AVAST!

FIRST EVER SCREENING OF THE NEW STARZ PIRATE ADVENTURE "BLACK SAILS" FROM PRODUCER MICHAEL BAY AT COMIC CON 2013 STARTS WAVES OF EXCITEMENT

PLUS, AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL COMPOSER BEAR MCCREARY GIVES AN EPIC PERFORMANCE

San Diego, Calif. - July 19, 2013 - Fans lined up on Thursday, July 18th for an exclusive Comic Con screening of the highly anticipated high-seas STARZ Original drama "Black Sails" from Executive Producer Michael Bay. Series stars Zach McGowan, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and series creators Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine were in attendance to welcome fans and introduce the action packed drama for the first time ever. In addition, guests were treated to a performance with series musical composer Bear McCreary which kicked off the special event. "Black Sails" premieres in January 2014 exclusively on STARZ.

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

About Starz

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of December 31, 2012, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56 million subscribers, including 21 million at STARZ, and 35 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R), along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX(R), air over 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.