“A Day in the Life” is a series where we’ll profile a variety of residents to get an intimate glimpse into their day-to-day. These are your neighbors. Get to know them.

“Don’t wait, you’ll never really be ‘ready’ to do many of the things you are waiting for… Just do it.” – Matt Johnson

Ever visited a convention and wondered how those one-of-a-kind exhibit spaces were created? Many of them were probably created by Hill & Partners, a local team that makes elaborate, unique sets for trade show, exhibits, expos and branded environments for their clients, which includes Dunkin’ Brands, Samsonite, National Grid and many others.

The man behind many of these projects is Matt Johnson, Vice President of Accounts at Hill & Partners. When not in meetings, Johnson spends his busy days traveling the country visiting trade shows and exhibits to ensure each project is on course. Here, Johnson gives BostInno a glimpse into his daily routine.

How do you spend most mornings?

I’m up before the rooster crows most mornings. A typical morning consists of meetings, discussions, answering emails from the night before, meetings, recapping meetings, meetings, planning for the day, meetings and if there is any free time – more meetings. When you have 50+ clients at different stages of the creative process for their branded environments, unfortunately, meetings are a must.

What are the top priorities on your to-do list right now?

Top priority is and always will be to make sure our team follows our mantra of “Our People Become Your People.” On a personal level, my top priority is finding out what happened to the sun and nice weather. For everyone’s sanity, we need bright sunshine and warmer temperatures so Amy, our office manager, can schedule some outdoor company events.

What do you love most about working at Hill & Partners?

Great question. At the top of the list would have to be the people. We have such an outstanding, creative team. I love getting in a room when we’re first starting a branded environment project, bouncing imaginative ideas off of each other, and then watching those ideas come to life at their industry trade shows and conventions. We work extremely hard and put our all into each project. It is all worth it when you work with an incredible team that lifts you up and can keep any situation fun and enjoyable.

What is the worst part and the best part about your typical day?

The best part of any day for me is when I can sit in peace and quiet. My days are filled with meetings and discussions and meetings. Any time I can find a quiet time to sit and decompress it is heavenly.

The worst part of any day is when I wake up at 5am. While it seems like the world is still comfortable sleeping, I am up getting my day started…looking at emails from the night before, making sure projects are on trace, or creating my daily to do list. It has been years since I slept in!

If you could impart one piece of advice to our readers, what would it be?

Live life to the fullest. It is very cliché, but we don’t have much time in our lives and those who do live life to the fullest often are the ones who are happiest. It is a conscious choice. Don’t wait, you’ll never really be “ready” to do many of things you are waiting for… Just do it.

What’s one TV show you can’t live without right now?

Tough question. If you asked me this a few years back I would have said Friday Night Lights. I loved that show. Right now I don’t watch many TV shows other than sports. I like Modern Family, Big Bang Theory and Sons of Anarchy… I also have a strange fascination with Duck Dynasty.

What would you do if you were suddenly granted a day off from work tomorrow?

I would grab my camera and head to the beach or somewhere along the ocean (assuming it is not 15 degrees out like this whole winter and spring have been so far).  I have become very interested in photography in the past year or so. I practice as much as I can. On the other hand if my wife knew I had a sudden day off I’m sure she would have a long list of items that she needed me to do because why would I need a WHOLE day off?

If you weren’t answering my questions, what would you be doing instead?

I’d be in a meeting or on my way to a meeting or coming back from a meeting or planning a meeting or trying to get out of a meeting.

Check out photos of some of the trade show exhibits created by Hill & Partners’ in the slideshow below.