Joe Mars was born, Joseph Takudzwa Maramba in 1982 in the surburb of Warren Park, a few kilometres away from the Central Business District of Harare in Zimbabwe. The third born in a family of five, he grew up in a largely musical family in which his grandmother would wear "feet rattles" and dance for him and his siblings when there we still young. His mother sang in the church and during every chore at the house while his dad kept a large collection of vinyls from Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen and even Lucky Dube. Amongst his mom singing, church foundations, father's music love, avid radio listening, his love for art, it was almost certain that he was going to be influenced into a career in media. 

He had a great tutor of English as a subject when growing up. His father, called the "English man" back in his school days in rural Masvingo went on to become a teacher at a private college in Harare. It was his father that passed on the love for the queen's language and Joe excelled at school writing compositions and reports. His father could see a complete replica of himself in the young man that he natured him in almost everything he set his mind on, including achieving a certificate in music at the School of Music in Harare.

 

After high school, he had hopes of becoming a banker but he dropped it all at the last minute after getting an opportunity to study Media and Communications at a local college in Harare. Since then he has never looked back on his first love. 

 

Joe's first interned at The Chronicle in Bulawayo (2004) as a News Reporter before he quickly moved to Spot FM (Former Radio 1, now Classic FM) where he worked under Donald Mukota as station Manager and learnt the ropes of radio from Busi Ndlovu, Violet Makoto and Henry Kolosa (Librarian). He moved to the Harare station before getting a job at Power FM in Gweru where he worked with Davis "Cool Modee" Mugadza, Tinashe "Shef Gulaz" Chiname, Dr Zoba, Glenda "Dj Shotty" Takachicha and Leander "The Captain" Kandiero to mention a few. 

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Hardships in Zimbabwe persuaded him to try out radio in South Africa, with no luck falling onto him after leaving in 2007. He returned in 2010, after the World Cup with re-knewed vigour after having worked in a restaurant for years. He worked for a local NGO since 2011 as a Communications Officer and left to start a family in South Africa in 2015. This next phase in his travels saw him go back to his old job as a Restaurant Manager before leaving it all to focus on a photography business and working as a Social Media Manager for an artist, Jub Jub before parting ways and headed back to Zimbabwe where new radio stations had sprung up and the atmosphere had changed since the last time he was a radio dj for any local radio station. 

 

At Capitalk 100.4FM, he started off with a Sportscasting stint but soon changed to continuity on a early afternoon show. He has hosted numerous shows and talent within the region and continues to find growing interest in the many facets of the media such as running a creative agency in which he has represented small to medium organisations.