Move content from a panel pane region into a Drupal theme region using drupal_add_region_content(). This requires a small core patch https://www.drupal.org/node/713462.

pull-hero-region-layout.tpl.php

<?php
// path/to/mytheme/plugins/layouts/pull_hero_region_layout/pull_hero_region_layout.tpl.php
/**
 * @file
 * Template for the "pull_hero_region_layout" layout.
 *
 *
 * Variables:
 * - $has_content: Boolean TRUE if any regions have content to display.
 * - $attributes: A list of attributes for the layout container.
 * - $content: An array of content, each item in the array is keyed to one
 *   region of the layout. For example, $content['hero'] or $content['main'].
 */
?>
<?php if ($has_content) : ?>
<div<?php print $attributes; ?>>

  <?php if ($content['hero']) : ?>
  <div class="l-region--hero">
    <?php print render($content['hero']); ?>
  </div>
  <?php endif; ?>

  <div class="l-row-main">

    <?php if ($content['main']) : ?>
    <div class="l-region--main">
      <?php print render($content['main']); ?>
    </div>
    <?php endif; ?>

    <?php if ($content['sidebar']) : ?>
    <div class="l-region--sidebar">
      <?php print render($content['sidebar']); ?>
    </div>
    <?php endif; ?>

  </div>

</div>
<?php endif ?>

pull_hero_region_layout.inc.php

<?php
// path/to/mytheme/plugins/layouts/pull_hero_region_layout/pull_hero_region_layout.inc

/**
 * This example assumes that our theme has a 'Hero' region placed above the
 * normal 'Content' region and we want to allow site admins to add slideshows
 * or images into this region through Panels admin UI.
 */
$plugin = array(
  'title'       => t('Pull Hero Region Layout'),
  'category'    => t('Custom'),
  'icon'        => 'icon.png',

  'theme'       => 'pull_hero_region_layout',
  'css'         => '../../css/styles.css',

  'regions'     => array(
    'hero'          => t('Hero'),
    'main'          => t('Main'),
  ),
);

/**
 * Implements hook_preprocess_HOOK().
 */
function template_preprocess_pull_hero_region_content(&$variables, $hook) {
  $variables['attributes_array']['class'] = array('pull-hero-region-content');
  
  // Extract panes in the hero panel region and place them in the theme region.
  // This should only be done when viewing the panel on the front-end, not while
  // in the Panels editor admin UI.
  if (get_class($variables['renderer']) != 'panels_renderer_editor'
    && isset($variables['content']['hero'])) {
    drupal_add_region_content('hero', $variables['content']['highlighted']);
    $variables['content']['hero'] = '';
  }
  // Provide a way to use the hero region without printing the rest
  // of the panel regions.
  $variables['has_content'] = FALSE;
  foreach($variables['content'] as $region => $content) {
    $variables['has_content'] |= !empty($content);
  }
}