For over 23 years, John C. Jointer has worked in arts and entertainment. Starting out as a Chicago-based party and events promoter for 15 years and then developing a name for himself among DJs, mainstream acts, and underground artists, Jointer eventually transitioned to artist management, managing the soul/R&B duo, Innosphere. Under John’s management, Innosphere successfully released their debut EP, “Shine,” to rave reviews in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Okayplayer.com, Vibe.com, and URB Magazine, among others.

In 2011, Jointer was hired as a producer by the Pradagi Foundation for their PBS TV series, “Keeping Success PURE.”  After the series ended, John transitioned from television into film. As the founder of 3919 Filmworks, a production company, Jointer’s been producing and directing his feature-length debut documentary film, Undeniable – The Story Of The Independent Soul Music Movement and the docu-series, Indie Soul Journeys.

A producer and executive producer most recently known for Walk Away From Love (2017), For the Love of Christmas (2017), and WaMahyaya season 4 (2017), Seneca Lester has a long and esteemed career in television and film production. Lester also served as Vice President of Production at Towers Productions, Inc. where he developed a few documentary series such as Gangland (2010), Parole Diaries (2012), and Find Our Missing (2013).

Lester managed and developed documentary series for the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Biography Channel, and ID: Investigation Discovery.  Lester began his career in the independent film world as a production assistant and quickly moved up the ranks. His most recent films The Law of Moises (2018) and Mollywood (2018) are both in post-production.

L. Michael Gipson, MS, is an award-winning writer and educator, as well as an arts, youth, social justice, and public health advocate with over 25 years of public service and publishing credits to his name. As a journalist and cultural critic, Gipson has placed editorials and features with national and regional publications like Clik, Pulse, Swerv, Arise, and Urban Dialect. For 13 years, Gipson has served as a senior writer, music editor, and now editor-at-large at SoulTracks.com. He also served as an associate editor at Lambda Literary and is a signed author with Red Dirt Press.

Gipson’s essays and short stories have been frequently anthologized, most recently in The Lemonade Reader (Routledge) and For Colored Boys Who’ve Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Not Enough (Magnus Books). He’s the lead writer/co-producer on the documentary feature, Undeniable, and the docu-series, Indie Soul Journeys. Gipson holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and an MS in Instructional Design from Full Sail University.

Recording timeless soul for 30 years, Will Downing has withstood countless transitions in the music industry and remained a relevant force in urban adult contemporary (UAC) music in both the U.S. and UK markets. With 15 R&B Top 40 charting album releases in a canon that includes 24 albums and compilations, Downing’s velvet baritone has been a UAC and smooth jazz radio staple for two generations. From his Top 5 dance hit, “A Love Supreme,” to his Top 15 R&B cover of “I Try” and his Quiet Storm duet standard, “Nothing Has Ever Felt (feat. Rachelle Ferrell),” Downing has had both critical and commercial success culminating in his 2000 Grammy nomination for “All The Man”.

A winner of the SoulTracks Reader’s Choice Awards for Best Male Artist and the recipient of the International African American Music Diamond Award, Downing is among the industry’s most celebrated artists. Married to singer Audrey Wheeler and the father of three, Downing is the spokesperson for the American Stroke Association and the Celebrity Ambassador for the American Heart Association. Downing is also the author of Unveiled Series I, a 2005 collection of Downing’s original photography. ISJ is delighted to now have Will Downing as the host and voice of Indie Soul Journeys.