During the Western Collaborative Conservation Network‘s 2022 Confluence, speaker Lara Tomov co-hosted a workshop with Louis Wertz from Western Landowner Alliance titled, Crafting Your Collaborative Conservation Story, providing tools and advice for effective communication and storytelling.
Lara Tomov is a film maker and communications consultant from Montana. She is the creator of the media brand Stories for Action 2021 and the director and cinematographer of the Life in the Land documentary film series.
Life in the Land is a documentary film and podcast series that shares stories of those who interact with the complexities of Montana’s land, waters, and communities, looking at the success and value in holistic approaches & locally-led initiatives.
These films and podcasts are free and available to the public. The Life in the Land team encourages everyone to use the films and podcasts in their own work, to “kick-off” workshops, meetings, and community conversations about how a holistic approach can be applied in other regions, watersheds, or communities. The films and podcasts can also be used within educational curriculum. If screening the content publicly, please first complete this brief survey.
The content does not claim to have all of the answers, but it shares philosophies from people on the ground that we hope shed light on new perspectives and prompt deeper dialogue in audiences’ circles. Podcast episodes are also available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcast on the “Stories for Action” series.
The Life in the Land team is currently in production of a second season of content, adding two 15-minute films and six podcast episodes to the project. Their hope is for Life in the Land to be an ongoing communications catalyst; to share stories, create connections, and advance holistic approaches and community leadership on the landscape. If you would like to support this ongoing Life in the Land work, you may do so with a tax-deductible contribution here.
In addition to film and photography production services, Stories for Action offers consultation and workshops to help organizations strategize the best approach for sharing their stories, including preparation for hiring a media professional as well as necessary tools and tips for producing content on a modest budget. Lara offers discounts on these services to non-profit organizations.
To contact Lara for more information, please email her at info@storiesforaction.org.
