Matt began in theatre at the Ohio State University in 1992. In 1995 he took almost five years off from school to serve in the United States Marine Corps. In 2000 he returned to OSU and graduated in December. Matt's design credits for the Theatre Department include: Rock and Roles Shakespeare, Ghost Stories of the Blacksmith Curse, Cowboy Mouth, English Therapy, Labyrinth of Desire, and the upcoming Palmer Park. In addition to designing for Theatre, Matt has contributed his lighting designs to numerous opera projects with the School of Music, such as The Coronation of Poppea, Elixir of Love, La Calisto, The Magic Flute and most recently The Marriage of Figaro.

As Lighting Studio Manager, Matt helped develop and teaches Theatre 628: Lighting Production Technology, directed toward helping production electricians learn some of their trade formally rather than on the job. In 2009, Matt passed his ETCP - Certified Entertainment Electrician exam. Matt also developed "Carolyn" which is a virtual lighting tutor to help beginning lighting students digitally visualize potential lighting angles.