Lara Popyack is the Communications and Outreach Director at the California Fire Safe Council and has more than 2 decades of events, film, television, and digital media experience. Lara’s career began while documenting the exploration of the world’s longest underwater cave system in Mexico. After returning to the US and school at UC Davis, with coursework in writing and marketing, she went into news, and marketing. She has produced and directed for Spanish TV, National Geographic, PBS, ABC, California Professional Firefighters and was the Media Director for the California State Fair where she got to use her skills in front of the camera and in Spanish. She directed and produced her first feature documentary to critical acclaim on the film festival circuit. Along the way, corporate clients found her technique of storytelling in advertising a powerful method and went on to work with Daimler-Chrysler and Ameriprise Financial. She was also the producer of the award-winning, multi-lingual campaign “Firefighters on Your Side” video series for the California Fire Foundation.
Lara is now using her creativity, storytelling, and marketing experience to bring critical content to California communities. She believes her work at CFSC is critical to empowering, inspiring, and mobilizing under-resourced communities to build wildfire resiliency.
When not attached to a digital device, she enjoys any water sport with her family and dogs.