One day, he came across some tape showing spontaneous breast-baring at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and as he says now, ''I came to the realization that there was nothing like this in the market.'' He cut his teeth in reality programming as a production assistant on the syndicated show ''Real TV.'' He later started a direct-marketing business with ''Banned From Television,'' a compilation of gory footage from news agencies and camera crews. ''The majority of people don't associate 'Girls Gone Wild' with Joe Francis.'' ''It's not like this is Martha Stewart,'' she said. She said she did not think that the criminal charges against him or his tawdry reputation in some circles will hurt the restaurant chain. She said she had already received calls from people interested in the Girls Gone Wild restaurant franchise. Worthington, for one, is unfazed by his legal troubles.
Girls gone wild free#
''Everybody is doing everything by their own free choice,'' he said of the young women who appear on camera.Īs for his business partners, Ms. Some past civil cases have been resolved in his favor, with judges siding with him on First Amendment and other grounds.
Through a spokesman, he said this week that he is willing to take a lie detector test to prove that he and the woman accusing him in Miami Beach had consensual sex.Īs for the lawsuits, he said that his accusers are after his money. He countered that officials in Panama City Beach, whom he sued to prevent them from interfering with his camera crews last year, are using him to try to get rid of spring breakers in hopes of attracting family tourism. While he awaits trial, the Miami Beach police are investigating an allegation by a 21-year-old woman that he drugged and raped her in his hotel room in South Beach last month, although the police report said she wasn't sure what had happened.Īnd there are several lawsuits filed by young women who were filmed for his videos, including one submitted by seven underage teenagers in connection with the Panama City Beach case. Francis and some of his employees are charged with racketeering, obscenity and enticing underage girls to expose themselves and engage in sex acts during spring break last year. Francis tries to branch out, he is also facing a raft of legal disputes, including a complaint by the Federal Trade Commission alleging that his company engaged in deceptive business practices (charging consumers for unordered videos), and criminal charges in Panama City Beach, Fla., for which he is currently out on $165,000 bail. For us, it's creating an atmosphere and our own brand identity.''īut as Mr. ''To achieve success we have to appeal to a larger demographic than the one for the videos. ''Even if you don't agree with the tapes, it's a fun, cool brand,'' Ms. Customers of the Girls Gone Wild Cantina and Dance Club will be treated to dance routines by waitresses and bartenders, and big screens for watching sports.
Worthington promised ''the most fun spring break party that you could ever imagine,'' minus the nudity. Likening the concept to Hooters, known for its busty waitresses in tight tops, and to the popular Señor Frog's chain, Ms. Francis' licensing deal for a chain of ''Girls Gone Wild'' restaurants with the business partners behind several Las Vegas bar franchises, including Coyote Ugly, which inspired a 2000 movie. MGM has purchased the rights to use the videos as the theme of what studio officials say will be either a teen comedy or a reality movie, and Jive Records is planning to release a compilation CD of dance music under the ''Girls Gone Wild'' brand. ''I want to put that name on everything I can.'' Francis said at the headquarters of his company, Mantra Entertainment in Santa Monica, Calif. ''Girls Gone Wild' is an entertainment franchise,'' Mr. He is embarking on projects and licensing deals to slap the ''Girls Gone Wild'' name on restaurants, clothes, music and movies. So this year, after seven years of building his soft-porn empire into what he boasts is a $100-million-a-year business, and despite the fact that multiple lawsuits and a criminal case are pending against him, Mr.