Maplewoodstock

Maplewoodstock is a free, community-driven music and arts festival held annually for the past 20 years in Maplewood, NJ. Over two days, it draws more than 10,000 attendees from across the state. After one of my articles was published in the local newspaper, a member of the festival’s board reached out and invited me to create a video for the event. The original concept was to produce a documentary capturing the spirit and history of the festival. However, the project faced internal skepticism due to many past failed attempts to produce a festival video. As a result, they declined to officially hire me, although the board member expressed hope he could still change their minds.

With just one day left before the festival and no confirmation, it was clear that I wouldn’t be hired. Still, I reached out one last time to explore alternative options. I clarified that without the level of access we’d initially discussed, I could only produce a highlight reel rather than a full documentary. The board member was enthusiastic about this pivot and offered to personally fund the project.

I went on to film, edit, and color grade the piece myself. The result is a video that I believe genuinely captures the energy and atmosphere of the festival (day one). After sharing the final cut with the board member, he praised the quality but later criticized that the video “wasn’t diverse enough.” I responded thoughtfully, noting that as an Asian adoptee, I understand the importance of representation—but also pointed out that the event itself was, in reality, overwhelmingly white. My focus was on showcasing the performances anyway, and I had no influence over the lineup or the makeup of the performers.

In my response I wrote, “This video was something I wanted to make for the experience, and I’m happy to share it, but it wasn’t created with the intention of hitting any diversity quotas or making changes to fit a certain narrative. If anyone takes issue because the video doesn't show enough diversity, I think it speaks to a bigger problem around performative wokeness in these communities. It’s easy to push for diversity when it’s about creating an image, but less so when it’s about engaging with these communities in a meaningful way. This is part of what I critiqued in my article that you read — the gap between the ideal of inclusivity and the lived reality, which I’ve experienced firsthand.”

As of this writing, no payment has been made, and I have received no confirmation regarding whether the festival intends to use the video. There has also been no marketing or promotion of the piece on their end. Given the lack of clarity and support, I removed the partnership credit and decided to share the video independently on my personal channel. While I’m dissapointed we couldn’t agree on the direction or purpose of the video, I'm proud of the work and believe it offers an authentic snapshot of day one of the festival—capturing it as it truly was.