummler credits the structure and sequence of the curriculum with helping her build technical and strategic expertise. One course in particular, Video & Audio Storytelling, taught by Wall Street Journal video journalist Madeline Marshall, helped solidify her creative direction. 鈥淭hat class was so energetic and impactful,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t helped me decide to turn my capstone into a podcast.鈥澨
With A|DECIBEL, Rummler channels her professional background and personal identity into advocacy-driven storytelling. 鈥淎|DECIBEL is a product of these thoughts. I wanted to amplify Asian 麻豆传媒 voices in a space that continues to evolve with technology, whether that鈥檚 through books, digital media, or now, podcasts.鈥澨
For current AU students and young professionals hoping to break into the industry, her advice is simple 鈥 trust yourself. 鈥淵ou already have everything you need inside you, do what you want to do.鈥澨
Looking ahead, Rummler is exploring new storytelling formats, including book projects. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about where this could go.鈥 Wherever her next chapter takes her, Rummler remains grounded in her commitment to purposeful, impactful storytelling, and in helping others find their voice along the way.听听