Erin’s Personal Journey
Erin Roach has always been an artist. From creating elaborate costumes for herself and her friends to performing in her hometown’s community theater, Erin has sought to fill her life with creative outlets and pursuits. Leaving Indiana for sunny Orlando, she arrived determined to find a position in Walt Disney World Entertainment. Since these roles were currently unavailable, Erin instead accepted a job on the Jungle Cruise where she could continue to hone her creative flair and performance skills while continuing to apply for the Entertainment Department.
Though Erin spent years networking, interviewing, and strategizing the best way to achieve a creative position at Walt Disney World, it was not meant to be. So, she made the brave and difficult decision to leave Disney and paint her own pathway to success!
Acting Career
Of all her artistic pursuits, acting has always been Erin’s primary passion! After leaving Disney, she immediately began building an active performance career within the Central Florida filming community and beyond! Ms. Roach has performed in commercials, a variety of films, as well as television productions. On her website, you can find a video gallery demonstrating her dynamic performance range and acting skills!
But perhaps her most unique project is Prettiest Man Productions. In this video series, Erin and her out-of-state-friend, Joe, create humorous parodies/fandom fusions from popular culture and theme park characters. One of their most popular videos, The Merry Movie Ride explores a potential Christmas takeover of a beloved extinct Walt Disney World attraction – The Great Movie Ride!
In The Empire Wears Prada, the duo combine beloved Star Wars characters and references with the attitude of Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly.
As the writers, producers, and stars of these films, the Prettiest Man team faces a unique set of production challenges. Not the least of these is location. Remember that Erin and Joe live in different states, meaning that many of these videos are filmed without ever being in the same room! Recognizing the immense amount of preparation, green screen expertise, and performance timing involved makes these entertaining shorts even more impressive!
Red Roach Intrusion
In addition to her vibrant acting career, Erin runs her own business creating and selling beautiful pieces of fan art. Red Roach Intrusion specializes in fan art including original acrylic paintings, prints, trinket boxes, and other pieces. Red Roach Intrusion sells their artwork online and at various conventions, markets, and events. You can find her art on her Etsy shop or Instagram account. To stay updated on all Red Roach Intrusion’s pop-up happenings, follow them on social media!
© Erin Roach 
© Erin Roach
1st Thursdays at the Orlando Art Museum
1st Thursdays is a monthly event at the Orlando Museum of Art offering live music, great food, and the chance to learn about local artists. This month’s theme is Nerds in the Age of Popularity and will feature expressions on what it’s like to be a modern-day nerd. Three of Erin’s painting will be displayed during the May 6th (That’s this Thursday!) event.
Erin said of her submitted artwork, “My art blends nerd pop culture with classic works to create a geeky fusion piece. The three paintings submitted are a combination of Marvel heroes meets Liberty Leading the People, Star Wars’ Kylo Ren meets Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog and Back to the Future meets The Old Guitarist.”
To attend this week’s 1st Thursdays, you’ll need to purchase a ticket. Nerd Nite will run from 6-9pm on May 6th. However, you can still view Erin’s artwork – even if you can’t make it to the main event! The pieces will be on display today through Thursday during normal museum hours, OR you can enjoy the virtual art show on Orlando Museum of Art’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The virtual show will take place on the same day as the physical event.
Keep in Touch with Erin!
As an active local artist, Erin is always working on and looking for new creative projects. See her contact information below!
Finding Red Roach Intrusion:
Visit the website!
Shop the Etsy store.
Follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
If you would like to suggest an influential individual or nonprofit for our local profile series, please email krysti@orlandodecoded.com.
