StarMentors/Joseph Macklin Studios Kansas City

Specifically, Jo executive produced LeToya Luckett’s (a founding member of Destiny’s Child) Until Then album. He worked with “June’s Diary,” Kelly Rowland’s (another founding member of Destiny’s Child) girl group, producing music for the show “Chasing Destiny.” It wasn’t his first introduction into producing for a television series. In fact, from 2014 to 2017, he produced music for the hit show Empire.

Jo splits his time between Los Angeles and Kansas City, making a point to cultivate local talent. He co-founded a record label, DISTRKCT, which has produced albums by KC-based artist Effie (Curve My Enthusiasm, 2020) and Kimberly Keys.
Today, Jo’s passion is to bring music and light to his community, and his calling is giving back to the Kansas City Metro area, his hometown. He invests his time, money, and energy into local initiatives, including the first-ever Christmas tree lighting and Christmas of Diversity concert in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District and the rehabilitation of the Quindaro Museum, which houses historical artifacts from the African-American community. Jo has served as the event music producer for the American Jazz Museum and has taught music theory and coding classes through the Full Employment Council and University of Central Missouri—for free. The classes offer metro-area teens paid internships and access to Jo as a mentor.
Jo’s focus is on building a musical and social culture that provides a space for every man, woman, boy and girl to live their dreams—and that especially includes his better half McClain Bryant Macklin & two-year-old son, Micah Jo.