The Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice How Your Podcast Can Help Dismantle the "Minority" Narrative with Jerry Won - EP 117
Why is it so important for Asian Americans to keep loudly sharing their stories? Jerry Won launched Dear Asian Americans, an interview-style podcast, in 2020. He used this growing permissions-free platform to highlight the often overlooked and "unmarketable" stories of Americans from a vast range of backgrounds. Jerry's deliberate volume-based approach—producing 100 episodes in the first year—aimed to get as close to "sufficient coverage" of Asian American experiences as possible and led to cross-country work as a speaker and presenter.
It's impossible to tell every story, Jerry acknowledges in his conversation with Mary, since new ones are being created every day and everyone not featured on his show is just as worthy of sharing their life's account. His overarching goal reflects the significance many Asian cultures place on their ancestors, with a future-focused twist: by speaking up, he strives to be the kind of ancestor his kids will be proud to remember. Six years ago, Asian Americans faced backlash from the pandemic's supposed origins. Today, the tear down of DEI in the western world is another source of stifling. That's why Jerry encourages "minority" storytellers to get loud and not stop, "especially on days when the world is trying to silence you."
Raise your voice to tell as many diverse stories as possible:
- How permission-based media built barriers against diverse storytelling;
- The math behind the miscalculation of Asian American audiences;
- How Jerry wound up live-interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris;
- Navigating traditional familial expectations on an untraditional job path.
Links worth mentioning from the episode:
- Mary's interview on Dear Asian Americans: https://www.justlikemedia.com/show/dear-asian-americans/079-mary-chan-podcast-strategist-coach-and-host-organized-sound-productions-finding-her-voice/
Engage with Jerry:
- Listen to Dear Asian Americans: https://www.justlikemedia.com/show/dear-asian-americans/
- Learn more about Jerry's work: https://www.jerrywon.com/
- Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrywon/
Connect with Mary!
- Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email [email protected]
- Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
- Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
- To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
- Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
- Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions
Show Credits:
- Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
- Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
- Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
- Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.