How Hallmark's Kimberley Sustad Started Collaborating With Paul Campbell

Kimberley Sustad is one of the most beloved members of the Hallmark Channel family. After gaining recognition following her debut in the cozy Christmas movie "A Bride for Christmas," Sustad went on to star as Marilee White in "Nine Lives of Christmas" and its sequel "Nine Kittens of Christmas." She's also appeared in several other fan-favorite Hallmark movies over the years, including but not limited to, "Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen" and "Game of Love."

Paul Campbell is also a staple of the feelgood network, making his own debut in "Window Wonderland" and going on to star in the likes of "Surprised By Love" and "Wedding Every Weekend." Campbell and Sustad have also co-starred in quite a few Hallmark movies together too, starting with "A Godwink Christmas." While filming that movie, they quickly realized that not only was their chemistry pretty obvious onscreen, but that they might just work as writing partners as well.

Although "A Godwink Christmas" was a relatively subdued film, that didn't stop Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad from being their authentic, comedic selves onscreen. During the shoot, both actors agreed that they wanted a chance to do a proper comedy together so that they could use their chemistry to better effect. Towards the end of the project, Campbell asked Sustad if she was interested in writing something with him, and while she had some ideas, the Canadian star ultimately turned him down. However, Campbell eventually managed to convince her to try and write a script with him for a new Hallmark movie entitled "Christmas By Starlight."

The pair pitched the finished script to executives at Hallmark and the network approved, and thus "Christmas By Starlight" was born. Campbell and Sustad also collaborated on "Three Wise Men and a Baby," starring Campbell, Andrew Walker, and Tyler Hynes, in which Sustad also cameos. She opened up about what makes her and Campbell such a dynamic duo with TV Fanatic: "We have very different skills that work surprisingly well together when making a movie, which I didn't know at the time. I really didn't know a ton about writing, but I did know a ton about story. And then, when we started putting those pieces together, it just sort of was the perfect fit."

After Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad's success with "Christmas By Starlight" and "Three Wise Men and a Baby," it's no wonder that Hallmark was eager for more films written by the talented duo. As she confirmed to TV Fanatic, in March 2023, they were working on one non-Christmas film entitled "My Week in Wyoming" and another that Sustad was not at liberty to discuss (though it likely turned out to be the sequel, "Three Wiser Men and a Boy"). While her ongoing partnership with Campbell is certainly part of what makes working for Hallmark so special, Sustad also just loves working for the channel more generally too. 

As the actor explained to Niagara Frontier Publications, in November 2022, "They're just one of the most incredible networks, honestly, to work for. They treat you so nice. They are like family; you get to know everybody. You get to work internally on these things — and they bring you back, which is, I think, very rare amongst networks. It's almost like they have a small company of actors that they rotate, and that fans get to know and see them in different parts, and in different pairings." As far as Sustad is concerned, Hallmark's output, and the fact they have actors, writers, and other creatives consistently coming back for more, speaks for itself.

In 2023, Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad started working together to create "Three Wiser Men and a Boy," a sequel to their beloved 2022 film. Speaking to TV Guide in November 2024, Campbell acknowledged that neither of them nor even anyone at Hallmark ever expected the original film to become as successful as it did. However, the success of "Three Wise Men and a Baby" only created more obstacles for the sequel because it left Sustad and Campbell with the admittedly tough task of creating a story that honored its predecessor while still having substance and standing on its own. 

Meanwhile, when Sustad spoke to Us Weekly in December, she confessed that the movie's popularity somehow only increased her own self-doubt too. "I have been worried for so long — talk about not feeling like you're enough, you know, having imposter syndrome. That's me writing these movies," the actor shared. "I sort of fell into it and I hate being thrust into the limelight and 'Three Wise Men' kind of did that." Ultimately, though, it all worked out for the creative duo since they totally believed they had outdone the original with "Three Wiser Men and a Boy."

Additionally, when the Hallmark star spoke to Woman's World that very same month, Sustad offered some fascinating insight into her close offscreen relationship with Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, and Campbell, gushing, "They are like my brothers at this point." Given all this, it's unsurprising that Campbell dubbed "Three Wise Men and a Baby" his all-time favorite Hallmark movie. And happily for us, given that Campbell, Walker, and Hynes hinted in an exclusive interview with The List that "Three Wiser Men And a Boy" isn't their last trio flick, the fun isn't over yet.