Matthew O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" O'Brien is an American author
and journalist
who's lived in Las Vegas
since 1997.
, where he was a point guard on the basketball team, and from the University of West Georgia
in 1995. He was a staff writer, news editor and managing editor of the alternative weekly
Las Vegas CityLife
from 2000 to 2008. While at the paper, he co-wrote two cover stories about exploring the underground flood channels of Las Vegas after reading about Timmy "TJ" Weber, who was suspected (and later convicted) of murdering his girlfriend and her son, raping her daughter and attempting to kill another son. Weber used the drains to evade the police. In the storm drains, O'Brien discovered hundreds of homeless people living in them. His adventures in the underground flood channels are detailed in his book Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, released in June 2007.
Beneath the Neon has been reviewed or written about by more than 100 media outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Wired, Der Spiegel
, Le Monde
, and the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Nightline
, "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," Al Jazeera
, CNN, NPR, the BBC, the Associated Press, and other national and international media outlets have done stories about the tunnels and the tunnel-dwellers.
CNN's Michael Cary went into the tunnels with O'Brien and described him as "an expert on the more than 300 miles of underground flood channels and its tunnel dwellers."
O'Brien's second book, My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas, released November 15, 2010, is a collection of creative-nonfiction stories set in off-the-beaten-path Vegas, including a seedy motel on East Fremont Street
that's known for prostitution, street drug dealing, and violence.
O'Brien is founder of Shine a Light, a community project that provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to homeless people living in the drains. In a January 2011 article, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described O'Brien's work in the tunnels "turned into a 4½-year obsession for O’Brien, where he wound up documenting a population he suspects no one except a handful of police officers knew existed." CBS News correspondent Seth Doane, who went underneath the Las Vegas Strip with O'Brien in the summer of 2010, wrote that "O'Brien's interest has turned into advocacy" in his efforts to help the homeless.
American Public Media
's "The Story" segment covered O'Brien's efforts to help homeless people when they interviewed O'Brien and featured a homeless man in April 2011.
He has won several first-place awards in the Nevada Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including Journalist of Merit (given to journalists with less than five years of experience to encourage them to stay in the business) in 2002 and Outstanding Journalist (a top individual award) in 2006.
In November 2011, O'Brien was given the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award, sponsored by the Friends of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries. Established in 1996, the Silver Pen recognizes writers who are in mid-career but have already shown substantial achievement. After the announcement of the award, the Nevada Appeal
featured O'Brien in a Q&A article.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who's lived in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
since 1997.
Career
O'Brien, who grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, graduated in 1988 from Decatur High SchoolDecatur High School (Georgia)
Decatur High School is a high school in Decatur, Georgia, United States. It is the sole high school in the Decatur City School District...
, where he was a point guard on the basketball team, and from the University of West Georgia
University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003...
in 1995. He was a staff writer, news editor and managing editor of the alternative weekly
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
Las Vegas CityLife
Las Vegas CityLife
Las Vegas CityLife, founded in August 1996, is the oldest alternative weekly newspaper in Southern Nevada and covers news about the Las Vegas Valley and surrounding areas. Coverage includes news, politics, arts, and culture reporting in print and online formats. The publication is owned by Stephens...
from 2000 to 2008. While at the paper, he co-wrote two cover stories about exploring the underground flood channels of Las Vegas after reading about Timmy "TJ" Weber, who was suspected (and later convicted) of murdering his girlfriend and her son, raping her daughter and attempting to kill another son. Weber used the drains to evade the police. In the storm drains, O'Brien discovered hundreds of homeless people living in them. His adventures in the underground flood channels are detailed in his book Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, released in June 2007.
Beneath the Neon has been reviewed or written about by more than 100 media outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Wired, Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, and the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
, "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, CNN, NPR, the BBC, the Associated Press, and other national and international media outlets have done stories about the tunnels and the tunnel-dwellers.
CNN's Michael Cary went into the tunnels with O'Brien and described him as "an expert on the more than 300 miles of underground flood channels and its tunnel dwellers."
O'Brien's second book, My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas, released November 15, 2010, is a collection of creative-nonfiction stories set in off-the-beaten-path Vegas, including a seedy motel on East Fremont Street
Fremont Street
Fremont Street is a street in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas metropolitan area after the Las Vegas Strip...
that's known for prostitution, street drug dealing, and violence.
O'Brien is founder of Shine a Light, a community project that provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to homeless people living in the drains. In a January 2011 article, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described O'Brien's work in the tunnels "turned into a 4½-year obsession for O’Brien, where he wound up documenting a population he suspects no one except a handful of police officers knew existed." CBS News correspondent Seth Doane, who went underneath the Las Vegas Strip with O'Brien in the summer of 2010, wrote that "O'Brien's interest has turned into advocacy" in his efforts to help the homeless.
American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
's "The Story" segment covered O'Brien's efforts to help homeless people when they interviewed O'Brien and featured a homeless man in April 2011.
Awards
O'Brien was the recipient of two Artists Fellowship grants awarded by the Nevada Arts Council for 2010 and 2007 for his nonfiction book projects.He has won several first-place awards in the Nevada Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including Journalist of Merit (given to journalists with less than five years of experience to encourage them to stay in the business) in 2002 and Outstanding Journalist (a top individual award) in 2006.
In November 2011, O'Brien was given the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award, sponsored by the Friends of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries. Established in 1996, the Silver Pen recognizes writers who are in mid-career but have already shown substantial achievement. After the announcement of the award, the Nevada Appeal
Nevada Appeal
The Nevada Appeal is a daily newspaper published in Carson City, Nevada by Swift Communications. The paper is available in six regional editions across northern Nevada and eastern California:*Lahontan Valley News...
featured O'Brien in a Q&A article.
Books
- Beneath the Neon (Huntington Press, 2007)
- My Week at the Blue Angel (Huntington Press, 2010)
External links
- Official Web site for Matthew O'Brien
- Featured panelist, Vegas Valley Book Festival
- NPR feature story, "Sucked Into The Tunnels Beneath Las Vegas," by Adam Burke, December 4, 2008
- 8NewsNow, "I-Team: 'Beneath the Neon' -- Underground Las Vegas"
- Rebel Yell, "Third annual Shanty Town headlines Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week," Nov. 22, 2010
- http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/nov/19/matthew-obrien-hunter-s-thompson-blue/Las Vegas WeeklyLas Vegas WeeklyLas Vegas Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. Las Vegas Weekly is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James Reza as a free monthly publication called Scope covering...
, "Local author Matthew O’Brien on Hunter S. Thompson, Larry’s Villa and more," November 19, 2010] - CasinoOnline.co.uk, Book review, Matthew O'Brien - Beaneath the Neon
- http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2010/11/05/news/local_news/iq_39584317.txtLas Vegas CityLife, "Fair and balanced: Matthew O'Brien's new book of compelling essays offers no judgment on its often troubled subjects," by Tod GoldbergTod GoldbergTod Goldberg is an American author and journalist, best known for his novels Fake Liar Cheat and Living Dead Girl , and the short story collections Simplify and Other Resort Cities...
, November 5, 2010]