JWT, 'Gear' Hope Musical Opposites Attract Sponsors

NEW YORK Bob Guccione Jr., editor-in-chief of Gear magazine, has joined forces with J. Walter Thompson Brand Entertainment to produce a half-hour music series featuring unlikely duos such as Tony Bennett and Eminem while attracting advertisers with equally varied demographics.

The series, entitled Conversations, aims to capture the intimacy of the Bravo Network’s Inside the Actors Studio with the pop-star power of MTV-generation artists, said Guccione. The partnership is trying to sell the concept to major cable television networks as a potential flagship program, Guccione said.

“It’s