Kari's journey began when she optioned her family's dark occult story to ITV Studios in 2017. She was the Grand prize winner for the Outstanding Screenplays feature competition, a two-time Screencraft finalist & Stowe Story Lab finalist. Kari has more than a dozen finalist awards over multiple screenplays and more than ninety placements in competitions such as Austin Film Festival, The Nicholl, The Page Awards, Final Draft's Big Break, and many others.