The Bio's role in the presentation materials of the performing artist
Effective self-promotion is key to maintaining a successful career in the performing arts. We must be able to show and tell what we do on a fairly constant basis in order to get noticed and build on our successes. Among the essential documents in the presentation materials of the performing artist is the bio. BIO, short for biography, is written in prose (or narrative form) and introduces you as a performer. While the show aspect of your talent is displayed in your CD or DVD demo, and demonstrated in live and broadcast performances, the bio provides you with the opportunity to tell something about yourself and present your expertise and experience in a carefully thought out manner. A bio highlights your career accomplishments; it is not the place to explain the meaning of your work. Artist statements take care of that.
Who needs it?
All performers (including actors, musicians, singers, performance artists, comics, and dancers) as well as composers, choreographers, directors, playwrights, designers, and producers need bios. For the purpose of Columbia College's Portfolio Center's services, which include developing student websites and advising on the development of presentation materials, we will explain what the different types of bios are used for, and take you through the steps of writing the fleshed out, comprehensive bio, commonly expected in the performing arts industry.
Where to find examples of bios
Writing a bio can be a daunting task. The best way to acquaint yourself with this style of writing is to read samples from other performers. Read the bio pages of playbills, book jackets, and performers' websites. When you read the newspaper or a magazine, notice how the writer integrates biographical information about the musician/actor/dancer they are covering into the article.
A bio on a website has a distinct place in your presentation tools as it will be viewed in cyberspace; which means outside of your typical circle and network. In fact, as it can be seen all over the world, with proper placement in search engines, anyone can find you. This can ease the burden that comes with constant self-promotion and seeking work. Think of it as a way for the Googler to shop your creative catalogue. If you have product you'd like to sell (such as compact discs or books), want to show-off a film clip of work you've done, or announce a new project, this is a great and inexpensive way to do it. You have the opportunity here to say exactly what you want people to know about you and your style, not always the case when doing a live interview or introducing yourself over the phone. You want your bio to appear as specific to the artistic genre as possible and be chock-full of pertinent, fascinating facts about you. However, unless your Webmaster is on top of updating your bio frequently, your website bio should contain information that is not too date-specific. It should describe you and your work history, using general phrases like "due for autumn release" "in the past few years, he..." rather than, "The CD comes out tomorrow," or "this weekend she appears in Buffalo."
While the bio that appears on your website can cite regionally specific facts, it's best to broaden past your immediate city, if you want to work outside of your hometown. Rather than "She is a local favorite among Bostonians," saying "She is well known in New England," may work better. The bio, particularly the bio of a recording artist, television or film actor can also be more global in nature. In the Internet context, where pertinent, you want to refer to nationally (or even internationally) accepted artistic or popular terms for genres and styles of music, theater, dance, then perhaps make a specific local or connection for the reader. Such as, "A bright new force in the world music scene, Eduardo's music combines the traditional groove of reggae rhythms with the urban edginess of Chicago-style rap." Listing, highlighting, underlining the venue, label, ensemble or theater companies you worked with/for in the bio itself, and then linking the websites is an efficient way to get the reader to take your work seriously. Potential employers, CD customers and Web surfers in general, will often click on the link you provide and visit these sites. This helps you to appear legitimate in the cyber-cultural arts arena, and the more trafficked the sites, the more it reflects well on you! Once it's written, test your website bio with a friend of a friend who doesn't know you. Ask them to go to the site and see how you strike them.
Gathering the Facts
Getting started on the task of writing a bio can be so daunting that we often put it off until the eleventh hour and rush its completion. Allow enough time for yourself to write the bio, as you want it to read, doing it step by step and over time. When you've completed a draft, then step away from it and come back and read it aloud. Then show it to someone you trust to see if you've captured the story, as you want it told. Here's a simple process.
Some things to consider:
Using a FACT sheet
This is the thumbnail sketch of your background and recent accomplishments that goes in your promo kit. When you write it, pay close attention to describing your style and zeroing in on specifics. If you write a FACT sheet before you write your bio, it can help you prepare the bio more easily.
Recurring themes/descriptions:
You'll be surprised at how quickly an overall picture of yourself begins to emerge.
Look for recurring themes or descriptions through the various notes, articles and old bios. "Prolific songwriter," "often compared to..." "Fluid guitar style," "outrageous behavior shocked audiences" are the types of phrases you may come across. These recurrent little tidbits may be signs pointing to key passages in the new bio that you're writing.
*Note: This entry contains xxcepts from The Billboard Guide to Music Publicity, Jim Pettigrew, 1997, Billboard Books, an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, a division of Billboard Publications, Inc. at 1515 Broadway, NYC, NY 10036
A celebrated Chicago vocalist and cultural arts producer; Jamie is an established, award-winning performer with over twenty years of performance and recording experience, as well as the owner of J. O'Reilly Productions. Jamie also starred in and co-wrote Hello Dali: From the Sublime to the Surreal, a big box office hit at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater, which won two 2000 After Dark Awards for the Best New Work and Best Ensemble.
