Trained as an investigative reporter by Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reporters and Klanwatch founders, Forrest studied journalism, international business and German studies in the U.S. and Germany. Prior to his present position as an open source/visual investigations reporter with NZZ, Forrest worked as a consultant to governments and multinational corporations in corporate intelligence, foreign direct investment, and marketing.
His open source investigative (OSINT) work has been cited in the Washington Post, The New Yorker, HuffPost, USA Today, The Guardian, Axios, The Independent, Bloomberg, AP, The Daily Beast, MSNBC and two best selling books "Hold the Line" by Michael Fanone and "Sedition Hunters" by Ryan J. Reilly. Forrest is featured in numerous documentaries and podcasts, and he has appeared as a subject-matter expert on CNN, NPR, ZDF, SRF, Sveriges Radio and other news networks.