Biographie
Mari grew up on New York City’s Upper West Side. Her father, a civil rights attorney, represented activists from The Stonewall Riots, while her mother was a Broadway and television actor, teacher, and playwright, best known for the iconic 1970s Calgon commercial, "Ancient Chinese Secret." Mari trained at The School of American Ballet at Juilliard and performed in The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov at Lincoln Center. A champion equestrian, she attended The High School of Music and Art before studying medicine at The University of Pittsburgh. In the early 1990s, she wrote, directed, and edited experimental short films including The Love Thang Trilogy, Target, and X- Girl, which screened at film festivals worldwide.
Mari became an Emmy-winning editor, working at Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video and Sony Music Studios until its closure in 2007. She focused on music, live performances, and documentaries for artists such as Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Parliament Funkadelic, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Jay-Z, Rihanna, The Weeknd, The Judds, and Alicia Keys.
In 2015, she edited the documentary Live From New York!, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival. Between 2015 and 2019, Mari edited induction films for HBO’s The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony featuring Nina Simone, Stevie Nicks, Chicago, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, NWA, Tupac, Janet Jackson, and The Cure. She edited Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, the opening night film at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, and Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free, which won the audience award at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival and the PGA Award for Outstanding Televised or Streamed Motion Picture. In 2025, she edited the SNL 50 Concert at Radio City Music Hall.
Mari produced, directed, and edited Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends, about The Mambo Legends Orchestra, former members of The Tito Puente Orchestra, which won a New York Emmy for Best Documentary Cultural in October 2025. She served as executive producer, co-writer, and editor of the four-part docuseries James Brown: Say It Loud, produced by Peter Afterman, Questlove, and Mick Jagger, and directed by Deborah Riley Draper. She produced the 2025 film Left Behind, executive produced by Juju Chang of ABC News and directed by Anna Toomey. Mari produced and edited The Makings of Curtis Mayfield, directed by H.E.R., and was executive producer and supervising editor for High Horse: The Black Cowboy from UTAS and Monkeypaw Productions. She is currently directing and editing a documentary about MC SHA-ROCK, the first female emcee, and developing April Walker: Threads of Revolution, about the pioneering fashion designer, entrepreneur, and educator April Walker, founder of Walker Wear.
Mari is an active member of American Cinema Editors (ACE).
