Kari Taylor (aka Kari Marguerite Kirkconnell) was born and raised in Bakersfield, California.  She remained small in stature and high in voice (and continues to wait for puberty). She read voraciously, took classes in ballet, baritone horn (Jr. High band photo is a hoot!) piano and voice and sang in school choral groups from grade school all the way through graduation from Cal State University, Bakersfield.  She always imagined being a star performer but never quite mastered anything.  There had to be something great out there for her but what was it?

The Adventure Begins.  Kari’s life was going nowhere. Her dreams were lost in her minimum wage job and thieving roommate. So what did she do? She shocked friends and family (and herself) and enlisted in the U.S. Navy - which ended up being a little more challenging than adventurous.  She knew it was going to be a rough road right from boot camp when she not only had to stencil “Kirkconnell” on all of her uniforms but was required to finish at the same time as “Smith” and “Jones.”  Let the reprimanding begin!  She was stationed in Northern California with a P-3 squadron and deployed for 6 months each to Misawa, Japan and Adak, Alaska where she experienced below freezing temperatures for the first time…most of the time. Unfortunately the promises in the brochure depicting sunshine and BBQ’s on the beach never came to fruition. 

 After time served and her freedom regained, Kari remained in Northern California for the next 18 years. She married, raised a herd of cats, and worked as an administrator in several industries.  She enjoyed photography, gardening, fitness, reading, and even bought a Ninja 250 motorcycle to try and sneak in a little more adventure!  Once again, it ended up being more like pain than adventure. The broken ribs and road rash did heal.

In 2009, after a string of life-changing events, Kari packed up her car and left everything behind to begin a new life with absolutely no clue where it would lead. In 2010, with the help of friends and loved ones, she settled in Laguna Beach, California which has become her new treasured home.  Being jobless for over a year, and exploring never-before-considered options, she was encouraged to try her hand at showcasing the one thing that made her different from everyone else and the one thing that had been a source of embarrassment her whole life – her unique voice!  (You can imagine how well a “unique” voice goes over in boot camp.)

Kari began taking classes at Del Mar Media Arts in Orange County and soon realized that she was actually very talented at using her voice and maybe this was finally something she could make a living at – as a performer!  She gobbled up each lesson and excelled at most every aspect of voiceover work - except sports announcing. All of it was amazingly fun, especially animation!  Although technical reads can be less exciting, how many people do you know who can say “Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies” without stumbling?

Kari is lucky to have found her niche, something she loves, which is reflected in her work. With her great sense of humor and strong work ethic, Kari has been told by several casting directors that she is not only skilled and takes direction well, but she has the fresh voice of today that directors are looking for.