Whatever we do, we must humanize it. To me, humanizing is the operative word in public relations. To humanize something, we need a human being. Even if it's a product, we need a human being to talk about the product. Even if it's a company--especially when it's a company -- we need a human being to represent and humanize that company.

That's where the biography comes in. It can give us a feeling for a person and a picture of a person. It can suggest various aspects of a person that can create interest and connect with people.

Types. There are biographies and...biographies. A one-paragraph thumb-nail sketch is a biography. A one- or two-page factual account of how long an executive has been with a company and what jobs he has held and what he did before he came to work with the present company is a biography. A run-down of an actor's credits in a theater bill is a biography. These all serve their particular purposes and are often required to be written in just that form.

However, the biography I am talking about is more than this, and that goes for executive biographies, too. The biography I am talking about makes the person come alive. The above biographies do not. They are either too brief or too factual, or both. The response to them is one of respect, at best, but not one of really knowing, caring for, or liking the person. Only humanizing elements -- quotes, tell-tale touches, anecdotes -- will get you that response.

These provide the feelings. A good biography offers feelings as well as facts.

That does not mean that a corporate biography has to read like a show business biography. There is a right tone for each. But just because somebody is a CEO or president of a bank does not mean he has to be stripped of his human qualities. It's these personal, human qualities that will make him or her even more attractive, fascinating and appealing.

This kind of biography is not achieved with dazzling adjectives but with telling, self-revealing human interest details. How do we write this kind of biography? Let us discuss this in terms of two examples: one, a corporate biography, the other an entertainment biography. Written the same way, they are different only in tone.

Structure. Take time now to read the biographies of Burt Petersen and Dave Mackay at the end of this chapter. What did you notice about the way a biography is structured? Take another look. You will see that a biography has a beginning, middle and end. See if you can find where the middle begins in each biography. The middle has nothing to do with the length of the story. It has something to do with a shift in order and content.

The middle of the Petersen biography starts with the third paragraph: "Born an only child in Omaha, Nebraska..." The middle of the Mackay biography starts with the ninth paragraph in the short version and the eighteenth paragraph in the long version: "David Owen Mackay was born in Syracuse, New York..."

Where to start? Why don't we start a biography from the beginning of a person's life? Because you have to create interest first in a person, before an editor or reader wants to know the details of that person's life. First you must capture and convey the essence of the person. This should be done in a compelling, captivating way. Remember you are painting a portrait. Your facts are your colors. Find and use the telling facts.

Avoid glittering adjectives. They dazzle but shed no light. They appear meaningful but have no substance. They are illusion rather than reality, they are smoke and mirrors rather than real facts and feelings. They flatter but do not really serve the client. They are the lazy way out for a writer who does not want to spend the time digging for information.

Remember, the watchword for journalistic writing is: understatement.

Beginning. Now back to Petersen. The first two paragraphs set him up for us. We learn quickly that he is president of a company, and we learn something about him as a youngster. He wasn't too sure about what he wanted to be. He even made a false start.

In a few telling sentences, the writer has succeeded in giving Petersen credibility and humanity. We respect him and we have a warm feeling toward him. It's a neat accomplishment.

The writer uses the idea of boys dreaming to be President and plays with it, without overdoing it. It works. It's right for what Petersen became, is, and does for a living, as we shall see shortly.

Middle. The key word for the middle part of a biography is: chronology. You now go in order, starting from birth to the present. You don't hop, skip and jump around. Why not? It's too confusing.

End. The end can be a sentence or a paragraph, that wraps things up. A quote, as in this case, is a good idea. It is something particular, something specific, something typical of that person. It reflects the person. If you don't have a good quote, wrap up the biography in some other way. Come up with a good close. These biographies used good endings. Avoid cliches and platitudes. The following would be bad endings: "Burt Petersen has found the bluebird of happiness." Ugh! Or: "Dave Mackay is really on his way now." We all are.

Style. Some words about style. What did you notice about both biographies?

Short words rather than long words; one word rather than a stream of words; the precise word rather than an inaccurate word.

Short sentences and short paragraphs. The shorter the sentence, the more powerful the sentence. The shorter the paragraph, the more powerful the paragraph.

Alternating quotes and informational statements. Quotes make the person come alive and bring the person closer to the reader. Quotes are a way of expressing feelings and opinions. Quotes should be broken up with transitional sentences and paragraphs. Too many quotes in a row make for tiresome reading. By the same token, too much straight information gets boring and tedious. Alternating quotes and non-quotes changes the rhythm of a story and keeps it lively.

The lead. About the lead (the first sentence, the first paragraph). I have often spent as much time on the lead as on the rest of the story. If the lead is right, the rest of the story follows--whether it's a news release, a biography or a feature.

So, work on the lead. Write it and rewrite it until it says exactly what you want it to say. Look at it. See if you can shorten it and still say the same thing. The shorter the better.

For instance, here's a good lead:

"His enthusiasm is one characteristic that makes Rick Iwata admirably suited to his work. His humanism is another. Iwata, who works in community service, is project director for senior citizen affairs at Los Angeles City College. A youthful 33..."

It captures the person well. Nice, dramatic contrasts. Count the number of words: 39. Do you think it could be said in fewer words? Try it.

How about the following:

"Thirty-three-year-old Rick Iwata cares about senior citizens."

Ten words. The essence of Rick Iwata.

Corporate bio. The Burt Petersen biography is a good example of how the head of a company can be portrayed in a respectful, dignified, yet, at the same time, human manner. Look at all the elements that humanize Petersen: his poignant relationship with his father, his career struggles, his career gambles and payoffs, his personal attitudes during these various stages, his success finally. Note also some nice, telling details -- how he started the job on his birthday. Sharing his career experiences not only humanizes him but has another value: it is perfect for what he and his firm are involved in -- personnel recruitment advertising.

He knows something about job hunting from personal experience. He can talk about it. He has good stories to tell. He can offer job-hunting advice. He would be a good resource person to offer the media. He would be good for newspaper stories, magazine articles, radio or TV.

Full picture. A good biography covers a person's whole life: childhood, parents, siblings, education, career, family, personal interests. Too often I see biographies that only deal with the person's career and, many times, only the current job. These biographies have limited value. They may be all that a client wants. They may be all that a firm wants. If so, that's what you must do. But if you can advise the client otherwise, try for the fuller biography we are discussing here.

Uses. The biography has many uses. Most of the time it is used as a background piece and becomes the basis for an interview or article. Often only parts of it will find their way into print. Sometimes a biography is used to introduce the client, if he is speaking before a group. At such time, particularly, a few humanizing touches help create a friendly and receptive audience.

Everything that has been said about the Petersen biography can be said about the Mackay biography, also.

SHORT & LONG BIOS. Please note, further, that there are two Mackay biographies -- a short one and a long one. Which should you write for a client? Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Short bio. The short biography provides a quick overview; it also provides the writer with the most essential information if he wishes to include part or all of the biography in his story; it provides this information in the way you and your client wish to convey it and see it appear in print, with any kind of luck.

Long bio. The long biography, on the other hand, provides fuller information and more details; it often has more quotes and more anecdotes; it is explicit rather than implicit; it often offers more ideas and story possibilities.

Short & long bio. One solution is to write a long and a short biography. If you must choose between a long and a short biography, I would advise a long biography, for the reasons stated. There is one other reason, a psychological one: clients will be happier (they'd probably prefer a book about themselves, but they'll settle for a long biography) and will feel that they got their money's worth.

Length. A short biography should be about two-and-a-half pages, double spaced; a long biography should be around six pages. Please note the biographical statistics at the end of either type of biography. These are helpful, including color of eyes, hair, height and weight. It just helps in visualizing the person in advance of meeting him or her, or describing the person when writing about him or her. As for age, the month and day are usually enough (especially in our age-conscious society). If a client does not object to the year, then include it.

The Dave Mackay biography has a much longer beginning than the Petersen biography, even the short version.

Note how Mackay's credibility is established: through the names of noted supperclubs where he has performed; through the names of noted musicians with whom he has performed; and through comments by a noted reviewer.

In addition, note the use of a few telling quotes by Mackay himself that give the reader a feeling for him quickly.

Note also that when you have a special problem (such as the correct pronunciation of a name), do address the problem. Sometimes, for instance, names are spelled strangely (such as Bil with one "l"). It looks like a typographical error and the tendency is to want to correct it. The way to indicate that this is the correct spelling is as follows: Bil (cq).

In some cases, you may also want to include a list of honors, organizations, published works, or credits. A good biography should reflect the many facets of a human being. See how many different stories you could find in, and develop from, the Dave Mackay biography.

BIOGRAPHY: DAVE MACKAY
(long version)

Dave Mackay (it rhymes with "high") is a jazz pianist-singer-composer. He is handsome, lean, curly-haired. He is also blind. But his music is full of light.

Its appeal, he feels, is to "anyone who really loves beauty. I feel that in my soul. That, and joy!"

For a long time Mackay did not really know what kind of an effect his music had on his listeners.

"Now I know, through feedback from my audiences," he said. "I really feel my music is a healing thing."

He became aware of this while playing at the Samoa House. Recalled Mackay: "People came up to me and said, 'We come here unraveled and you make it all right again.'"

Mackay has been making it "all right again" at some of the top supper clubs in the country, including Boston's Storeyville and Jazz Workshop, New York's Left Bank and Village Vanguard, and Chicago's Mr. Kelly's. More recently he has appeared at Shelly's Manne Hole (Los Angeles), The Lighthouse (Hermosa Beach, Calif.), Donte's Jazz Supper Club (North Hollywood) and the Samoa House in Encino, Calif. , where he appeared for three years (September l970-December l973).

His album "Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton" (Impulse! AS 9l84) was greeted by noted critic Rex Reed with a glowing two-column New York Times review, stating in part: "Every few light years, when the moon is green and the wind seems to be blowing just the right number of knots from the west, someone comes along in the world of music and makes magic happen. Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton are two such people: they have knocked me on my ear. Their debut album...is far and away the best jazz thing I've heard in a long time...Mackay's piano throbs in plush Ramsay Lewis-like chords (he has a phenomenal left hand)...Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton have revived my faith in, and nourished my hope for, music as well as art."

Mackay has performed with some of the major jazz bands of the country, including those of Bobby Hackett, Sonny Stitt, Serge Chaloff, and Charlie Mariano in Boston, and Shelly Manne, Paul Horn, Chet Baker, Don Ellis, Emil Richards, Joe Pass and Jack Sheldon in Los Angeles. He has also appeared in Los Angeles with the Hindustani Jazz Sextet.

Mackay has had co-billing with some of the jazz greats of the world, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, George Shearing, Bill Evans, and Miles Davis.

His original compositions have been recorded by Cal Tjader, Emil Richards, and the Baja Marimba Band. He has appeared on two albums by Ellis and three by Richards.

While biographical statistics represent the road map of his life, the real Dave Mackay is to be found in his music and glimpses of his soul may be caught from his words: "One of the most exciting things about jazz is the deep psychic rapport that occurs among the musicians, and between musicians and listeners. Life then becomes indescribably exciting. These are the moments I try to hold on to."

Mackay considers his music a "gift" that, more than anything, serves him as "an affirmation of the basic goodness of people."

He is not out to say anything in particular with his music.

"I just try to stay close to the things I love to play and sing," he explained. "I set up structure to my music with a tremendous amount of room for the intuitive flow of new ideas. I grab onto them, become their channel, and let the feeling happen, rather than make it happen."

He has described his music as sounding "like the motions of nature." It has been said that when Mackay performs nothing seems to stand between him and the music itself. David Owen Mackay was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald H. Mackay, now of Hartford, Connecticut. Mackay's father sold insurance; his mother worked as a registered nurse.

"There always was music around the house," said Mackay. "My older brother, Don, was into jazz, rehearsing with his band. He had records of Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins and Teddy Wilson. These are the people I was hypnotized by and went back to later. I didn't understand a lot of it, but something within me came alive when I heard this music. I felt a sense of kinship."

He began piano lessons when he was eight years old. "I knew I loved music enough to get up an hour-and-a-half early on cold winter mornings to practice," he said.

The family moved to Rochester, New York, and eventually to Hartford. Mackay attended school in Brighton, New York. At l5 years of age, he was sent to South Kent, an Episcopal Boys' Preparatory school.

"To all appearances I seemed like a normal child," Mackay recalled. "I started to wear glasses when I was five years old. By l2, I started to make mistakes in spatial judgments. Still, at South Kent I played football two years and rowed on the crew for four years."

He also studied piano with jazz pianist Lennie Tristano of Flushing, Long Island. Mackay began playing in small bands. When he entered Trinity College, Hartford, he was nearly blind. When he emerged, he was the first blind student to graduate from Trinity.

"I had a progressive eye disease that was not understood at the time," said Mackay. "Fortunately, I had the feeling from childhood on that I was a jazz musician and that I would be one all my life. It gave me inner security."

He earned a BA in English but continued all along with his music. At this time he met Emil Richards, who would figure significantly in his life l0 years later. He also studied with Ray Cassarino.

After Trinity, Mackay went to Boston where he met George Shearing, noted blind jazz artist, while both were working at the Storeyville Club. Shearing's advice and example helped Mackay come to grips with his blindness.

At the same time that he was appearing professionally, Mackay continued to study music for three years at Boston University and, privately, with Margaret Chaloff.

"She, musically speaking, set me on my road to freedom more than anybody," said Mackay.

That road led to appearances in the top supper clubs in the country and recognition by some of the major jazz artists of the times. Mackay defines himself musically as a "jazz pianist with roots in Art Tatum, Bud Powell and Bill Evans, coupled with an affinity for, and love of, Debussy." A baritone, Mackay is partial vocally to the songs of Jerome Kern and considers the Sinatra of 20 years ago (the l950s) one of his major influences.

He favors the standards of the l940s and l950s when performing and the bossa novas of Joabim and Joa Gilberto.

In the Sixties Mackay made contact again with Emil Richards, as both became charter members of the Hindustani Jazz Sextet, formed by Don Ellis and Hari Har Rao, and including Chuck Domanico and Steve Bohanan.

"It became a significant group, combining Indian rhythms and ragas (Indian scales) with modern jazz and bossa nova rhythmic feelings," explained Mackay. "We played in odd rhythms--5/4s, 7/4s, 9/4s and 7/8s. It was a very exciting time. From this came a tremendous interest in these rhythms for us and others."

The group also became part of Don Ellis Big Band, resulting in several albums.

It was the time, too, that Mackay began to compose, including five "Jaquibeaus," a kind of bossa nova in 5/4 time. His compositions, with lyrics by the late vocalist Vicky Hamilton, bear such names as "Here," "Like Me," "Now," "Peek-a-Boo," "Will-O-The-Wisp" and "See My Rainbow," some of which have been recorded by other major artists as well.

One composition, "Melissa," was inspired by his wife. "She is a lot of things to me," said Mackay. "She has great enthusiasm and a real joy of life. She is also a good listener."

Melissa, a blonde beauty, is also a musician--a studio singer--with her "roots in classical music and heart in jazz," though ready to work in whatever musical idiom she is called upon to perform.

They were married (January 9, l97l) at the Lake Shrine of the Self-Realization Fellowship headquartered in West Los Angeles.

"It was a Hindu wedding ceremony," said Mackay. "The chapel represented all religions. It really turned me on. Friends came and played their instruments. It was so meaningful."

The two like to read, go for long walks and jog in the hills. They also are interested in metaphysics and various spiritual schools of thought and teachings.

"I spend 20 minutes twice daily in Transcendental Meditation," said Mackay. "I eat organic foods and practice yoga every day for l0 minutes. It's good for my music--and for the soul."

Sometimes as Mackay talks there are momentary hints of past turmoil. There is a feeling of still ongoing self-discovery. There, too, is an admission that he does not accept blindness heroically but that periodically he must wrestle with it before coming to grips with it again. But above all Dave Mackay communicates a sense of wonder, openness and peace.

"I'm sitting here, smiling," he said. "I don't know what I have figured out about life but I feel I'm going in the right direction. I feel truth-oriented. Whatever it all adds up to, it's all right."

DAVE MACKAY--BIOGRAPHICAL STATISTICS

Place of birth: Syracuse, New York
Date of birth: March 24
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. Donald H. Mackay of Hartford, CT
Education: South Kent Episcopal Preparatory School, near Hartford, Connecticut; BA degree from Trinity College, Hartford, three years; Boston University, scholarship; Lennox Massachusetts School of Jazz.

Weight. l45 pounds
Height: 5'9"
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Wife's name: Melissa
Interests: Metaphysics, Transcendental Meditation, yoga, walking, jogging
February, l974



BIOGRAPHY: DAVE MACKAY (short version)

Dave Mackay (it rhymes with "high") is a jazz pianist-singer-composer. He is handsome, lean, curly-haired. He is also blind. But his music is full of light.

Its appeal, he feels, is to "anyone who really loves beauty. I feel that in my soul. That, and joy!"

He also feels that his music is "a healing thing." Patrons at the Samoa House have told him, "We come here unraveled, and you make it all right again."

Mackay has made it "all right again" at some of the top supper clubs in Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. He recently concluded a three-year run at the Samoa House in Encino, California.

His album, "Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton" (Impulse! AS 9l84) was greeted by noted critic Rex Reed with a glowing two-column review in the New York Times.

"Every few light years...someone comes along in the world of music and makes magic happen," wrote Reed.

Mackay has performed with some of the major jazz bands in the country, headed by Bobby Hackett, Sonny Stitt, Serge Chaloff, Charlie Mariano, Shelly Manne, Paul Horn, Chet Baker, Don Ellis, Emil Richards, Joe Pass and Jack Sheldon. He has also performed with the Hindustani Jazz Sextet.

He has been co-billed with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, George Shearing, Bill Evans and Miles Davis, and his compositions have been recorded by Cal Tjader, Emil Richards and the Baja Marimba Band. Mackay has appeared on two albums by Ellis and three by Richards.

Mackay considers his music as a "gift" that more than anything serves him as "an affirmation of the basic goodness of people."

David Owen Mackay was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald H. Mackay, now of Hartford, Connecticut. He started studying piano when he was eight years old.

He attended school in Brighton, New York; South Kent, an Episcopal preparatory school near Hartford; Trinity College, from which he graduated with a BA in English; and Boston University.

Mackay's visual problems started at l2 years of age. He was the first blind student to graduate from Trinity.

"Fortunately, I had the feeling from childhood on that I was a jazz musician," said Mackay. "It gave me inner security."

He defines himself musically as a "jazz musician with roots in Art Tatum, Bud Powell nd Bill Evans, coupled with an affinity for, and love of, Debussy." Vocally he is drawn to the songs of Jerome Kern and the Sinatra style of 20 years ago (l950s). His compositions reflect the sounds of modern jazz and the bossa nova rhythmic feelings.

One composition, "Melissa," was inspired by his wife, a beautiful, blonde studio singer, whom he married in a Hindu wedding ceremony January 9, l97l.

Mackay's interests include walking, jogging, metaphysics and Transcendental Meditation.

Sometimes as Mackay talks there are momentary hints of past turmoil. There is a feeling of still ongoing self-discovery. There, too, is an admission that he does not accept blindness heroically, but that periodically he must wrestle with it before coming to grips with it again.

But above all Dave Mackay communicates a sense of wonder, openness and peace.

"I'm sitting here smiling," he said. "I don't know what I have figured out about life. But I feel I'm going in the right direction. I feel truth-oriented. Whatever it all adds up to, it's all right."

(Note: This biography should now be followed by the same biographical statistics and credits that follow the preceding longer version plus date, at end.)

THOMPSON RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING, INC.
420l Wilshire Blvd. Suite 600
Los Angeles, California 900l0
(2l3) 937-8l50

CONTACT: Pat Broady, Ext. 2l0

BIOGRAPHY

BURT PETERSEN

Unlike most boys, Burt Petersen never dreamed of being President. Yet, he achieved what most boys can only dream about. He became President of Thompson Recruitment Advertising, Inc., the world's largest personnel recruitment advertising agency and sponsor of Media Expo.

Petersen never gave much thought to what he wanted to be when he grew up. "I first decided I wanted to do something in science because I liked chemistry," he said, "but when I got into the practicality of taking classes, I decided I didn't like it as much as I thought I did."

Born an only child in Omaha, Nebraska, 55 years ago, he developed a close relationship with his father. "My dad was a great father and a great friend," he said.

Ironically, his father worked in the advertising department at the Omaha World Herald. In his office Petersen proudly displays a caricature of his father "stepping out" of the Omaha World Herald front page. Unfortunately when Petersen was 32 his father died. He missed sharing his son's progression to success in a profession quite similar to his own.

Petersen had not intentionally meant to follow in his father's footsteps. He entered the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he met his wife, Marjorie. They have been married for 35 years. His education was interrupted to serve in the Navy during World War II. He didn't see any action, though. "I was just young enough or old enough to miss the war. It ended while I was still in boot camp," he recalled.

After completing his l5-month assignment in the Navy, he reentered the university and graduated in l949 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business, majoring in accounting. Petersen said, "I really set out to be an accountant, but I couldn't find a job with an accounting firm during that mini-recession time, so I took an office clerk's job."

After a year and a half he decided to sell insurance because he felt selling something would make him happiest. He didn't like that very well. "All the night hours you had to put in and the uncertainty of working on commission wasn't that terrific, especially when I found out we were going to have our first child," said Petersen. Bradford was born in l95l.

Petersen then went to work for the Omaha World Herald, where he decided the newspaper business was his niche. He wanted a "better" job and decided he would find one in a larger city with a competing newspaper. In l956 he moved to Denver and began working for the Denver Post. He enjoyed the advertising side of the newspaper business so much, he started running ads saying he wanted a newspaper advertising manager's job. He sent letters to many newspapers in the Los Angeles area including the L.A. Times, Pasadena Star and Riverside Press. The Riverside Press gave him an interview. "They were looking for a retail guy to work the desert area, but they didn't offer enough pay compared to what I was making at the Post," he said.

Inasmuch as Petersen had made the trip, he was introduced to the publisher, Art Culver. "He started telling me about an agency owned by the paper that specialized in help-wanted advertising. We ended up making a deal, and I began to work fo them on October l9, l959, my birthday," said Petersen.

The current manager of the agency left, taking the staff with her, leaving Petersen the sole employee of the company. He didn't give up because "I figured I said I'd do the job, I'd better stay and do it." Besides, by that time he had two children to support and wasn't too anxious to be unemployed. He also felt the company still had potential.

The personnel manager of the Riverside Press interviewed people for him while he took ads, and his wife came in and answered the telephone. "We ended up hiring three people, two of whom still remain with the company -- Dave Johnson, executive vice president, and Anne Pilato, accounting supervisor." And that was his beginning.

Today, Petersen is president of a company billing more than $75 million with 3l branch offices throughout the U.S. and 268 employees. "I never expected to have this place become what it is," he said. "I guess the idea was to come in here and go to work and do everything that needed to be done to be successful." His idea proved right.

Petersen's achievement would have come with any endeavor he chose because he holds firm to one philosophy. "Success is measured in many different ways. To me, success is if you're happy," he said. "I really believe Marj and I would be just as happy if we didn't have anything...because we've been there."

BIOGRAPHICAL STATISTICS: BURT PETERSEN

Place of birth: Omaha, Nebraska
Date of birth: October l9, l927
Education: University of Nebraska, Omaha, B.S. in Business, l949
Weight: l90 lbs.
Height: 6'4"
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Wife's name: Marjorie
Children: Bradford, age 3l; Craig, age 27; five grandchildren
Interests: Golfing

June ll, l983

(Note: This chapter continues with a discussion and example of another kind of biography: the biography/backgrounder. This kind focuses primarily on a person's current work, business, or profession. It is particularly well suited for entrepreneurs and professionals. It differs from an institutional backgrounder in that it is more personalized and humanized.)

From PUBLICITY ADVICE & HOW-TO HANDBOOK

Copyright © 1988 by Rolf Gompertz