Sister Act(ion)

Creative inspiration comes from all sorts of places. In the case of the upcoming short film “My Type”, sisters and producing partners Nicole MacNaughton and Kimberly Danek Pinkson’s inspiration was twofold: from Nicole’s 2025 diagnosis with the autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes (T1D), and from a young love story profiled in People Magazine. 

The couple — Zach White, 23, and Elise Scalfani, 26 — connected on a social media account for people living with type 1 diabetes. Zach is the son of one of Nicole and Kimberley’s childhood friends, and once the producers heard the story, “We did some brainstorming together and the idea for our film, ‘My Type,’ was born,” shared Nicole.

“‘My Type’ is a modern love story about courage, connection, and the beautiful messiness of being human,” says Kimberly. “The characters have T1D but the film is anchored in universal themes we can all relate to.”

Nicole, who lives on the Mesa with her husband, son, and sister, spoke a bit about some of the challenges of living with her disease. “The weird thing with diabetes is, like type 1, sometimes I feel totally fine, and other times, like when my numbers are going up or down, I feel a little off.” 

She continued, “The diagnosis was like a fire hose to the face.”

But both women said that their family ethos has always been that when there’s a challenge, how do you turn it into an opportunity to do something positive in the world.

“I fully recognize also that it’s hard and it’s challenging, but there are way harder things to face,” said Nicole. “It’s hard, it’s really hard, but there’s way worse things that can happen to you. It’s something you can deal with and live with. Some days aren’t easy, but it’s manageable.”

In addition to creating an entertaining romantic short film, which they are currently in the process of completing and submitting to film festivals, the sisters also a goal to raise awareness about what it is like to live with type 1 diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease, which is different from type 2 diabetes, and run an affiliated impact campaign to support early detection, treatment, and one day, a cure.

In addition to hopes for a strong film festival run, Nicole and Kimberly have partnered with Santa Barbara based Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI) as one of their nonprofit partners in an impact campaign.

“T1D often feels like an invisible and silent disease,” said SDRI Director of Public Affairs Kara Hornbuckle who not only has T1D herself but also has two children with the disease. “’My Type’ has the power to raise public awareness and bring our stories into the spotlight. I’m hopeful that this love story will resonate deeply and help others understand the emotional and everyday realities of living with T1D.”

The film’s professional crew came up to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles for the shoot and some even donated their time. NCIS: Los Angeles star Daniela Ruah directs the heartfelt piece, with lead actors Sadie Stanley (Cruel Summer, Karate Kid: Legends) and Jacob Ward (The Summer House). Local Santa Barbara students were background actors, including Hornbuckle’s teenagers with T1D Kamryn and Lucas, and their friend, actor Emma Racine.

Shot on 16mm film, additional crew members include acclaimed cinematographer Rafael Leyva (Narcos: Mexico, The Green Veil) as Director of Photography, with casting by Steven Tyler O’Connor (The Other Two, The Summer I Turned Pretty).

“For one of our scenes, we needed a food truck so we partnered with Casa de la Raza to not only provide lunch for our cast and crew, but also to be the food truck and servers in one of our scenes. So we were able to support some of the work they are doing to care for local families impacted by the ICE raids,” said Kimberly. Adding, “Director of Casa’s Volunteers, Jacqueline Inda, and her team were really wonderful to work with: professional, collaborative, and they fully jumped in as part of our production! It was really cool to be able to connect and share the experience.”

They also wanted to make sure to thank Opal Restaurant for letting them film there, the Montecito Inn for discounted hotel rooms, and Montecito resident Renee Parker-Werner, who allowed them to film one of the most romantic scenes in her gardens, which are nationally recognized for their style and beauty.

“And all of the cast and crew, like, took cuts from what they normally would charge for something like this because they felt the mission and wanted to be a part of it,” said Nicole. 

Reflecting on the whole experience, Nicole said, “One day, I was healthy and living life ‘normally,’ and seemingly out of nowhere, I was in the ER and after two nights at Cottage Hospital, I came home a very different person. There is so much misconception about type 1 diabetes, even screenings for early detection that can delay onset. I wish I had known that and now, I want more people to have that information.”

For more information see highhighproductions.com/mytypemovie