Keith Dorrington

Keith Dorrington is the writer and executive producer of The Fighter, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

The story of Dorrington as a filmmaker began with relationships forged in adolescence. A native of Billerica, Massachusetts, Dorrington lived only one town over from half brothers Dicky Ecklund and "Irish" Micky Ward, two promising boxers whose careers were cut short – Dicky due to addiction and Micky to a series of losses.

Inspired by the brothers' efforts to start anew, Dorrington gave up his lucrative career in the international shipping/global logistics industry and filmed the documentary Not Over 'Til the Count of Ten, which documents Ward's incredible comeback under Ecklund's training. This documentary eventually became The Fighter, starring Mark Wahlberg as the eponymous "'Irish' Micky Ward" and Christian Bale as "Dicky Ecklund."

A businessman who has found great success across industries, Dorrington's first lesson in reinvention was from his father – an alcoholic who suddenly decided to give up drinking and stuck to it, finding success in real estate. This theme of reinvention and starting anew is one that is heavily explored in The Fighter, as well as in Dorrington's personal life – after leaving an early career in real estate, he remade himself in the international shipping business and again as a filmmaker.

Much like the brothers from Lowell, Massachusetts who he brought to the big screen, Dorrington shows that hard work, passion, and perseverance breed success.