A&E NETWORK AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CARLTON CUSE ANNOUNCE CONTEST FOR FANS TO CREATE THE "BATES MOTEL" TITLE SEQUENCE

COMPETITION KICKS OFF ON FACEBOOK TODAY, DECEMBER 5 AND ENDS TUESDAY, JANUARY 3

NEW ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES "BATES MOTEL" TO PREMIERE IN MARCH

New York, NY - December 5, 2012 - A&E Network and executive producer Carlton Cuse are letting fans have a say in the creation of the new original drama series "Bates Motel" starring Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore premiering this March. Carlton is asking the public for their help in creating the fifteen-second opening title sequence for the series as part of a Facebook contest for fans. The contest begins today, December 5 on www.facebook.com/BatesMotelAETV and runs through Thursday, January 3.

"We want to give fans the chance to participate in the show," said Cuse. "We're looking for an awesome fifteen-second title sequence that captures the feel of Bates Motel -- not as a slasher/horror show, but as a complex, character-based thriller."

The title sequence contest will live on Facebook and all entries will require fans to submit their visual idea via a fifteen-second video submission. Carlton will judge the submissions and ultimately choose the idea that best represents the mood, tone, and overall feel of the series. The prize will be $2,500 and the possibility that the winner's idea will be brought to life as the title sequence of "Bates Motel."

"Bates Motel," serves a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film "Psycho" where fans will find a teenage Norman Bates and his beautiful mother, Norma, at the start of their journey as the owners of the famed Bates Motel.

"Bates Motel" is produced by Universal Television for A&E Network. Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin serve as executive producers for Carlton Cuse Productions.

About A&E Network

A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 99 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where unscripted shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment ranging from the network's original scripted series, including "The Glades" and "Longmire," to signature non-fiction franchises, including the Emmy-winning "Intervention," "Duck Dynasty," "Hoarders," "Beyond Scared Straight" and "Storage Wars," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.