Amplifying API Voices Through Digital Storytelling
Megan Nguyen Rummler’s path to founding A|DECIBEL Media, a podcast dedicated to amplifying Asian American 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.
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. “That job gave me a solid foundation,” she said. “I was exposed to everything from telecommunications to grassroots PR. It helped me understand how to communicate intentionally with different audiences.”
She was also navigating an industry that lacked representation. “There wasn’t a lot of API representation in the communications field when I started, and it was also very male-dominated,” she said. Her interest in the field began with a basic course in college, one that quickly grew into something more. “I fell in love with the idea of being able to influence your audience in a really intentional way.”
Her lived experience as a Saigon-born, American-raised woman strongly influenced her worldview, and became a key motivation behind A|DECIBEL Media. “API 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.”
When Rummler found herself reevaluating her career direction, she recognized the need for stronger digital fluency. This led her to SOC’s Journalism & Digital Storytelling graduate program. “I was at a juncture where I knew the industry was changing, and digital fluency was the future.”
SOC’s 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. “The program was built with working professionals in mind, and that made all the difference. It empowered people like me who don’t fit the traditional trajectory.”
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. “That class was so energetic and impactful,” she said. “It helped me decide to turn my capstone into a podcast.”
With A|DECIBEL, Rummler channels her professional background and personal identity into advocacy-driven storytelling. “A|DECIBEL is a product of these thoughts. I wanted to amplify Asian American voices in a space that continues to evolve with technology, whether that’s through books, digital media, or now, podcasts.”
For current ĢƵ students and young professionals hoping to break into the industry, her advice is simple – trust yourself. “You already have everything you need inside you, do what you want to do.”
Looking ahead, Rummler is exploring new storytelling formats, including book projects. “I’m excited about where this could go.” 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.