Bios
Good Morning Everyone!
You may be wondering, "Wow. I have written this amazingly fantastic bios for the festival program but have no clue on who to send it to." Well, your question is now going to be answered.
I have set up sdfbios@hotmail.com for all of the festival participants to send their bios to. Just as a refresher, here are the requirements for the bios:
1. They are to be no more than 100 words in length.
2. They should be typed in Word format, if possible.
3. They are to be received by June 15. Bios sent after that date will not be included in the program.
If there are any problems, questions, inquiries or conflicts, email sdfbios@hotmail.com and I will try and get back to you.
Bryan
Stage Manager for 'The Taming of the Shrew'
posted by Bryan F @ 5/28/2005 09:13:00 a.m.
5 comments
5 Comments:
Bryan writing a bio is hard :( [I'm just so wonderful, how can I contain it within 100 words?]
Any tips?
Do you suppose you could post some sample bios, like from last year or something?
You ask, you shall receieve. Here is my bio from last year (66 words if you are counting).
Having recently completed his role as Jesus Christ in "The Mind of Heinrich Von Zuben" for the Hamilton and Ottawa Fringe Festivals, Bryan is thrilled to finally return to the brilliant work of William Shakespeare. Bryan would like to thanks his family, his fellow cast members and the thesaurus of Microsoft Word, as he would not be able to get through his days without them all.
In addition, I do have a document on how to write a good bio. Email me if you are interested in taking a look.
Before I get flooded with requests for the document, I figure I should just place it below...
Writing Your Bio
As an actor, dancer, musician, you usually get to and in most cases have to write your own bios and blurbs. There are many ways to write these bios, but some factors remain important:
• Write in third person
• List facts, not wishes
• Cite relevant experiences
• Belong somewhere
• Write tight
• Add a hook
Write in Third Person
People automatically give more trust to what is said of one person by another, than to what people say about themselves—even when they know the bio was written by the author. Elementary psychology, and used by everybody who needs respect. In addition, the third person creates a little distance that allows the reader to feel less intruded upon.
List Facts, Not Wishes
If you are an office assistant/barista by day and an actor by night, you are free to say so or refrain from doing so. You may also say that you only perform as a hobby, but don't bother to explain that you hope to be a full time journalist in the future—the reader is unlikely to be interested in your dreams at this point. Every superlative used in your bio will reduce the reader's trust in the objectivity of that bio, and hence of your material. Ie. Avoid using words, phrases, adjectives like the “the most sought after,” “world’s finest,” “…is an outstanding actor…,” etc. Do not lie about yourself in a bio—being caught in a lie is a major breach of trust and can do irreparable damage to your reputation.
Cite Relevant Experiences
If you have training in some field of dance, music, theatre, etc. then mention it. Any earlier experience in dance, music, theatre worth mentioning, be it performing in your school show, choir, dance performance or doing a lead role on television, or professional theatre. (Even if you haven't been paid for any work yet.) Once you have two or three references, you can stop; keep it down to a few good ones.
Belong Somewhere
If you are a member of any dance, music, theatre community, mention it. Many actors have found it useful to belong to a group for training, local or social purposes, but there is also the added benefit of having a reference of relevance to your craft. They know that others are able to give more information about you or get hold of you if need should arise. Do not state your religious affiliations, or those that are not relevant to your craft.
Write Tight
This is a good rule in all your writing, and particularly in your bio. The reader is checking out your bio only for a moment, and mostly only in order to estimate the value of your work. Write more than a few lines, and you have lost him.
Add a Hook
You should include one or two bits of information that help give your bio that extra little colour that will make readers remember your name next time you meet. Perhaps you can mention an unusual hobby, or something else that will twitch the reader's smiling muscles?
Keep your bio down to one small paragraph, write honestly and to the point, and you will have a pretty good chance of being remembered.
Copyright © 2001 Terje Johansen
http://www.writing-world.com/general/bio.html
bryan; i found your posts helpful. thank you.
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