Age: 47
male
Emmy Award winning composer Bear McCreary was first launched into pop culture with his groundbreaking score to the hit series Battlestar Galactica, that was lauded by Variety as “the most innovative music on TV today.” It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR). Io9.com ranked McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of All Time, and recently WIRED Magazine declared him one of only five “Secret Weapons” of the television industry. McCreary was recently voted “Composers’ Choice Composer of the Year – Television” by his peers in ASCAP, the first award of its kind. Bear has conducted orchestral performances of his music throughout North America and Europe, appearing at Fimucité in Tenerife, and the International Film Music Festival in Úbeda, Spain. In July 2014, his music was performed by the L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Master Choraleat the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Attending the prestigious Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Bear completed degrees in composition and recording arts. However, his professional training came from film music legend Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mocking Bird). Bear was one of Bernstein’s select protégés, and learned the tools of the trade working with and orchestrating for the maestro. Bear spent his childhood immersed in film and television music; he is delighted now to contribute back to the genres that inspired him.
This television adaptation transforms Homer’s epic into a five-season political and military drama. Set during the Trojan War, the series explores the volatile intersection of human ambition, honor, and divine interference. The narrative begins with a bitter internal feud that fractures the Greek coalition. When King Agamemnon strips the champion Achilles of his war prize, the legendary warrior withdraws his forces in fury, leaving the invaders vulnerable. This catastrophic rift exposes fragile alliances and forces secondary heroes like Diomedes to desperately hold the line against a relentless Trojan army.As the seasons progress, the spotlight shifts between the war-weary soldiers inside Troy and the desperate invaders on the beaches. Viewers witness the heartbreaking personal stakes of the conflict through Hector, Troy’s noble protector, who bears the crushing weight of saving his family from total destruction. The tension peaks when the Trojans breach the Greek camp and fire their fleet, forcing Achilles’ closest companion, Patroclus, into the fray disguised in the hero's armor. Patroclus's tragic death at the hands of Hector alters the war's course, transforming a geopolitical siege into a blood-soaked tale of personal vengeance.The final arc delves into the terrifying psychological descent of Achilles, whose overwhelming grief mutates into apocalyptic rage. His return to the battlefield triggers absolute chaos, culminating in a brutal, fateful duel with Hector. Yet, the series ultimately transcends violence, concluding not with the literal fall of Troy, but with an intimate exploration of shared human suffering. In a world dictated by fickle gods, the story finds its climax in the quiet mercy between enemies, cementing this ancient epic as a timeless masterpiece of love, loss, and the devastating cost of war.
