Joseph R. Francis was born on 1 April 1973, in Atlanta, Georgia USA, and is a film producer, as well as an enterpreneur. Joe Francis is perhaps best known as the creator of an adult entertainment company called “Girls Gone Wild”, a brand introduced Francis to the entertainment industry and became his marketing tool. In addition, Francis has entered other business ventures, in particular a film that depicts violent videos and real scenes of violence called “Banned from TV”. Joe Francis not only directed the movie but distributed it through his own production company called “Mantra Films”.
How rich is Joe Francis?According to authoritative sources, Francis’ net worth amounts to $50 million as of mid-2016, the majority of Joe’s wealth coming from his appearances on television, as well as his business projects.
Joe Francis Net Worth $50 Million
Joe Francis but spent most of his childhood in California and even studied at Laguna Beach High School. Before submerging himself in the entertainment industry, Francis worked at a video shop and then graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Southern California. Francis’ first major job opportunity was at “Real TV”, a reality television series that aired footage of extraordinary events. It was from “Real TV” that Francis received the inspiration to create “Banned from Television”. The film began airing in 1998, and was released in three volumes, all of which covered shocking events from around the world. The popularity of the movie spawned two sequels and earned $10 million at the box office. Prior to the formal creation of “Banned from Television”, Joe Francis came up with a largely popular franchise called “Girls Gone Wild”, which depicts young women who are willing to expose their bodies to the camera. “Girls Gone Wild” was so popular that it even inspired the creation of a video series entitled “Guys Gone Wild”.
However, despite the initial success of the company and the large amount of movies they have produced, “Girls Gone Wild” has been facing many legal issues and charges. In 2006 the company was sued because they failed to record the age of their participants and had to pay $2.1 million to settle the dispute, while in 2008 four women sued the company for emotional distress due to being shown on “Girls Gone Wild”, which resulted in more money paid to settle the matter. This had a negative effect on Joe Francis’ net worth and fame, in addition to his other failed business ventures. The company “Mantra Films” founded by Francis has been facing a number of legal issues as well, while his corporation GGW Brands was forced to file for bankruptcy. Francis himself has also been charged with tax evasion and bribery resulting in jail sentences and fines, which are still being appealed.
Regardless, his net worth has been largely sustained, even allowing Joe to contributed heavily to aid the victims of hurricane Katrina in 2005, as most of the DVD sales went directly to support the survivors.
In his perhaps less-than-private life, Joe Francis is currently in a relationship with the winner of 2012 “Search for the Hottest Girl in America” contest, Abbey Wilson, with whom he has twin daughters. They are believed to be living in Mexico.
