Not getting any query responses? Your writer bio might be the problem.
I wish we lived in a world where your screenplay could speak for itself. Alas, that is not the case, so here is a breakdown of how to effectively pitch yourself as a writer alongside your material.
As a screenwriter, the best way to get someone to read your script is to have your agent send it to them alongside a list of your recent, impressive credits.
But if you don’t have an agent and you don’t yet have impressive credits to point to, your bio needs to paint an enticing picture of your abilities and perspective as a writer.
As a literary manager, I help my clients craft their bios, and I pitch my clients to producers using this biographical information.
I also receive dozens of query letters every week from hopeful potential clients, so I know what kinds of information in a bio is enticing to me.
Based on this data, I’ve put together a list of elements your writer bio should include.
But first…
Let’s talk format:
Your Writer Bio should be one paragraph, pasted into the body of your email.
When querying, don’t including any attachments. Busy agents and managers never read these. They will quickly skim your email to determine whether to respond.
This is why it’s important to know what information will make you stand out.
8 Elements of an Effective Writer Bio
Element #1: Introductory Teaser
In your query email, your goal is to capture the reader’s attention as quickly as possible and make them interested in reading more.
This means your Subject Line should be something interesting and appealing about either your project or yourself. If it’s about the project, the second sentence in your email should be something interesting about you, ideally relevant to the project you’re pitching. (The first sentence in your email should be pleasantries in which you talk about the recipient and why you are reading out to them personally).
Here’s an example from a recent query I received:
Hi Audrey,
Love your substack—thank you for such an invaluable resource!
I’m a former client of [REDACTED] (also a Jen Grisanti alum like you!) and I am seeking new representation for my latest project—
This writer’s Introductory Teaser highlights a few important pieces of information:
They know who I am and have researched my online presence before reaching out.
They have previously had representation.
They have taken classes with a writing instructor whose advice I recommend.
This alone isn’t enough to make me request the script, but it does give me some confidence that this writer has relevant industry experience and isn’t some random newbie who just finished their first ever script and now wants a manager.
It’s worth continuing to read the email and see what they have to offer.
Element #2: Most Recent Accomplishments
After you give the logline for your project, the next paragraph should be a complete bio of your writing and non-writing background.
Start with the most recent and relevant accomplishments first. Then work backwards (like how you would format a resume).
Relevant recent accomplishments can include:
The show you recently staffed on.
A web series you recently published.
A film festival you recently premiered in.
1-3 of the most impressive, most famous screenplay competitions you have recently won or placed in.
A fellowship you recently participated in.
An entertainment industry job you are currently working in (or have worked in).
A film set you recently volunteered on.
If you don’t have any of these industry-related kinds of accomplishments, I recommend doing whatever you can to get out there and earn at least one of these.
In the meantime, put any other writing or professional experience in the first couple sentences of your bio.
Element #3: Impressive Acclaim (Be selective!)
When someone requests your script, you can also attach a PDF of your full resume.
You might also consider creating a personal professional website with a list of accomplishments and links to your work. But for your writer bio, the goal is to keep it to a short paragraph of the highlights. Therefore, you don’t need to list all the rewards you have achieved or scripts you have written. Just the most impressive, most interesting, most attention-grabbing.
Pick 1-3 competition wins, tops.
If you have worked on multiple movies or TV shows, pick the most famous ones.
Element #4: Creative Background
After you list your most recent accomplishments, you can paint a picture of your creative journey.
How did you get started? Have you taken classes or training? Do you have experience in another creative field? Did you go to film school or attend a writing program?
This is an opportunity to give your reader a sense of the beginning of your writing journey. Briefly tell the story of what led you up to this point.
If you’re mentored by an experienced writer or filmmaker, this is also the perfect opportunity to name drop professional references.
Element #5: Professional background.
If you don’t have a lot of writing experience, you’ll have to lean heavily on this part.
Experienced Hollywood writers have the advantage of years of credits. They have a vast network and have a proven ability to generate producible scripts that can be turned into hit movies or episodes of television. But those who have worked here for a long time have become insulated in a bubble. They don’t have experience in the “real world,” in other jobs besides entertainment or in other cities besides Los Angeles.
This is where your interesting, non-writing professional background comes in handy.
List your accomplishments outside of writing, especially if they’re interesting (firefighter, military, translator for the United Nations) or demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively (sticking with one company or team and rising up the ranks).
Element #6: Personal background.
Writing requires personal vulnerability.
As a screenwriter pitching yourself, your own life experience should be part of the package. Don’t shy away from the unique experiences that make you a fully formed, three dimensional human being. If you have a family, unique hobbies, or a niche interest, add a sentence or two in here to give your reader a sense of who you are outside of the craft.
Writers who are inspired by other films & TV shows are derivative.
Writers who are inspired by their vast life experiences have a much bigger potential to be interesting, original voices with a point of view worth hearing.
Element #7: Interesting Skills
If you have unique capabilities or knowledge, list them!
These can be valuable to a Writers’ Room or a Producer. Or maybe your reader simply will be interested in talking to you about it, opening the door for a professional relationship and future collaboration.
Interesting skills can include:
A language you speak conversationally or fluently.
Martial arts or acrobatics.
A class that you teach.
A specialized recipe you can cook.
A side business you have developed.
Anything that makes your reader tilt their head and say, “that’s interesting!” is worth including here.
Element #8: Fun facts.
If you don’t have any specialized skills, I recommend ending with a fun fact.
This could be a hint at an exciting anecdote or a piece of information about yourself that not a lot of people can say they have in common with you. If you’re a comedy writer, try to make this last sentence in your bio funny.
After you have dazzled your reader with your professional experience, the fun fact at the end gives them a sense of what will make you fun to talk to.
And that opens the door to them wanting to read your work.
Examples
Below I have included bad and good versions of my own bio.
As a writer, your qualifications and experience will look different, but this should give you a sense of the momentum and length that you should be aiming for.
Bad Bio
Audrey Knox was born in San Francisco and raised in Walnut Creek, California. The oldest of two kids, she’s always had a penchant for seeking knowledge and telling other people about what she learned. In high school she was her lacrosse team’s captain and MVP, and she went on to go to college at Chapman University, where she got her degree in Screenwriting from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. After graduating, she worked in unscripted television for Lighthearted Entertainment in development and casting before moving to the Cartel, where she started as a receptionist and ultimately became a literary manager. Now she works with writers in film and TV, with a focus on TV staffing and original development.
This bio doesn’t work because:
It’s boring.
It starts at the beginning (Who cares when I was born??)
It’s too vague.
Seriously, if you didn’t read this whole thing and you simply skimmed it, I wouldn’t blame you.
Now, here’s a better version that I actually use:
Better Bio
Audrey Knox is a literary manager at Cartel, with clients in film and television, among whom are writers staffed on REASONABLE DOUBT, GINNY & GEORGIA, GROWN-ISH, and P-VALLEY; who have written episodes of NANCY DREW and BATWOMAN; and are writing for Disney, Netflix, Mattel, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, and Marvel. She worked her way up from Receptionist in 2016 to Manager in 2018. Audrey has experience in both scripted and unscripted television, on set, in production, and in writers’ rooms. She has a BFA in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a nine-year-old rescue mutt who has performed with the comedy rap trio Three Loco.
Notice how the most recent credits jump out at you?
This bio is about what I have accomplished and what I can potentially do for you.
Now it’s your turn!
If you don’t have a bio, write one that includes these elements. If you do have a bio, review it using these recommendations. What changes can you make to enhance it?
Post your bio in the comments so I can give you feedback.
My bio was overdue for a tune-up. Thanks!
Kirk Reedstrom is the creator of the Duck & Moose graphic novel series, which was published by Disney-Hyperion and called “a must-have series that is among the best that graphic novels has to offer” in a starred review by School Library Journal. A graduate of Centenary College, he interned at Moonbot Studios, working as a production intern with William Joyce on the Oscar award-winning short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. When he isn’t writing and drawing, Kirk works for a public library system where he creates social media content, performs live adaptations of picture books for thousands of children during the biggest children art festival of the south, leads kids comics workshops, and creates interactive art exhibits to foster creativity for all ages. Kirk trained as a Prime-Time Storyteller with the Louisiana Endowment For The Humanities, sang Mozart in the Sydney Opera House, and played violin and double bass in Carnegie Hall.
Hey Audrey,
A bit late on this but hoping you're still having a look at these bios!
Dia is a Screenwriter by day, multi-hyphenate for pay. Drawn to social satire and existential tragicomedy, her work explores flawed characters grappling with mental health issues, class conflict and dysfunctional families. Her half-hour pilot DIRTY DEEP DOWN was a finalist in the Humanitas David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Awards and her co-written shorts PAIRING, CLOWN and MARK TARGETS have screened at Melbourne International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, SXSW Sydney and SBS on Demand. She has an MFA in Screenwriting at the Victorian College of the Arts and completed the UCLA Writing for Television Program in the half-hour comedy stream. She is an ENTP, Enneagram type 4, leans towards an anxious attachment style and is a chronic over-sharer.