Girls Gone Wild (franchise)

Last updated
Girls Gone Wild
Girls Gone Wild Logo.jpg
Created by Joe Francis
Original workDVD
Films and television
Film(s)Over 300 films
1997–2011

Girls Gone Wild (GGW) was an adult entertainment franchise created by Joe Francis in 1997, [1] who occasionally appears as the host of the videos.

Contents

Girls Gone Wild was known for its early use of direct-response marketing techniques, including its late-night infomercials that began airing in 1997. [2] The videos typically involve camera crews at party locations engaging young college-aged women who expose their bodies or act "wild", especially during Spring break. [1] Since 2008, the Girls Gone Wild products have been sold primarily through their website as streaming videos, downloads, and DVDs.

In February 2013, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [3]

In 2014, the company was sold to Bang Bros. [4]

Background

The first Girls Gone Wild film was released in 1997. [5] In 2001 the company sold 4.5 million videos and DVDs. [2] [6] By the end of 2002, the company had produced 83 different titles and had begun airing 30-minute infomercials on E! Entertainment Television, Fox Sports Net, BET, Comedy Central, Tech TV, Style, and all other major U.S. networks. [2] The infomercials targeted a late-night channel-surfing demographic that Joe Francis had identified in the late 1990s. [2] According to TNS Media Intelligence, Girls Gone Wild spent more than $21 million in advertising in 2003, becoming the largest advertiser for programs on the E! channel. In 2008, Francis' net worth was approximately $150 million. [7]

Instances of Girls Gone Wild in popular culture include the appearance of Eminem and Snoop Dogg in the company's videos, [1] [2] as well as various references and parodies of the show in popular television series and movies. MGM announced in 2002 that it would release a feature-length film based on the Girls Gone Wild concept. [1] [8]

Content

Most Girls Gone Wild videos follow a common formula in which a film crew interacts with a large crowd of people either at a party, club, or other event. [6] Women willingly take off their clothes, engage in sexual activities, or participate in wet T-shirt contests. [2] [6] Compensation for taking part in a Girls Gone Wild video often consists of a free hat, T-shirt, or money. [6] Occasionally, participants are invited to be filmed on a Girls Gone Wild tour bus. [1] [2] [9]

Distribution channels

At its inception, Girls Gone Wild marketed its product, namely videos, through direct-distribution channels such as infomercials, pay-per-view, and video on demand. [1] [2] [6] [10] [11] This distribution was followed in 2008 by the launch of a Girls Gone Wild magazine, a clothing line, and a compilation record released on Jive Records. [1] [6] [10]

Girls Gone Wild for Katrina

In September 2005, Girls Gone Wild announced that it would donate all proceeds of Mardi Gras–themed DVDs and videos to the Red Cross. [12] Proceeds from the video sales, which included a title featuring Snoop Dogg, were intended to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. [12]

Guys Gone Wild

In 2004, Girls Gone Wild began soliciting men for participation in their videos. [1] Guys Gone Wild was a video series and male analogue of Girls Gone Wild targeted at young women. [13] These video tapes and DVDs featured much the same content as the Girls equivalent, only instead showing young men performing for the camera—e.g., in the shower, playing football naked, etc. [14]

In an article, [15] Bill Horn, spokesman for Mantra Entertainment which produced the videos, notes a gender-related double standard in these videos. In the Girls Gone Wild series, sometimes the young women kiss, while the guys' series does not have that feature. Horn explains: "Let's face it, there's a double standard when it comes to guy-on-guy as opposed to girl-on-girl. It's sexy to see two girls making out. It's not considered sexy to see two guys making out. That's just the reality, and, we were there to capture the reality." [16]

The hour-long Guys Gone Wild productions featured women camera operators who encouraged men to get naked and perform strip teases. [13]

In 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint against Girls Gone Wild alleging that the company failed to notify customers when they purchased subscriptions under a continuity program, rather than single DVDs. [17] In 2004, GGW settled for $1.1 million and agreed to disclose all terms and get consent for recurring charges. [18]

In 2006, Girls Gone Wild marketer MRA Holdings pleaded guilty to charges for failing to record the ages of its subjects 2002 and 2003. [19] The parties agreed to pay $2.1 million in restitution and fines. [19]

In 2008, Ashley Dupré filed against Joe Francis and other defendants claiming that they filmed her without consent. [20] [21] Dupré dropped the suit after Francis released footage of her consent. [22]

In 2008, a Missouri woman claimed that she was filmed without consent when a Girls Gone Wild contractor removed her halter top at a St. Louis bar. [23] A jury found that she consented. On re-trial, a judge awarded the woman $5.77 million after the defense failed to show at court. [24] On appeal, the judge upheld the verdict. [25]

In March 2008, four women claimed that they suffered emotional distress by being shown in Girls Gone Wild film. [26] In April 2011, an all-female jury declined to award damages to the plaintiffs. [26] However, in January 2015, Francis agreed to settle a separate 2003 lawsuit which involved allegations of him taping the exposed breasts of underage girls as part of Girls Gone Wild content. [27] The 2015 civil settlement also involved Francis agreeing to serve 336 days in jail after accepting a no contest plea to criminal charges of child abuse and prostitution. [27]

Bankruptcy

In 2013, GGW Brands LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [3] [28]

Accounts from alleged sex victims

An episode of the TNT true crime anthology series Rich & Shameless called "Girls Gone Wild Exposed" aired on TNT on April 23, 2022, and featured accounts from alleged victims of Joe Francis who were employed for Girls Gone Wild. [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosamund Pike</span> British actress (born 1979)

Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike is a British actress. She began her acting career by appearing in stage productions such as Romeo and Juliet and Gas Light. After her screen debut in the television film A Rather English Marriage (1998), she received international recognition for her film debut as Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day (2002), for which she received the Empire Award for Best Newcomer. Following her breakthrough, she won the BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Libertine (2004) and portrayed Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Pearce</span> Australian actor (born 1967)

Guy Edward Pearce is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and raised in Geelong, Pearce started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours. He received international attention for his breakout role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and subsequently took starring roles in Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential (1997), Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000) and Simon Wells's The Time Machine (2002). Pearce is known for his performances in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (2009), Kathryn Bigelow's war drama The Hurt Locker (2009) and Tom Hooper's historical drama The King's Speech (2010). He has appeared in Ridley Scott's Prometheus (2012), the Marvel action film Iron Man 3 (2013), Alien: Covenant (2017), and the historical biopic Mary Queen of Scots (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mila Kunis</span> American actress (born 1983)

Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi, and raised in Los Angeles, Kunis began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series That '70s Show (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since 1999, she has voiced Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series Family Guy.

A celebrity sex tape is typically an amateur pornographic video recording involving one or more famous people which has, intentionally or unintentionally, been made available publicly. Such videos have often been released without the consent of their subjects and have damaged celebrities' careers. In 1988, for example, a sex tape caused significant damage to Rob Lowe's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zooey Deschanel</span> American actress and musician (born 1980)

Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in Mumford (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000). Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), 500 Days of Summer (2009) and Our Idiot Brother (2011). She has also ventured into dramatic film territory with Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), Winter Passing (2005), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), The Happening (2008) and The Driftless Area (2015). From 2011 to 2018, she starred as Jessica Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Francis</span> American criminal and founder of Girls Gone Wild

Joseph R. Francis is an American entrepreneur, film producer and 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Monaghan</span> American actress

Michelle Lynn Monaghan is an American actress. She has starred in the films Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Made of Honor (2008), Eagle Eye (2008), Trucker (2008), Source Code (2011), Pixels (2015), and Patriots Day (2016). She also received recognition for her role as Julia Meade in the action spy film series Mission: Impossible, making appearances in Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rihanna</span> Barbadian singer and actress (born 1988)

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the United States to record demo tapes. After signing with Def Jam in 2005, she soon gained recognition with the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten on the US Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mantra Films</span>

Mantra Films Inc., or Mantra Entertainment, was an American softcore pornography production company created by Joe Francis, chiefly for the production and distribution of the United States-based Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild media franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Fanning</span> American actress (born 1994)

Hannah Dakota Fanning is an American actress. She rose to prominence at the age of seven for her performance as Lucy Dawson in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at the age of eight, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. Fanning played major roles as a child actress in the films Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Dreamer (2005), Hide and Seek (2005), and Charlotte's Web (2006), and the eponymous character in Coraline (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Mays</span> American pitchman (1958–2009)

William Darrell Mays Jr. was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson. Throughout his career, he promoted a wide variety of products, including OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, and Zorbeez. His promotions aired mostly on the Home Shopping Network through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc., although they aired on various other syndicated networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehab (Rihanna song)</span> 2008 single by Rihanna

"Rehab" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Def Jam Recordings serviced the song to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 6, 2008, as the fifth and final single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom as a CD single on December 8, 2008.

<i>Plug Me In</i> 2007 video by AC/DC

Plug Me In is a DVD box set released on 16 October 2007 by Australian hard rock group AC/DC. It includes rare performances of the band. The standard two-disc set contains one disc of performances from the Bon Scott era and one from the Brian Johnson era. The three-disc set includes Between the Cracks, featuring performances from both eras. The performance of "Shoot to Thrill" from the Summit, Houston, TX, October 1983 is on both disc two and three.

<i>2 Girls 1 Cup</i> 2007 Brazilian scat-fetish pornographic film

2 Girls 1 Cup is the unofficial nickname of the trailer for Hungry Bitches, a 2007 Brazilian scat fetish pornographic film produced by MFX Media. The trailer features two women defecating into a cup, taking turns in what appears to be consuming the excrement, and vomiting into each other's mouths. "Lovers Theme" by Hervé Roy plays throughout the video.

Ashley Rae Maika DiPietro, better known by the stage name Ashley Alexandra Dupré, is a former call girl. She has worked as a sex columnist for the New York Post, and as a singer. She became a public figure when it was disclosed that she was the woman at the center of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. In that capacity, she was known as Kristen, the name she used as a call girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Offer</span> Israeli-American infomercial pitchman, director, writer, and comedian

Offer Shlomi, better known as Vince Offer or Vince Shlomi, is an Israeli-American infomercial pitchman, director, writer, and comedian. Offer's first major work was the 1999 comedy film The Underground Comedy Movie. Offer owns, produces, and appears in television commercials for his products "ShamWow!", an absorbent towel; the "Slap Chop", a kitchen utensil; a lint roller called the "Schticky"; a liquid cleaner called "InVinceable"; and another kitchen utensil called "Crank Chop". He has also officially advertised other products that he does not own, such as Quicky Grass.

Leverage is an American action crime drama television series, which aired on TNT from December 7, 2008, to December 25, 2012. The series was produced by Electric Entertainment, a production company of executive producer and director Dean Devlin. Leverage follows a five-person team: a thief, a grifter, a hacker, and a retrieval specialist, led by former insurance investigator Nathan Ford, who use their skills to carry out heists to fight corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens.

<i>Gossip Girl</i> 2007 American teen drama television series

Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six seasons from September 19, 2007, to December 17, 2012.

<i>Spring Breakers</i> 2013 film directed by Harmony Korine

Spring Breakers is a 2012 American comedy crime film written and directed by Harmony Korine and starring James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine. Gomez, Hudgens, Benson and Korine portray four college-aged girls who go on spring break in St. Petersburg, Florida and meet an eccentric local drug dealer (Franco) who helps them in a time of desperation, and their eventual descent into a world of drugs, crime, and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girl Gone Wild</span> 2012 single by Madonna

"Girl Gone Wild" is a song by American singer Madonna from her twelfth studio album, MDNA (2012). She co-wrote the song with Benny Benassi, his cousin Alle Benassi, and songwriter Jenson Vaughan, while the Benassi Bros. co-produced the track with Madonna. Vaughan had worked on the lyrics before sending them to Madonna, who developed the demo into the final version of "Girl Gone Wild". The song was confirmed by Madonna as the second single from the album and was released on March 2, 2012, by Interscope Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mireya Navarro (4 April 2004). "The Very Long Legs of 'Girls Gone Wild'". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 31 March 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Michael Schneider (8 December 2002). "'Wild' infomercial struts its stuff". Variety . Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 "'Girls Gone Wild' Files Bankruptcy to Fight Vegas Debt". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Randazzo, Sara (2014-04-24). "Girls Gone Wild: Under New Management". WSJ. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  5. ↑ Claire Hoffman (6 August 2006). "Joe Francis: 'Baby, give me a kiss'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ariel Levy (22 March 2004). "Dispatches from Girls Gone Wild". Slate . Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Bruce Spotleson (24 September 2012). "Wynn sets the precedent". Vegas Inc. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "MGM plans Girls Gone Wild Film". The Guardian . London. 2 October 2002. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Keith Falkiner (12 June 2011). "Girls Gone Wild in Ireland; US sex show eyes up Irish venues for tour". Sunday Mirror (London). Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Media: Analysis- Girls Gone Wild tries tamer approach". PR Week (US). 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "This Guy's Gone Wild". Newsweek. 28 September 2003. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  12. 1 2 "'Girls Gone Wild' for Katrina". CNN Money. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  13. 1 2 Daniel J. Vargas (12 July 2004). "Ok, girls, now it's your turn for a 'Wild' video". The Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Swaim, Michael. "Guys Gone Wild: A Comparative Study for the Well Versed Pornographist". College Humor. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "The world's gone mad for wild guys and girls". 3 July 2004. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  16. ↑ ""Guys Go Wild" in New Video Series". Fox News. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Sellers of 'Girls Gone Wild' Videos Charged with Deceptive Practices". Federal Trade Commission. 17 December 2003. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Sellers of 'Girls Gone Wild' Videos to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle Charges of Unauthorized Shipping and Billing". Federal Trade Commission. 30 July 2004. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Deferred Prosecution Agreement, Stipulation of Fact, Public Statement of Joseph Francis, and Films Subject to the Agreement". FindLaw. 12 September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  20. ↑ "Ashley Dupre Gone "Wild" -- Legal or Jailbait?". TMZ. 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the Former Prostitute Who Had a Paid Liaison With Ex-N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer Files a $10M Lawsuit Against Girls Gone Wild". FindLaw. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "Call girl in Spitzer case drops "Gone Wild" suit". Reuters. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  23. ↑ Jim Salter (27 April 2012). "Mo. woman wins $5.8M in 'Girls Gone Wild' case". FindLaw. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  24. ↑ Robert Patrick (26 April 2012). "'Girls Gone Wild' ordered to pay $5.77 million to woman filmed in St. Louis". The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  25. ↑ Donna Walter (20 June 2012). "$5.77M judgment stands in Girls Gone Wild case". Missouri Lawyers Media. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  26. 1 2 "All-Female Jury Throws Out "Girls Gone Wild" Lawsuit". CBS Miami. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  27. 1 2 "'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Pleads No Contest to Child Abuse, Prostitution Charges". Fox News. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  28. ↑ Egan, Matt. "Legal Headaches Force 'Girls Gone Wild' Into Bankruptcy". Fox Business. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Rich & Shameless: Girls Gone Wild Exposed Cold Open". TNT. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  30. ↑ "TNT's "Rich & Shameless" Debuts on April 23 with "Girls Gone Wild Exposed" Uncovering the Truth Behind Former Hollywood "It" Boy Joe Francis". Futon Critic. April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.