FORT LEE, NJ — It started with a stray puppy.

Fort Lee native Glen Zipper was an assistant criminal prosecutor in Hudson County. He was three years into his career, and he knew it was not what he wanted to do. Then, while walking in Jersey City one day, he came across a stray puppy and that led him to quitting his job and volunteering at a local animal shelter.

"I never felt so encouraged and fulfilled in my life," Zipper said. That's when he decided to follow his dream of being a filmmaker. A dream that took him to Los Angeles and Hollywood.

"I came out to L.A. and I had a lot of doors slammed in my face until I was hired as a documentary film producer," said Zipper, who helped produce "The Last Play At Shea," about the last concert at Shea Stadium. "That's where I learned to make films." Then, a few years later, a film idea came to his company that his boss did not want to make.

Zipper said to his boss, "What if I raise the money for it and produce it?" His boss agreed and off he went.

The film would be called "Undefeated." It was about the Manassas Tigers high school football team of Memphis, Tennessee and its coach Bill Courtney. It won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2012. Zipper and his brother's company, Zipper Bros. Films, produced it.

"It was a dream come true," Zipper said. Since "Undefeated," Zipper has produced 40 films and television shows, including "The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash," which will premier in November.