Hello beautiful people!
Let’s beef up our bios!
Seriously, creative storytellers hate writing about themselves almost as much as they hate talking about themselves. I should’ve known I was never gonna make it as an actor! Because I think writing about Bonnie Gillespie and talking about Bonnie Gillespie are two of the most exciting and interesting things out there. 🙂 The only thing better is being Bonnie Gillespie. Man, I’ve got it good!
You? You do too; you just may not realize it yet. Or maybe thanks to this course you’re beginning to suspect it. Yay, you! Let’s lean into your #BigOl5 enoughness as we do some bio-writing.
First off, your bio is not your life’s history; it’s a brand-reinforcing platform from which you’re launching a relationship. Those who read your bio should feel intrigued enough to want to learn more about you. Period. That means you don’t give it all away! Especially if you learned in Day 39 that you do best when leaving a bit about yourself undiscovered or even undiscoverable, you really don’t want to word-vomit and call it a bio.
I’m going to give you a preflight checklist now and I don’t want you to rush to download it, use it, and call your bio done. I want you to really understand the purpose of your bio, take a stab at it, work it out over time, and then run everything through this preflight checklist.
Remember your bio’s goals: Create or deepen the understanding of who you are as a storyteller. Have a tool out there that attracts the collaborators with whom you’re most aligned. Launch a relationship. Inspire confidence that you’re ready for that next-tier opportunity.
Note that we’ve seen it all. There are clichés you must never use (see the preflight checklist). There is a rich history of when you first became inspired to follow your dreams… which we don’t need to be made aware of. Ever. There are tricks we know by heart. There are templates you may have paid for that we recognize as templates. There is a lot of your WHY that you feel we want to (or need to) know… and honestly buyers don’t give a poop about your passion for acting, your drive to be a storyteller, your reason for living being connected to your ability to do this job in life. Don’t get me wrong, all of this is great fuel for your endurance in this industry, for setting your boundaries, and for choosing what lights you up in life… and exactly none of that granularity needs to dominate your marketing materials.
Here’s a shocking truth that’s almost too simple to be true (but it’s totally true): Pretty much everything “wrong” with your bio can be fixed by reading it aloud. In front of others. Having others read it aloud to you. Workshopping it like you would a script, many times heard aloud before being handed off to the higher-ups.
That just struck terror in you, didn’t it? Isn’t it interesting that something that’s meant to represent us beautifully to the public is something we’re nervous to ever have anyone see or hear?!? Crazy!
But hearing it aloud, feeling yourself roll your eyes over experiencing certain words and phrases, allowing for the reaction you have when you become a consumer of your marketing materials all helps you discern the difference between the stuff you hate hearing because (like most creatives) you hate writing about yourself and the stuff you hate hearing because (like even a Bonnie Gillespie would feel about her own bio-writing) you recognize what’s not working. Dispassionately. Objectively. Lovingly.
Oh, please give your baby bio so much more love and support — nurturing it as it grows over time — so that it can perform beautifully for you out there in the world! Weave in words that in and of themselves support your brand umbrella. Look back to the work we did on Day 47 to see how word choice can make a big difference in how information lands. Have fun with this!
Today’s work: Write up a bio. Or two or even three! Don’t be afraid to have different versions of your bio for different buyers. Create ones of different lengths, try third person if first person feels too casual, use your logline as a starting point and your brand umbrella as a guide. Drop breadcrumbs down the path for how buyers are meant to cast you next with your every word, with the rhythm you choose, with your very style. Check your spelling, punctuation, and grammar! Once, twice, a third time, and a fourth. Read it aloud. Have a friend read it aloud. Self-tape as you read it aloud and post the footage for feedback.
Don’t stress about this. Invest some time. Tap away your emotions about any irrational bio-related fears you’re carrying around (Day 25). Breathe. Enlist the help of your friends (Day 52). And work this out with us so you can feel more excited by writing about yourself than ever before! It is possible. I promise! I wasn’t born loving writing about myself as much as I love it now. It’s a process. It takes time. Give yourself that time. But get started (Day 48)! You’ll thank me.
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
