Ellis shot

Pittsburgh’s Ellis School is the setting for Todrick Hall’s inspirational new music video, “Freaks Like Me.”

As the region’s only independent school for girls age 3 to grade 12, Ellis welcomed the idea of hosting a video with a positive message.

“We love it when girls use their voices to speak out against bullying and intolerance of any kind. The message of the video aligns with The Ellis School’s mission to prepare, empower and inspire girls,” said spokesperson Kitty Julian.

The video features cast members from the TV show Dance Moms parading through the library, hallways and dining hall of the Ellis School.

The plot?

The “cool” girls put down a group of “weirdo’s.” Hall then says, “You guys are perfect, just the way you are,” which leads to the girls bursting into a song about self-acceptance in the Ellis School Library.

“â€Ĥtonight, for the first time /I’m loving who I be /Turn it up for all the freaks like me,” read the lyrics.

In under a week, “Freaks Like Me” had over 335,000 YouTube views.

Hall is best known for hosting the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and as a 2002 American Idol contestant. He has performed with Beyonce and recorded the anti-bullying song “It Gets Better,” which has nearly 1.8 million YouTube views.

Watch “Freaks Like Me” here.

A recent grad of Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, Ryan also has a degree in journalism. He has a passion for innovative ideas in Pittsburgh, green urban spaces, music and the outdoors. Thus far, Ryan has lived as a musician and freelance writer and works for the Hear Me project at the CREATE Lab at CMU, with hopes of changing policy based on the ideas of young people.