Where will your BIO be read? Each place your bio lives can be written to fit.
For an About Me page on your website and your business Facebook page? This bio should be full of your personality. A fun read for fans. Sure, it needs to include about your current work but needs to have some scoop from the past, from what you like to do when not acting, from other related or not related creative outlets. Get down the pen and write like you are sharing with a special new person in your life. Tell them about you. Yes, you should write this yourself. Be creative for a starting draft. An editor can tidy it up or maybe tell you yup all good. Enjoyed reading about you.
For your IMDB page and LinkedIn page? This bio should supplement the viewer’s experience which started with all your credits. Highlighted the known as credits again is a good start and should be updated every time you change your known as credits. Adding some interesting this and that about you and your life outside of acting is a great addition in the IMDB bio. Less personality from your creative sharing from your About Me page, maybe or not. Could be using the same bio everywhere that is one style of show and tell about you.
For Wikipedia? This bio is factual and each credit linked via a verification resource reference process. Best to have one or more paragraphs similar to your main long bio along with a listing of all the credits or highlights of your favorite credits. Important to keep it organized for the viewer.
For a theatre program? This bio is shorter to fit on the theatre program. Often you are given the amount of words or characters not to exceed. Highlights of your acting career is what the theater audience member will enjoy knowing as well how you pass your time outside of acting.
Basically, you should have a long form bio and a short form bio. In addition to the above main 3 bio placement areas: About Me, IMDB and Wikipedia, there are many websites that will add your bio and photo(s). By having your main short and long form bio writtend and always updated, you will always be prepared when interviewed or when hiring a publicist.
When hiring a bio writer or writing it yourself be ready with the following:
1. Any previous bio(s) you have written about you. 2. Your most current resume(s). 3. Demo reelsof all your work with specialty skills and maybe add a personality video. Could be from your website, your showmymedia.com page or your actorsaccess.com page. 4. The completed “More About Me” questionnaire below.
Remember to title your bios:
firstname lastname bio-short month date year
firstname lastname bio-long month date year
If you are shy about writing your own bio, ask your reps or your talent updater to help you find a bio editor/writer.
While you are in the bio writing mode – get your pitch points written for your manager to use when pitching you to an agent, producer or casting director.
Use this list of questions to help you gather information for your bio writer. After answering all these questions, add your ending thoughts that came up but did not fit any of the questions. More the better for you or your bio editor/writer to use.