Nearly every year since 2005, graduates of the University of Northern Iowa have given back to the next generation of media professionals by being a part of Fast Forward Digital Media Workshop. This annual event features a keynote speaker and numerous panels discussing all things digital media from cinematography to social media. This year’s event was held on Oct. 27 in Lang Hall.

Fast Forward was the brainchild of several faculty members including former professor Ronnie Bankston, and College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences dean John Fritch, who was a department head at the time.

“The thinking was that we have a lot of incredibly talented media alumni — what if we brought them back on one big day each fall to lead workshops in their areas of media expertise?” said Chris Martin, professor in the Department of Communication & Media.

As media technology has evolved, Fast Forward has evolved with it to ensure attendees are getting current, relevant information about the industry. However, the focus of educating students on how to use digital media to tell well-crafted stories for a particular audience has remained the same.