| Brent William Underwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 6, 1987 |
| Occupation | Marketer, Entrepreneur |
| Alma mater | Florida State University Columbia University |
| Notable works | "Putting My Foot Down", "Ghost Town Living" |
Brent William Underwood is an American entrepreneur and owner of Cerro Gordo Mines. [1] [2]
After graduating from Columbia University, Underwood worked briefly for an investment bank in New York City. [3] [4] After one month, he quit and backpacked across Central and South America. [5] Upon returning to New York, he ran a hostel in Brooklyn. [6] [7] In December 2014 Underwood co-founded HK Austin, a hostel in Austin, Texas, with investors including Matthew Kepnes, after staying in 150 hostels across 30 countries. [8] [9] According to Underwood, for 2015, HK Austin was the highest rated hostel in the United States. [5] [10] Underwood later became a partner in the marketing firm Brass Check. [3] [11]
In February 2016, Underwood published a photo of his foot on Amazon as a book titled Putting My Foot Down. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] The resulting article in the New York Observer received attention from a variety of media outlets and from authors including Neil Gaiman and Nick Bilton. [17] [18] [19] Underwood was then offered a publishing contract from Thought Catalog to turn Putting My Foot Down into an expanded paperback version. [15] [13] [20]
In July 2018, Underwood purchased the former mining town of Cerro Gordo alongside the Cerro Gordo Mines for $1.4 million. [21] [22] The purchase included over 360 acres and 22 structures. [23] Underwood stated plans to develop the town into an artist destination for tourists and group events, while maintaining the historic nature of the property. [24] [25]
Since March 2020, Underwood has been living at Cerro Gordo full-time [26] and has regular visitors. [27] Visitors have included Jeff Goldblum, Cole Sprouse, and G-Eazy. [28] The town's hotel burned down on June 20, 2020, in a fire of undetermined origin but possibly electrical wiring failure, during a heat wave. Underwood has plans to rebuild it. [29] He was isolated there for ten weeks in 2020, unable to leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a heavy snowstorm. [30] As of February 2024, Underwood still resided in Cerro Gordo. [31] His book "Ghost Town Living" was published in March 2024. [32]
In 2024, Penguin Random House published Underwood's book, Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley, about his time living at Cerro Gordo. [33] The audiobook version of the book was recorded 900 feet underground in Cerro Gordo's Union Mine. [34]
The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. [35]