His most noted work is My Husband's Lover, nominated as Best Telenovela in the 2014 International Emmy Awards[1] held at New York City.

The same project also got him a nomination nod for Best Director at the Asian TV Awards in Singapore[2] that same year.

Zapata first became known for directing large-scale soaps, namely Mar's Ravelo's Darna (both versions, first with Angel Locsin and the updated Marian Rivera starrer) and Captain Barbell.

He did local adaptations of international titles like the Kim Samsoon (Korea), La Lola (Argentina), Zaido (Japan) and Zorro (US).

In 2005, he won the Metro Manila Film Festival People's Choice Award for Best Director[4] for his work on Mulawin, the Movie.