Bio 101
No dissecting frogs in this class. Instead, we're dissecting YOU!
Who Are You?
I’ve discussed some lessons on showing the industry who you are in this awesome blog. It’s a great companion piece to this one. I recommend giving it a read (and a like, and a comment, and ten thousand shares!)
I love to tell stories. I love to tell stories about my friends, or about fun and exciting things I’ve done, but I avoid stories that express why I am who I am. That’s a problem for me, because strangers don’t care about what you’ve done unless you give them a why.
I have seen this note a lot in a script of mine. Give me something to latch onto for your protagonist. A goal is the ideal solution, but it needs to be something people support. If it’s not an ideal goal, then the audience needs to know the why of that goal. George Carranza from Seinfeld always had terrible goals, but his why was distinctly understood and people got behind it. Once people can understand, they can support the goal!
Still with me?
Keep it simple. No long backstory.
We as people will scoff at random people doing stupid things, but if we learned the full story, we may become incredibly empathetic instead. Knowing why changes everything.
This is true for your readers, and true for the people you meet on your journey. I thought a good bio would give the breadth of my accomplishments told in a slightly humorous way.
Joey from Roadmap Writers disabused me of that idea.
The Secret Language Revealed
I don’t have a lot of experience with Roadmap Writers. The experience I have is pleasant. Much like Stage 32, they are very embedded in the screenwriting community.
Actually, on that subject, Pitch House Media is coming into that space in a fun and exciting way, and I’m involved in more ways than one. They are doing mentorship programs that have some crazy perks to offer, and you know whom you’ll see every week, tired, disheveled, and manic? That’s right. This guy. (You can’t see it, but I’m pointing at myself with both thumbs.) Take a look, and if you want to know more, get in touch with me.
Interested in other excellent screenwriting communities? I haven’t had the chance to join the Screenwriting Brunch Club yet (my timing for Audrey’s class always seems to be misaligned), but I’m certain Audrey does exceptional work! I know some others are putting things together, and when they announce, I’ll keep you posted!
Right, back on topic! I met Joey at the Austin Film Festival 2025. He read a script of mine and sent it to a few agents / managers. He also told me that my bio wasn’t up to par. I had given him some boring chunk of writing that nobody would have been excited about reading.
So once I was able to, I booked a Bio Consultation. I wrote a new bio (one that was at least humorous), and sent it to Joey to see what he thought.
It was fine. It just wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do. It’s speaking a secret language I hadn’t learned yet.
A bio differentiates one writer from another… with that in mind, let’s talk about what differentiates you from anyone else.
Well, there’s your name, for starters, and where you’re from. What kind of scripts you write. That’s a big one. Do you write a bit of everything? If so, you might want to consider how you’re branding yourself. Anna Henry discusses this in my blog, take a look!
Beyond that, awards and programs and accolades are, unfortunately for us all, a dime a dozen.
They all read very similar in a bio, and that’s a problem. Instead, Joey advised me to get in and out of an accolade section as fast as possible.
Here’s what I was advised:
How my life shaped me to write what I write
My hookiest script, introduced with a small section on why I wrote it, followed by a logline.
The briefest accolades section
My second hookiest script, and the why behind it.
Something to close out. In my case, leave them smiling or laughing.
That’s so fascinating. This is lock step with what Carole wrote about in her book. This is how people connect with strangers the quickest.
It’s all about the why. What pains me most is you see this EVERYWHERE once you are aware of it.
Food Competition Television
I swear, that headline is related.
I don’t tend to watch cable TV. Once I was weened off ads, I found it impossible to go back. I’d rather not watch shows than watch ads. Nails on a chalkboard for me.
But when I do, I watch cooking shows. Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Next Level Chef, you get it. I love it. And there’s always small segments that teach us about the chefs. “My name is Olivia, and I became a chef because I loved coming with Grandma during family dinners! Now I run 17 restaurants on the west coast! If I win, I’m going to install a zipline course in my back yard!”
Who they are. Why they cook. Boom. Simple.
You see this EVERYWHERE. How did I never put this together when writing my own bio? Well we don’t know what we don’t know.
PS, my favorite “winning want” was a jet ski, and my favorite loss exit interview was “I made a turd.” People are hilarious. 🤣
That’s it for this week! Let me know what you think, and please comment and share to help my little blog grow!