By Roxanne Brown
Turning Heads with Spine-Chilling Transformations
Athena Street
At just 15, Groveland’s Athena Street is making a name for herself in the world of special effects makeup. A junior at South Lake High School, Athena’s journey began with Halloween costume contests and evolved into a passion that has seen her work on more than 22 independent films and various haunted attractions (aka ‘haunts’) throughout Central Florida, including Lake Catherine Blueberries’ Halloween Maze in Groveland and Tales of Terror in Astatula.
Her interest in makeup started early, inspired by family costume events and conventions like Spooky Empire.
“I wanted to create something unique rather than just throwing on a costume, so I started experimenting with doing my own makeup,” Athena explains.
Her dedication led to her working haunts since age 11 and earning accolades in the indie film scene. At 13, she won her first award for makeup, and her impressive work has since earned her Best Makeup Artist honors at both the Orlando Independent Film Festival and the New Jersey Film Festival.
Her self-taught skills and innovative approach have caught the attention of industry veterans, including actor John Dugan from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And besides transforming faces, Athena dabbles in sculpting and stilt walking—oftentimes made up as Jack Skellington.
Athena’s portfolio includes projects like “Maniacal Night Reborn,” “Silo,” and “Dream Slasher.” Her future aspirations include working in Hollywood and on Broadway.
“Taking a step back and looking at everything I’ve done; I feel very accomplished. I enjoy seeing my work come to life,” she says. “Some people may see gore makeup as just replicating something, but I really look at it as an art.”
Originally from Nogales, Arizona, Roxanne worked in the customer service industry while practicing freelance writing for years. She came on board with Akers Media in July 2020 as a full-time staff writer for Lake & Sumter Style Magazine and was promoted to Managing Editor in October 2023—her dream job come true. Prior to that and after just having moved to Florida in 1999, Roxanne had re-directed her prior career path to focus more on journalism and went on to become a reporter for The Daily Commercial/South Lake Press newspapers for 16 years. Additionally, Roxanne—now an award-winning journalist recognized by the Florida Press Club and the Florida chapter of The Society of Professional Journalism—continues working toward her secondary goal of becoming a published author of children’s books.
