Joe Francis
| Joe Francis | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Joseph R. Francis April 1, 1973 Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, film producer |
| Known for | Founder of Girls Gone Wild, Banned from Television |
| Website | www |
Joseph R. "Joe" Francis (born April 1, 1973) is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is best known as being the founder and creator of the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand. Francis worked as a production assistant on the syndicated program Real TV before releasing the direct-to-video film Banned from Television in 1998.
Francis has, at various times, been convicted of tax evasion, bribery, false imprisonment, assault causing great bodily injury, dissuading a witness, record-keeping violations and has pleaded no contest to child abuse and prostitution.
Francis was born on April 1, 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia to Raymond Francis, and Maria Francis, who was from Austria. According to Francis, when he was seven years old, the family moved to Newport Beach, California, where he attended Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Elementary School, and then a series of boarding schools. He then lived in Laguna Beach and attended Laguna Beach High School. His first job was at a computer and video store.
Francis attended the University of Southern California’s Business Administration program. While at USC, he took part in the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. In addition to studying business, Francis took several courses in film and television. Francis graduated from USC in 1995 with a Bachelor’s Degree from the USC Entrepreneurial Program.
Francis’ first business venture began when he was working as a production assistant for Real TV, a reality television program that aired footage of extraordinary events that were not usually covered in mainstream news. It was there that Francis came up with the idea for Banned from Television. During his time at Real TV, people who worked in the studio would often view footage involving car accidents, attacks, and other graphic events. Francis licensed the footage which he then sold through the Banned from Television videos which he marketed on paid television advertisements. While viewing footage for inclusion on Banned from Television, Francis came across footage of female college students flashing their breasts during Mardi Gras and spring break. It was this footage that sparked Francis’ next business venture with Girls Gone Wild.
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