For this interview I am joined by LA native and Heal Los Angeles co-founder, John Muto about his humanitarian endeavours, his approach to creating events fans will love, what impact he hopes Heal LA makes and much more!
Hi John, thank you for taking time to answer a few of my questions!
F: I think most know you by now but, let’s start from the top. How did you first become a fan of MJ?
J: This is one of my favorite questions! My dad used to drop me off at preschool every day, and he always had the Off the Wall album in his car. He’d skip the first track—not because "Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough" wasn’t good, but maybe it was just a bit too loud for early mornings.
The second track, as you probably know, is "Rock With You," and that beat became my morning soundtrack. That’s when I knew I wanted my own MJ album. I remember waking my dad up one morning, still half-asleep, and asking if he could take me to the music store. When he asked why, I told him I wanted to buy a Michael Jackson CD.
In my hometown, we had a store called ‘The Wherehouse,’ and I was fascinated by the clean cover of Bad. I think that was the first album I ever owned—my dad bought it for me. It was the special edition, all black with the cover art over it. That’s a memory I’ll always cherish, that my dad was the one who introduced me to Michael Jackson.
F: Did you always know you wanted to get into Humanitarian work or was that inspired solely by Michael?
J: My mom always told me, “Don’t just think about yourself; think of others.” But, like most kids, I didn’t always listen. Her voice was always in the back of my mind, though. We tend to listen more to people we love and respect, and for me, that person was Michael Jackson.
He showed, through his actions, how important it is to try to make the world a better place. I think as a kid, seeing someone lead by example rather than just words really stuck with me. I’ve always wanted to work for his Foundation, but even if that didn’t happen, I knew I wanted a career that involved helping others.
F: You are in a unique position to be a fan of Michael and also work directly towards his legacy. Did it come as a surprise or did you know this is what you would end up doing?
J: This is such a great question! I was actually thinking about this the other day. When I was a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to work for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their Community Relations Department. I felt like I had a decent shot at that because there were real jobs and internships in that field.
But the other dream I had was to carry on Michael Jackson’s humanitarian legacy. Back then, I didn’t even know about the Estate of Michael Jackson. I remember Googling “Michael Jackson Jobs,” “Michael Jackson Careers,” and “Heal the World Foundation Jobs,” hoping something would pop up. But I never found anything, so I figured a career related to Michael Jackson just wasn’t in the cards for me—or for anyone, really. It was a dream I had to let go of because it didn’t seem realistic.
Meeting Prince and starting Heal LA as a college student was something I never saw coming! There are so many little moments that make me think about how awesome this is, like getting a text from Prince, driving onto the Hayvenhurst property, and bringing the Michael Jackson community together. This is a dream job for me, and if you had told me back in high school that this would happen, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’ll always be thankful to Prince for taking a chance on me—something he didn’t have to do.
F: What does it mean for you to be able to make positive changes in your community and honor MJ’s humanitarian spirit at the same time
J: Making a real impact in our community is one of the best feelings ever. Prince and I always talk about how grateful we are for the experiences we had growing up, and we just want to give that back to our community—and then some. Now that we’re adults, we think about how even the most basic guidance could have made a big difference in our lives, but we needed someone to show us the way.
We both feel strongly that with the resources and information we have, we can make a real difference in a child’s life. How special is that? Even if it’s just one child we’re helping and watching grow, that’s incredible! It doesn’t get better than that.
And the best part of it all is honoring Michael Jackson’s humanitarian spirit in what we do. You can see it in everything, from the small details to the big picture, and that’s something that will never get old for Prince and me.
F: What is it like working together with Prince to create change and positively impact not only in your direct community but also, with fans from around the world
J: I absolutely love working with Prince! He’s one of the most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet. I’ve mentioned before that he didn’t have to give me a chance to start something together, but he did, and I’m so grateful for that.
What I really appreciate about Prince is that we share the same vision and commitment to making a real difference in people’s lives. Heal LA might not reach thousands or millions of youths yet, but we’re starting small and working our way up. Little by little, we’re aiming to help our community become stronger, smarter, and more successful.
When Heal LA officially became a nonprofit, I told Prince that our biggest supporters would be the Michael Jackson community. They’ve been amazing in supporting us and spreading the word about what we’re doing. We realized that the best chance for the MJ community to visit Hayvenhurst was through our Thriller Night event, so we’ve been looking for other creative ways to give fans more access to the property. Our King of Popcorn Movie Night Series is one of those ways, giving the MJ community a chance to come onto the property and soak up the Michael Jackson vibes.
F: Do you find yourself feeling even closer to Michael and understanding his vision more, through the work that you do?
J: Oh, that’s a great question! The short answer is yes, but it happens in waves.
For example, I remember watching an interview where Michael got emotional talking about how children don’t get to eat with their families anymore and how the family bond seems to be disappearing.
One of Heal LA’s programs is our Virtual Cooking Class, and the feedback from parents and students has been amazing. They love how it helps them spend more quality time together. What’s special is that it’s not a “forced” activity; since cooking dinner is something that happens anyway, it becomes a chance for the whole family to get together and learn something new.
So when I hear that families love spending this time together, it really reminds me of that Michael interview. It feels like we’re slowly putting together a puzzle that he cared deeply about.
F: When coming up with really creative and impactful events like Thriller Night and King of Popcorn, do you take the approach of making events that Michael would have loved, events that you know the fans will love or events you would love personally
J: When Prince and I plan an event, we always think about what the MJ fans will love! We also feel like anything we do would be something Michael himself would have enjoyed. We’re constantly listening to what fans want, and if it makes sense for us to do it and raise money for Heal LA, it’s definitely something we’ll consider.
F: Though inspired by Michael’s Heal The World Foundation, Heal LA is not a carbon copy but its own entity. What is the unique mark that you want to make sure Heal LA leaves
J: I’d love for a student who goes through our program and eventually becomes an adult to see Heal LA as an organization that really made a difference in their life and worked to uplift the community.
F: Are there any specific MJ songs or videos that really inspire you or motivate you
J: It’s hard not to get goosebumps listening to "Thriller." I was with Taj at Hayvenhurst, and we were in Michael’s bathroom. He told me that in that spot, Michael had written on the mirror that "Thriller" would be the biggest selling album of all time. Considering what that album did for the music industry and future generations of music fans and artists, it’s truly incredible. How can you not be inspired and motivated by "Thriller"?
F: I know as a personal hobby you collect autographed baseballs, how did you get into that?
J: I’ve loved baseball since I was a kid and started playing when I was just 4 years old. My first autographed baseball was from Dodger Stadium, and I was completely fascinated by getting an autograph. Since then, it’s just been a fun hobby for me! It doesn’t have to be a baseball player—I’ll collect autographs from people in other sports, entertainment, politics, you name it. But my favorite ball is definitely my Michael Jackson autographed baseball.
F: Lastly, what mark do you hope to have left on not only the MJ community but the world. What do you want people to think of when they hear the name John Muto?
J: I’m all about going after your dreams and aligning them with what you’re passionate about. If you’re lucky enough to find something you’re passionate about, that’s already half the battle. My hope is that people see me as someone who really went for it and made something meaningful out of it.
WOW! WOW! I LOVED THIS! 🔥