COMPOSER BEAR MCCREARY JOINS STARZ' "BLACK SAILS," FROM PRODUCER MICHAEL BAY

A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE WITH SERIES MUSICAL COMPOSER TO LEAD INTO THE FAN-ONLY SNEAK PEEK SCREENING OF "BLACK SAILS" AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2013

Beverly Hills, CA - July 15, 2013 - Today Starz announced a second venture with Emmy(R) nominated Composer Bear McCreary who will serve as series musical composer for the highly anticipated Michael Bay produced pirate drama "Black Sails," which will premiere in January 2014.

To add to the overwhelming excitement and response to the news that fans at Comic-Con 2013 will get an exclusive chance to view the first episode of "Black Sails," Starz has now added a special performance with series musical Composer Bear McCreary to kick off the screening Thursday night in San Diego.

McCreary will join previously announced cast members Zach McGowan ("Shameless"), Jessica Parker Kennedy ("The Secret Circle," 50/50), Mark Ryan (Transformers, The Prestige), Hakeem Kae-Kazim ("24," Hotel Rwanda) and series creators Jonathan Steinberg ("Jericho," "Human Target") and Robert Levine ("Touch") at the event.

Emmy(R) Award nominated, Bear McCreary is one of the leading musical composers in television, called a "secret weapon" by Wired magazine. At the age of 24, he received widespread acclaim for his groundbreaking score to SyFy's hit series "Battlestar Galactica," for which he composed, "the most innovative music on TV today," according to Variety. He was declared as one of the 'Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of All Time,' by io9.com, listing him alongside legends John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann. McCreary's current credits include STARZ/BBC's "Da Vinci's Demons", AMC's smash hit "The Walking Dead," and Syfy's "Defiance." His score for the FOX series "Human Target" featured the largest orchestra ever assembled in the history of series television and earned him his first Emmy(R) nomination. McCreary's many other credits include "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "Eureka," "Caprica," "Trauma" and "The Cape." His feature film work includes the upcoming Europa Report and his videogame credits include Sony's successful SOCOM 4: U.S. NAVY SEALs.

Event Details:

WHAT: Exclusive sneak peek screening of the highly anticipated high-seas STARZ Original drama from Executive Producer Michael Bay, "Black Sails." Series stars Zach McGowan, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and series creators Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine to introduce the first episode which will be screened for fans only. A special performance with series musical Composer Bear McCreary will kick off the fan event.

WHEN: Thursday, July 18th at 8:30pm Reading Cinemas, 701 5th Ave. San Diego, CA 92101 Fan RSVP Link: http://www.starz.com/originals/blacksails/rsvp

ABOUT: The pirate adventure "Black Sails" centers on the tales of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his men and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island." Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver (Luke Arnold). Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day - a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.

Zach McGowan stars as rival Captain Charles Vane; Toby Schmitz as Rackham, Vane's right hand; Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, a determined young woman who runs the smuggling operation on New Providence; Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott, Eleanor's retainer and right hand, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max, a tortured young prostitute who sees the dark side of New Providence; Mark Ryan as Gates, Captain Flint's Quartermaster and most senior member of his crew, Clara Paget as the beautiful but cold-blooded Anne Bonny and Tom Hopper ("Merlin") as Billy Bones, boatswain of Flint's ship.

"Black Sails" is executive produced by Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, producers on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Nightmare on Elm Street (2009). The series was created by showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Steinberg (creator "Jericho," "Human Target") and co-executive producer Robert Levine ("Touch").

"Black Sails" will debut with an eight-episode season in January 2014, exclusively on STARZ.

"Black Sails" Online Website: www.starz.com/originals/BlackSails Facebook: facebook.com/blacksails.starz Twitter: @BlkSails_Starz; join the conversation at: #BlackSails