Kai grew up in Germany, where he spent his early years skateboarding, surfing and listening to punk rock music. After receiving his European Baccalaureate, Kai joined the German Civilian Service and worked as a nurse in an institution for the mentally ill.

Shortly thereafter he became involved in the film business, working his way up to a successful directing career. He then moved to Los Angeles to study feature film directing at the acclaimed American Film Institute (AFI).