Bob Guccione, Jr., Is The First 'Editor-In-Residence' At Husni Ole Miss Center

Through Thanksgiving, Spin (1986) and Gear founder (1998) Bob Guccione, Jr., is residing in Oxford, Miss., as the first editor-in-residence at the Magazine Innovation Center, the one-year-old creation “to encourage magazine innovation in an increasingly digital age” from University of Mississippi journalism professor and Guide to New Magazines author Samir Husni. “Bob has more ideas than most human beings,” says Husni in also referring to Guccione’s 2005-2007 ownership and management of Discover. “I know Bob will enjoy the opportunity to work with students on their developing editorial and financial plans for a mock launch,” says Husni. “They are among his strengths, and he will have much to offer.”

Home for Guccione is Brooklyn, but he should have no problem acclimating to Oxford and Ole Miss, which has a rich journalism/literary legacy in the late William Faulkner, the late Willie Morris, and, for the past quarter-century, Husni. “I spoke last year at Samir’s journalism program,” says Guccione. “I was very impressed, and when I was done I was invited by Samir to teach for a semester. For a guy who dropped out of high school, this is quite an honor.

“I’m excited to have a hand in shaping the way young people approach magazines. Yes, economic conditions are tough, but they open the way to creativity. I look forward to being in Mississippi [he drove there last week], and to make magazines exciting for kids who are generally more optimistic than adults. My teaching them the magazine business will be far different from what they read in the press.”

But life will not be all grits and catfish for the “Gooch.” He just launched the custom-published Biaggio for Mario Batali’s restaurants, and he will be working on the bimonthly’s second issue from his Ole Miss office. He is also developing travel and wine Web sites to go online in 2011, and if there are any y’alls, you will know why.

Guccione Versus Wildmon was a Father-an-Son Thing

“Dad debated Wildmon many times, and, separately, so did I,” says Guccione. Because at Spin I resented his saying that rock-and-roll lyrics were pornographic. Thankfully, at Ole Miss there is much more belief in the First Amendment.”