Meet Elon Musk's sister, Tosca Musk, the founder of a Netflix-like streaming service for romance

July 2024 · 5 minute read
Updated 2022-06-06T13:52:03Z

Elon Musk may be the most recognizable name in the Musk family, but he's not the only to one to have started his own company.

47-year-old Tosca Musk is the younger sister to her two older brothers, Elon Musk and Kimbal Musk. Like her brothers, Tosca Musk harnesses an entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2017, Tosca Musk cofounded Passionflix alongside screenwriter Joany Kane and Hollywood producer Jina Panebianco. Kane initially had the idea of creating a streaming service centered around romance novels that catered directly to women and the other two women quickly joined the project, according to the company's website.

Earlier this week, The New York Times profiled Tosca Musk and her streaming service. A spokesperson from Passionflix did not respond to a request for comment from Insider in time for publication.

"Most of the time people look down at romance — there is apparently something radical in having female desire as a main theme — and they don't think that romance is intellectual enough," Tosca Musk told The New York Times. "I think that is wrong. Romance is about validating emotions. It's about removing shame from sexuality. It's about uplifting stories."

A 'sexy Hallmark Channel'

Within a year of founding the company, Passionflix was rolled out as a subscription service akin to other streaming services like Netflix or HBO. To date, the service is available in about 150 countries, per The Times.

Filmmaker Tosca Musk attends the world premiere of "The Matchmaker's Playbook" at the Charlie Chaplin Theatre on March 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. David Livingston/Getty Images

The streaming service — which The New York Times described as a "sexy Hallmark Channel" — costs about $6 a month. The site has dozens of original moves and a handful of TV series, as well as some more traditional licensed romance movies. 

Most notably, the content is organized based on a "barometer of naughtiness," indicated by a series of flame emojis that rank a movie from one to five — from "Oh So Vanilla" to "NSFW" or "Toe Curling Yumminess."

Despite the ranking, Tosca Musk told The New York Times she resents any references to the content as a "guilty pleasure" and that the platform prioritized content that would empower women. While the site features erotic content, it does not allow frontal nudity below the waist, she told The Times.

Filmmaking

Outside of being the company's majority owner, Tosca Musk is also heavily involved in production for the streaming service.

Tosca Musk has produced and directed many of the films and TV series that appear on the platform herself, as well as produced TV movies for Lifetime and Hallmark. She has over 50 producer credits and director credits, as well as a handful of writing credits dating back to 2001 via her production company Musk Entertainment, according to her IMDB page.

Despite Passionflix's high output level for a niche streaming service, the company only has six employees, according to The Times. The company has secured $22 million in early funding per the publication, but it has been hesitant to share data on its subscriber numbers.

Tosca Musk's older brother, Kimbal Musk, is an investor in the company, according to data from Crunchbase. But, Tosca Musk has been close-lipped about Elon Musk's involvement in Passionflix.

"It is difficult for me to answer that question," Tosca Musk told The New York Times. "If I say that he is an investor, then everybody says, 'Oh, she just got her brother to pay for it.' And if I say he didn't invest, then you all say, 'He doesn't support her.'" 

South African filmmaker/CEO and Founder of Passionflix Tosca Musk, brother/South African restaurateur Kimbal Musk and mother/Canadian-South African model Maye Musk arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Passionflix's Series 'Driven' Season 2 held at AMC Santa Monica 7 on July 17, 2021 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States. Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto

Family life

Tosca Musk appears to be close with her family. Her mother, Maye Musk is often outspoken on social media in her support of Passionflix. Maye Musk is frequently seen at events for the company like Passioncon — an annual event for romance enthusiasts that is hosted by Passionflix. 

Last month, Passioncon was held at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey, California. Tickets for the event sold for anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 and included a two night stay at the luxury hotel.

Tosca Musk and Maye Musk celebrated the premiere of the third season of Passionflix's "Driven" with a pajama party at the event.

Maye Musk and Tosca Musk attend Passionflix's Season 3 Premiere Of "Driven" During 1st Ever PassionCon at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey on May 06, 2022 in Marina del Rey, California. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

In Maye Musk's book,  "A Woman Makes A Plan," Tosca Musk's mother said the filmmaker's life was not always glitz and glamour.

Tosca Musk was born in South Africa, but moved to Canada in 1989 at the age of 15, according to Forbes. The move came several years after her parents split — a decision Maye Musk attributed to an abusive relationship in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.

Maye Musk said in her book that there was a period after she divorced Tosca Musk's father, Errol Musk, that the entire family had to work to put food on the table. Tosca Musk worked at an upscale grocery store near their apartment while she studied film at the University of British Columbia from 1994 to 1997, per Forbes.

Tosca Musk later built a home base in Los Angeles with her twin kids, Isabeau Musk and Grayson Musk.

More recently, Tosca Musk moved to Georgia in 2021, hoping to offset expenses for her production company with the state's tax incentives for filmmakers.

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