The fires that destroyed his family’s home in Pacific Palisades were still burning when Ross Greenberg and his wife made their decision: They would rebuild.
Yes, there have been challenges and tranquility along the way, but quick decision-making and a year’s hustle and bustle put them closer to the finish line on Elif Street. “People are shocked when I tell them we’re almost done,” the TV producer and co-founder of gaming and board game IP Perfect Game said one recent afternoon over Zoom. “They can’t believe it. We get a lot of questions, ‘What do you mean you’re almost there?’ How? We worked really hard.”
“Hard” is the operative word. The work — done in collaboration with Lannen Construction and architect Kevin Orrick — focused on sustainability, particularly the idea of “hardening the house.” It is a strategy for rehabilitating or constructing a home using fire-resistant materials and construction techniques designed to protect the property from embers, heat, or direct flame.
“I’m one of the first homeowners nearing completion, so we had a lot of first-mover issues, but we were able to get everything done,” Greenberg explains of the effort after the Palisades and Eaton fires claimed nearly 7,000 homes in L.A. “I had to become a little expert on how to rebuild your house.”
He credits Lee Horvitz of Lannen Construction — a former CAA agent who left the industry in 2016 to work first in real estate and then in construction — as a “pivot” in their rebuild and Orick (“whom we absolutely love”) for guiding them through the process. Greenberg reviews the measures they’ve taken to protect against future wildfires: no vents or eaves; Permanent attic dehumidifiers. Class A clay tile roof; Internal sprinkler system; Concrete masonry unit wall; Drought resistant landscapes. Exterior plaster without wood. Non-combustible exterior gates; Solar and battery features. electrical appliances; Double pane glazed windows; Underground power lines and more.
“I think home hardening is the next evolution of sustainability and green building, because a lot of Los Angeles is in high-fire areas,” says Greenberg, whose resume also includes stints at Beyond Productions and All3Media America. “In our area, we never thought in a million years that we would lose our home — ever. But since it happened, it really forces you to think about whether or not the fire could come back. Is it going to try to burn us down again? You have to have those mitigation efforts, but they work hand-in-hand with sustainability efforts. The purpose is really to make sure your home can withstand whatever is thrown its way.”
Greenberg likens it to making a home a fortress without looking like one. “Our remodel is beautiful and looks like a regular house,” says Greenberg, who is married to Danielle Amirian, a freelance producer and writer who previously worked for Di Novi Pictures, Discovery Channel and John Goldwyn Productions. “You want to have all the comforts and amenities that your previous home had. There are some things that need to be changed.”
Greenberg and his wife bought their home in 2021, and it’s been a ride from the jump. “It was actually a chunky house,” Greenberg notes. “A woman lived there for 27 years and the house was filled with boxes from floor to ceiling. Her parents’ remains were in a USPS box in the living room. It was crazy.”
And unhealthy. He added about the poor condition of the house: “Black mold, fungus, and lead.” “You really ruined the place.” But Greenberg and his wife saw the potential and realized how difficult it was to find a premium place in Pacific Palisades, so they completed the purchase. They moved in May 2022 and immediately set about renovating and “removing all the bad stuff” inside the one-story Spanish-style house built in the 1940s. They put in months of hard work and ended up loving it there.
When the fires broke out on Jan. 7, 2025, Greenberg was in Brentwood while his wife was home. He managed to return home in time to grab two suitcases – one for himself and his wife, and one for his two children – and flee to his in-laws’ house nearby.
“We were glued in front of the TV all night,” Greenberg recalls. “I woke up the next day, turned on the news on NBC, and for a split second, I could see they were in my building.” He decided to rush to his property and see what he could do as a last ditch effort. He reached destruction. “When I got to our street, everything was on fire. The house was completely gone. My car was in the driveway – it was gone. Everything was in rubble.”
Greenberg clearly relied on his professional experience as a veteran producer and problem solver, and jumped into action rather than crumbling under his emotions. His first call was to his insurance company, and the second to Horvitz, someone he knows from more than two decades in the entertainment industry. “We’ll take care of you,” he recalls, Horvitz reassuring him and suggesting an initial order of business: hire an architect before demand got too high. After a series of calls, Greenberg called Orrick, and despite the uncertainty, they got to work.
“We don’t know how long it will take or how much money we’ll get from insurance or how it’ll all work out, but the decision has been made,” he says, adding that they came to it based on a variety of factors including their children’s school remaining safe nearby, having equity in their home and wanting to stay in Palisades. “We loved our home and really didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The remodeling, a Spanish Colonial Revival-style home featuring a courtyard and a separate studio, is almost complete with final inspections on the calendar. Then come utilities and electricity, followed by moving trucks, hopefully this summer. “The motivation from day one was our family,” he says. “We have children and we want to bring them home.” “Our house is in a visible location, and people have asked us about our progress when they drive by. It gives our neighbors hope, almost like, ‘You can do it, too.'”
This story appears in “Hollywood Reporter”Sustainability Issue 2026. Click here to read more.
