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06/22/2007: There's Nothing Prettier than Otter Harvesting Season


A.C. in West Hollywood writes in with a question about the supporting documents that you have to turn in along with your writing sample when you apply to the ABC/Disney fellowship. He's talking about the resume, bio and "statement of interest".

My advice is to be pretty straight-forward with things like this. Your writing sample is going to do most of the work. It's probably a pretty rare case when the other documents tip the scale, so don't overwork them. It's safer to come across as pleasantly competent than it is to seem desperate. So I'd recommend against putting your resume in sonnet-form or writing your statement of interest from House's point of view. Don't out-clever yourself.

The bio might help you if you have a really fascinating personal background. Did you grow up on an otter farm? Mention that. But if your story is fairly typical, I would recommend not trying to hype it up. The worst thing that can happen is to sound false.

The place to put some passion is your statement of interest. If you're going through all of this work to assemble an application then you really do have a passion for some aspect of television writing. Be honest with yourself and with them and say what it is. What do you love about television? Why do you think it's the kind of work you're suited for? Most of all, be positive. Don't say that TV stinks and you're hoping to save it.

Got extra time? Don't waste it on the bio. Use it to take another pass through that spec. That's the real golden ticket.

Lunch: Philly cheese steak