Joe Ma was a member of the G4 before he entered showbiz. While still with the police, a friend suggested that he be a model and in 1991 he filmed his first commercial. Joe then entered TVB and his first serial with them was Kindred Spirit in 1995. TVB kept him very busy for the next few years, in 1997, alone he appeared in 7 series, and in 1999, he appeared in 8. His roles, in the beginning, weren't that good and he was usually bad or in minor support roles. However, the exodus of top TVB actors in the late 90s gave him more opportunities. He began to take more substantial support roles, as the fireman turn triad leader in the popular Burning Flame (1998,) Ada Choi's dashing suitor with a secret in A Matter of Business (1999), and Paul Chan Pui's selfish eldest son in At the Threshold of an Era (1999-2000) to name a few. The year 2000 also saw him as the 2nd male lead in A Taste of Love.