The Frank Bolden Urban Multimedia Workshop was created to introduce teens to journalism and inspire talented participants to consider careers in the field.

The workshop aims to help lead to increased diversity in newsrooms, where African-Americans are underrepresented.

Workshop students gain hands-on experience in online news, media blogging and social media management, TV broadcasting, podcasting and visual arts (photography, videography and web production).

Members of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, who are reporters, editors, website managers, photographers and videographers for local media outlets, donate their time to the workshop as instructors.

PBMF member Chris Moore founded the training program in 1983 as the Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop. In 2017, the word "journalism" in the name was changed to "multimedia" to reflect the workshop's increased digital focus.