ABOUT US
What This Is and Who It's For
A nonprofit created to support creative students and graduates
during the uncertain stretches between school, sustainable work, and beyond.
It Started with a Simple Question...
What happens to creative students after school ends?
Many graduate with talent, training, and motivation and then
find themselves suddenly without the structure, peer community, and
daily rhythms that once supported them.
The transition from school to professional life can be disorienting and isolating.
Momentum slows. Confidence wavers.
Too often, the paths of promising creatives quietly stall.
Not because of lack of ability, but because there is no place to stay connected
and in motion after graduation.
Fast Forward Collective was created to fill that gap.
From Observation to Action
Rather than trying to solve this with advice or pressure, we started small.
A pilot peer group brought together recent creative SCAD graduates and provided light structure, facilitated conversation, and shared accountability focused on
staying connected, honest, and moving forward together.
The impact was modest but meaningful.
Isolation softened.
Momentum returned.
People began showing up again
to their work, to each other, and to the possibility of what comes next.
Fast Forward Collective grew out of that experience.
Why this approach works
Peer groups are a proven way to navigate uncertainty.
They are widely used at senior leadership and executive levels because
they provide something advice alone cannot:
shared perspective, accountability, and steady forward motion.
Fast Forward Collective adapts this model for creative students and graduates,
not to direct careers, but to hold a container where people can
stay connected, grounded, and moving through a complex transition.
The goal isn’t to tell anyone what to do. It’s to make sure no one has to figure it out alone.
What This Is
A nonprofit community for creative students and graduates figuring out careers
A place to stay connected after school ends
Light structure, shared resources, and peer support
Free to join, with optional deeper engagement
What This Isn't
A job placement service.
A course or bootcamp.
Therapy.
Hustle culture.
Whose Behind This?
Fast Forward Collective was founded by Topher Wurts,
a longtime business leader, nonprofit founder, and father of
Zandy, a SCAD graduate with a BFA in Illustration.
Over his career, Topher has worked with peer groups and leaders
navigating growth and transition, and has seen firsthand how powerful
well-held peer environments can be during uncertain moments.
Fast Forward Collective is a volunteer-led effort rooted in
both professional experience and personal responsibility,
created to support creatives and the ecosystems that invest in them.
This is Your Invitation
Fast Forward Collective exists to help creative students and graduates to
stay connected, grounded, and in motion
during one of the most fragile moments in their professional journey.
Whether you’re a student, graduate, parent, school, or industry partner, you’re welcome here.
Free to join. No pressure. Leave anytime.
Join Here
Free to Join. No Pressure. Leave Anytime.
