As many of you know, I have been working on a new #documentary about the funk and soul keyboardist Philip Woo @funkytweak whose iconic playing can be heard on so many anthems like Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and Frankie Beverly and Maze’s “Before I Let Go.” Philip started a #GoFundMe to help him get back to the states to attend the funeral of the legendary Frankie Beverly, who is one of the artists that helped elevate Phlip’s career and musical possibilities. Philip is based in Tokyo, and has already flown back to the US a few times this year (once to film with us) so I’m sure he’d appreciate any help! GoFundMe link in the bio • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #frankiebeverly #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

With more grants on deck, finally working with some of our new footage from this past April’s California shoot, and I’m very happy with how it’s coming along! This new teaser will be used for these upcoming grants and fundraising events that will be happening in early 2025 for our big push. In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of the edit in progress (literally a timeline from #director and #editor @suluandexcelsior screen) and a frame from our shoot with Philip at the coolest location @customvintagekeys - Stay tuned and make sure to give out #musicdocumentary #featurefilm a follow @playitinwoo - thank you always for your support! • • #editing #videoediting #premierepro #documentary #docfilm #independentfilm #indiefilmmaker #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #valeriesimpson #soulmusic #customvintagekeyboards #synthesizer #vintage #filmgrants #grantwriting #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm #asianamericanmusic #playitinwoo

2 years ago I embarked on my new #documentary “Play It in Woo” with a trip to Seattle with co-producer @2020foresight and it was the best way possible to start off this new #featurefilm journey, literally going straight from the airport to film with @jakeuno @supremelarock and @xplargepro - since that fateful day, we’ve gone on and folmed with @jbsankara in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland and Vallejo with such luminaries as Roy Ayers, Valerie Simpson, Kenny G, members of Frankie Beverly and Maze, and so many more musicians who have played on classic soul, funk and jazz tracks. And there’s much more to come! Thanks for coming along for the ride and supporting us along the way, and please stay tuned for the next chapter in our #indiefilm production adventure! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyfeaturingmaze #frankiebeverly #valeriesimpson #ashfordandsimpson #jakeone #largeprofessor #supremelarock #soulmusic #funk #70sfunk #independentfilm #independentfilmmaker #documentaryfilm #filmmakerlife #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

Flashback to that “we doing this” look during this April’s Phase 2 shoot in California. I’ve been neck deep in #grantapplications - 3 deadlines this week - but we’re still plugging away at this even if it’s not on location. Can’t wait to get this production face going again! • • #playitinwoo #productionlife #documentary #docfilmmaking #filmdirector #directorofphotography #producerlife #fundraising #thehustle #philipwoo #filmmakersofcolor #asianamerican #asianamericanfilm

Did you realize that the director of “Play It in Woo” is also a musician? Check out director Steve Mallorca’s musical alter ego @suluandexcelsior as he performs a rare solo show in the round as part of @theuptownrounds music series. It’s a perfect excuse to spend a summer Sunday #uptown in #washingtonheights - soulful music, food, and drink! Sunday, June 23rd, 6-8pm at @dutchbabybakery - 813 W.187th Street, Washington Heights NYC • • • #theuptownrounds #uptownbaby #washingtonheightsmusic #creativeprocess #livemusicnyc #altrnb #randb #neosoul #soulmusic #jazzyhiphop #althiphop #indiemusic #hiphopcrooner #piano #suluandexcelsior #livehiphop #althiphop #filmmakermusician

Me and the man #philipwoo @funkytweak during filming in the Malibu studio of #louadler - such a great week of shooting during our 2nd phase of production and so many great snaps from my co-producers and crewmates @2020foresight and @jbsankara who snapped this shot of me and Philip going deep in discussion. Look for much more to come as we spend the next few months editing, applying for grants and strategizing for our next stage of filming! For all the latest on the #newdocumentary give us a follow @playitinwoo !!! • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #merryclayton #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #louadler #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

Throwback to our @playitinwoo California shoot 3 weeks ago…. Our very first interview brought us to the @soulsides studio where we were surrounded by the impressive #recordcollection and even better conversation. So looking forward to spending some quality time with the new footage this summer. It’s been such a whirlwind of shoots and video edits that it still hasn’t processed how much great stuff we were able to film while we were in California. Thanks so much to everyone that helped us get there, and to everyone that we filmed with while we were out there! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #oliverwang #soulsides #documentarydirector #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #louadler #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

Flashback a couple weeks to our California shoot for my #newdocumentary “Play It in Woo.” Filming in North Hollywood’s @customvintagekeys was truly a dream. For me, probably the only thing that can distract me from my #filmmaking is music making, and being surrounded by racks of vintage #electricpiano #organ and #synthesizer took so much restraint not to get lost noodling on the keys (even got that playing mug on!) I did maintain the willpower to properly set up the shots but thankfully was able to do some ivory tickling before rolling camera- on this beauty of a #wurlitzer - big ups to Luke and the crew at Custom Vintage Keys for the whole experience of filming at such in an incredible place! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #customvintagekeyboards #redwurly #vintagesynthesizer #rhodes #wurly #keyboardplayer #pianoplayer #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #louadler #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

@jbsankara caught this moment of preparation before interviewing the fabulous singer #merryclayton at the Malibu office of legendary producer #louadler - it has been a helluva stretch these last few weeks! Went from an amazing 8 days shooting in California for my #documentary #featurefilm @playitinwoo right back into another multi-day shoot in NYC at Jacob Javits center (for an separate job with my Play It in Woo crew). Dust is still settling but looking forward to getting through our new footage and planning out our next interviews and shoots. For all the latest on the #newdocumentary give us a follow @playitinwoo !!!

Days 5 & 6 of our California shoot for our #newdocumentary “Play It in Woo” took us to the Bay Area, where on a day 5 we caught up with members of Frankie Beverly and Maze, drummers Billy Johnson and Ant Beverly, bassist Robin Duhel, and guitarist Ron Lewis, who even played us his iconic solo from Frankie Beverly and Maze’s anthem, “Before I Let Go.” And we were treated by a serious feast cooked up by Brenda Lewis and Philip himself. And on Day 6 we closed out our Bay Area run in Oakland, where we filmed with Philip’s high school mentor James Gardiner, singer Brenda Vaughn, and guitarist Makoto Horiuchi. After that we met up with a few members of the Woo family for some wrap dinner fun. A great final day in the bay before heading back to LA! Follow @playitinwoo for all the latest! • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #frankiebeverlyandmaze #makoto #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

Days 3 and 4 of our @playitinwoo production in California - a whirlwind of incredible interviews and locations starting with a serious tour and jam with Luke and Jeff @customvintagekeys which was heaven to Philip, who got his hands on vintage synthesizers, electric pianos, and organs before sitting down to do an interview with us. After that, we filmed with legendary bassist Byron Miller, who played with such artists as Roy Ayers, Santana, Herbie Hancock and George Duke. And finally we closed out the day with George Murray, who played bass with David Bowie in the ‘70s. We ended the long, but extremely productive day 3 with George jamming with Philip. On Day 4, we hit the road with Philip and drove to Oakland, filming with him along the way, through some beautiful terrain. We’ve been blessed with the coolest locations and such gracious people this shoot, and being able to have such in-depth conversations with them about music and life has been an inspiration. Days 5 and 6 on deck! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #customvintagekeyboards #byronmiller #georgemurray #georgeduke #davidbowie #vintagesynthesizer #rhodes #wurlitzer #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #louadler #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

What a start for Phase 2 of @playitinwoo ! On our first day of filming in Los Angeles, we started out with culture writer/DJ/scholar Oliver Wang @soulsides and ended the day filming with famed saxophonist Kenny G at his Downtown Los Angeles concert. And our second day was spent with two prolific singers (both background and featured) - starting in Malibu, where we filmed with former Ray Charles singer Merry Clayton, and ending with a Beverly Hills interview with former Ike and Tina Turner singer, Maxayn Lewis. Hard to believe we’ve gotten so much great footage in just two days! On to day 3! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #kennyg #merryclayton #maxaynlewis #musicdocumentary #documentary #newfilm #docfilmmaking #indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #soulmusic #funk #louadler #filmmakersofcolor #asianamericanfilm

Play It in Woo phase 2 of production has begun! As always, a meet up at “the corner” before our 3 man crew of me @2020foresight and @jbsankara fly to California for the next leg of production on our #newfilm “Play It in Woo” - our co-producer Cindy will be holding down the production from NYC but always the best feeling when she and my boys are down in the corner for a sweet sendoff! Follow our #documentary film adventure at @playitinwoo and wish us luck! And much love and gratitude to the kind donors who helped crowdfund this phase of production into fruition. We have got an amazing 8 days of shooting ahead! • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

Big hugs of gratitude to everyone that supported our fundraiser for Phase 2 of production on our #newfilm “Play It in Woo.” On the 10th day of our campaign, we reached our goal, and on the 11th day, we surpassed it! Thank you so much to all of you for supporting us, not only financially, but also by giving us such a powerful vote of confidence in the story we are telling, and our skills in telling that story. We are just so humbled by the support. Because of your generosity, we will be leaving for our California shoot in exactly 2 weeks! We will keep our GoFundMe page (at the link in bio) open to keep you all updated through Phase 2 of our production. Since you’ve joined us along for this journey, we want you to see behind the scenes pictures and updates from what you’ve helped us achieve. You can also follow us on Instagram @playitinwoo And if you know anyone that was planning on donating, but perhaps missed the window, no worries. At another point in the future, we will be planning to complete our principal photography by filming in Japan, and we will most likely launch a new campaign for that. Until then, we’ve got plenty of work to do! We look forward to showing you the fruits of our labor, and thank you for being a part of this journey! • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

Wow - We are almost 85% of the way to our goal for Phase 2 of production on my new film, PLAY IT IN WOO! So much gratitude to those of you who have contributed to take us this far. If you haven’t made a contribution yet, it’s not too late! Take us over the top at the link in the bio! In the meantime, here are some snaps from our Seattle shoot, with the fabulous Woo brothers, Roger and Philip. We will be re-connecting with Philip in California for Phase 2 of production, with a great lineup of interviews taking us from Los Angeles to Oakland! • • • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

Thanks so much to everyone that has donated to the fundraiser for our film, Play It in Woo! Because of you, we are nearly 75% of the way to our goal, in less than a weeks time! That is an amazing feat, especially for us, since we have been self-funded to this point. We are humbled by your generosity and belief in our film and it will inspire us all in our next phase of production at the end of April. Please keep spreading the word, and if you haven’t made a contribution, please visit the link in the bio to read more on the film and make a donation! Let’s get it! PLAY IT IN WOO is a feature length documentary film directed by @suluandexcelsior about the keyboardist Philip Woo, who played with such legends as Roy Ayers, Frankie Beverly and Maze, and Ashford and Simpson to become one of the first Asian American musicians to become a prominent player in the soul and funk genres of the '70s and '80s. His keys are heard on such R&B anthems as "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" and "Before I Let Go" and his playing has been sampled by Notorious B.I.G, A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and so many more. • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

Alright! We’ve made it past the 50% mark for our goal - THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generous contributions and all the good vibes you’re sending our way! Please keep sharing and spreading the word , and if you’d like to make a contribution to our April shoot in California, visit the link in the bio - thanks again for all the love! • • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor

The fundraiser for my new film, PLAY IT IN WOO, is now live! We had a great kickoff party last night, and we’re hoping to keep up momentum with your support as we head into Phase 2 of production in late April, when our production team of myself, @2020foresight and @jbsankara head to California to film in Los Angeles, Oakland, Vallejo, and in between! To date, this film has been self-funded, but to continue in this crucial phase, we’ll need your help. Please check out the link in the bio for to make a donation and get more info on the film, and thanks so much for your support! • • #philipwoo #playitinwoo #documentaryfilm #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilmmaker #indiefilm #indiefilmmaking #documentarydirector #royayers #filmmakersofcolor #nycfilmmaker

Play It in Woo’s first ever fundraising party was a great night and a perfect way to kick everything off - thanks to everyone who could make it! And extra special thanks for all the generosity in this first 24 hours of donations! We’re hoping to keep up momentum with your support as we head into Phase 2 of production in late April, when our production team of myself, @2020foresight , and @jbsankara head to California to film in Los Angeles, Oakland, Vallejo, and in between! To date, this film has been self-funded, but to continue in this crucial phase, we’ll need your help. Please check out the link in the bio to donate, and to find more info on the film, and thanks so much for your support! • • #playitinwoo #philipwoo #royayers #frankiebeverlyandmaze #ashfordandsimpson #musicdocumentary #documentaryfilm #documentaryfilmmaking #docfilm #documentaryfunding #filmmaker #independentfilm #indiefilmmaking #fundraising #soulmusic #funk #vinylcollector #beatmaker #asianamericanmusic #asianamericanfilm #filmmakersofcolor