In 2017, Mapleston won an
Emmy Award for 'Outstanding Writing in Children's Animation' for his work on
Beat Bugs. He is also one of the principal writers for the follow-up animated series
Motown. In the comedy sphere, Mapleston created and wrote
I Rock, a narrative comedy series about a struggling indie band. He also starred as the band's
misanthropic frontman Nash Taylor. Mapleston wrote and script-edited the action-comedy series
Maximum Choppage. In the same year, he co-created and wrote the web series
Ultimate Fanj (
Working Group/
ABC Television Australia) about the lives of hapless hipsters in inner-city
Sydney. Mapleston's credits also include a number of Australian drama series, including the romantic comedy
The Wrong Girl (
Playmaker Media) based on the novel by
Zoe Foster Blake, the
dramedy House Husbands (Playmaker Media) and the television adaptation of
John Marsden's action-adventure novels
Tomorrow, When the War Began (
Ambience Entertainment). Mapleston has been nominated for two
Australian Writers' Guild awards for his work on young-adult drama series
Ready for This and
Dance Academy. In addition to writing duties, he was also
Dance Academy's Series Script Editor for Seasons 2 and 3. Both shows were nominated for
International Emmy Awards for "Best Children's Series". As a stand-up comic Mapleston has been performing in Australia for over ten years. Mapleston was the co-creator, script producer and writer of Netflix's
Surviving Summer. In 2025 Mapleston is executive producing and writing for
Ghosts Australia which will premiere on Paramount Plus. Other writing credits include: •
Home and Away, 2007 – present (12 episodes) •
Shortland Street, 2007 (1 episode) • ''
McLeod's Daughters'', 2001 ==Personal life==