- Porn TV pioneer Anne-Marie Losique poses for a photoshoot – Photo courtesy IDI Productions
By Jordan Whelan
On camera and on paper, Anne-Marie Losique would appear to be “that girl” – a free spirited, vivacious vixen with brewing confidence and notions of love, romance and sexuality. And with an arsenal of business maneuvers, The Montreal Mirror has dubbed her a “sex mogul.”
The daughter of Serge Losique, the president and founder of the Montreal Film Festival, Anne-Marie Losique may just have the golden touch encoded into her DNA.
With a propensity for seductive provocation, exceptional self-awareness, and an infectious giggle, Losique stormed the entertainment industry in Quebec as the host of Box-Office, a cinema television magazine. She’s travelled the world to interview industry personnel from porn stars to Hollywood moguls.
Her most notorious, and “Googleworthy” interview took place in 2004, on the lap of an inebriated Ben Affleck. Instead of promoting his upcoming film, Jersey Girl, Affleck groped Losique for nearly five minutes while spieling quotes such as “they would like it better if you did the show topless”, “should we do a Janet Jackson thing?”, and “are you wearing your nipple ring?”
Losique is nearly speechless and she coos and giggles through Affleck’s rant, which at one point includes a satire on individuals suffering from cerebral palsy.
[pullquote]“We all have multiple layers to our personalities, I think some people are of the impression that I go home and have gang bangs.”
-Anne-Marie Losique[/pullquote]
Today she is a far cry from a run-of-the-mill VJ. She has become an entertainment industry heavyweight in a relatively short period of time, producing and artfully controlling a contentious niche market. It is a Thursday afternoon when AML (her stage name) shares her story over the phone from the headquarters of her highly successful production company, Image Diffusion International.
It seems like many, I have erred in my preconceptions of a grandiose Losique primped and pampered from sunrise to set. She sounds ill and remarks she’s “looking like shit, ” makeup-less, in jogging pants and with dirty hair – not the image you find in a quick Google search. Nearly every shot on the web shows a bikini-clad and buxom Losique.
“We all have multiple layers to our personalities, I think some people are of the impression that I go home and have gang bangs,” says Losique. “I take my work very seriously, but I do not take myself very seriously.”
Across the board, Losique is many pieces in a shifting puzzle. She interjects her “bimbo” persona when it is advantageous to her productions, but enjoys the credibility that her curriculum vitae bring.
“This is the way I protect myself, I don’t want to break the fantasy, but at the end of the day if I wanted to clear all the talk I could,” says Losique.
The truth is, remove the AML brand and what you’re left with is a business model that would likely fail. In October of last year, Image Diffusion took its most monumental risk yet, launching a French-language adult entertainment channel named Vanessa TV. Dubbed “porn TV” by the premier media outlets, the channel features many genres such as reality shows, cooking shows and documentaries.
The channel was approved on March 6, 2009 by the CRTC. The decision lists that Vanessa TV will be “devoted to the themes of charm, sensuality, eroticism, and sexuality and might also include documentaries, news and magazines covering the industries that exploit these themes and the personalities that revolve around them.” As per standard CRTC agreements the channel must broadcast at least 20 per cent Canadian content.
But Vanessa TV must battle the reality of a saturated adult entertainment market. Tandy Yull, senior manager of English-language television at the CRTC confirmed via an email interview that there are six other adult channels including Red Hot TV, and the powerhouse duo of Hustler TV and Penthouse TV.
Losique on set - Photo courtesy IDI Productions
Losique and co. believe a strong local identity will be what helps Vanessa TV thrive in the fickle television market.
“I’m going to aim close to 80 per cent because we bought Playboy before but what we found is that people want local content,” Losique says.
As with any new venture, there will be hurdles. First and foremost, there are hang-ups about sex and adult entertainment in general. The CRTC has already reported 62 complaints with the service, but according to Image Diffusion’s co-president Marc Trudeau, that’s “next to nothing” given the population of Canada.
“What I have discovered about sex is that you really go back to deep insecurities with people. Come on, it’s just sex,” says Losique.
Trudeau explains the company’s dispute with Shaw cable, which decided not to partner with Vanessa TV.
“It is really a pity to see that a Canadian network like Shaw broadcasts plenty of American channels and refuses a Canadian channel with Canadian content,” says Trudeau.
Representatives from Shaw could not be reached for comment.
Bell Canada, a direct competitor with Shaw has broadcasted the channel since October 2010 at a monthly rate of $15.23. Marie-Eve Francoeur, the associate director of media relations would not give subscriber numbers for competitive reasons.
“We continue to make programming choices to match consumer demand,” says Francoeur.
So the oldest business in the world has demand – it is hardly groundbreaking. But with free access on the internet and video-on-demand services tailored exactly to consumer desires, Vanessa TV requires strong entertainment value. If they stick too close to pure pornography, viewers may take their $15.23 and opt for a T-bone steak.
Vanessa TV will launch an English-language version in fall of this year, with its own separate license. It will carry the same blend of reality shows, cooking segments and documentaries, followed by pornography as the sun sets. Trudeau says the French network will be producing more than 320 hours of content by the end of the year and that they aim to follow suit with the English version.
Despite growing pains and the channel’s untested waters, Losique is confident that they have found their stride and has plans to export into French speaking countries.
“I want to push the envelope and also show there is always another side to sex,” says Losique.
It is unknown if the old adage “sex sells” will ring true as Vanessa TV celebrates its one year anniversary in October and gears up for the English launch in the fall. Either way, don’t expect Anne Marie Losique, the persona, to reinvent herself for her golden years.
“In five years, I am out of here, hopefully on a beach somewhere,” laughs Losique. Perhaps it seems, “that girl” is eager to become “that woman.”
