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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Autism Awareness/Skyscraper by Demi Lovato (Cover by Nichole337)


For the latest Autism Awareness project, we put together an incredible team of people. I had a chance to team up with the fantastic Nichole337

If you do not know who Nichole337 is or her story, please check out:



Known for her music videos, we knew that if we were working together we had to have Nichole sing. We just wanted people to see Nichole in a professional setting while we raised a little awareness. Here is the result.

(See video in larger sizes by clicking on the name of the video in upper left of window while playing)

What an AMAZING experience! It was such an honor to work with Nichole337. She is such a sweet person, you love her the second you meet her. Thank you Nichole for teaching me so much throughout the making of this project and being such an inspiration to so many. You are a hero. Your autism awareness video is teaching a mainstream audience that so desperately needs to be educated about what autism is and about those touched by it.

If you do not know who Nichole337 is or her story, please check out:



None of this would have been possible without a bunch of really great people. These people donated their time and expertise to help with this project. Thank you Nichole, Rob and Donny. I could never thank you enough for your contributions. The world is a lot less scary because of people like you. Thank you for your help in getting out this important message and for educating others on autism spectrum disorder.

Please read these short biographies describing the amazing people that made this project possible:

Nichole started her YouTube channel in 2008. When she started she never imagined that it would evolve into what it has become. At first Nichole covered songs from various popular artists. She knew she wasn’t the best singer, but she loved singing. She showed her videos to a few friends and noticed her subscribers jumping from 1 to 10 to 1,000. To date Nichole has close to 150,000 subscribers.

As her popularity increased, Nichole came to the realization that she could produce video blogs about various causes and help a wide range of people.  One subject that Nichole feels very strongly about is Anti-Bullying. Having been bullied, Nichole could relate closely and deliver a message from a unique perspective. With reports of suicides due to bullying in the news and an awareness that there are many more than what you hear about in the news, Nichole has tackled bullying head-on.

 “I feel bullying shouldn’t happen at all. So I try to spread that message along with telling those who are victims of bullying to stay strong, be themselves and know that people do care about them. They shouldn’t let the words of others and bullying cause the loss of their life.”

Nichole has a form of high functioning autism and for the longest time had contemplated making a video about letting her subscribers know of her diagnosis. She was hesitant for fear of the video not going well and being judged by others. She knew however, that she could not let those fears stop her from delivering her message, raising autism awareness and helping others. Nichole also didn’t want to feel like she was hiding her autism diagnosis. She knew lots of people had ASD and that there was nothing wrong with it… so she produced an autism awareness video. Nichole has been flattered by the positive comments on her awareness video, particularly the ones describing how it has helped an individual or somebody they know. To date, Nichole’s Autism Awareness video has been viewed over ONE MILLION times, delivering her message to a wide range of people. The experience has been very rewarding for Nichole.

Nichole is planning on becoming a motivational speaker. She wants to take her anti-bullying message to schools so that she can help as many people as possible. Knowing that she has made a difference in somebody’s life means the world to Nichole. When people tell Nichole that they started an anti-bullying club in their school, inspired by her… Nichole feels that it is, “So awesome!”.

Rob Duffin:

Rob Duffin is a recording engineer and owner of Annex Recording in Draper, Utah. He has been recording music for 16 years, and has worked with hundreds of local and national artists including Aaron Gilespie and Justin Bieber. Because Rob has family members who have autism, he recognizes the value of increasing autism awareness. He is honored to be involved in this effort.

Donny Shawn:

Donny Shwn is a producer/editor with nearly 20 years of video and film production experience. He’s worked on everything from independent short films, to nationally airing commercials, to live TV series, and is currently in development on three culturally uplifting series. Donny’s particularly fond of projects like this one – projects that showcase courageous people like Nichole and reveal the beauty of humanity.


If you like what you have seen and read, please take a few seconds and vote for Lou's Land as one of Babble's Top Autism Spectrum Blogs. Currently #5!


If you have not already, please take time to watch my video, "Fixing" Autism and share it with your friends.


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11 comments:

  1. Thank you *so much* for sharing this. Apart from introducing me to the great Nichole337, you've put Holly Maddison in a whole new light for me **giggles**.

    Awesome job, awesome videos, thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. Hah! Yes... I didn't know who Holly Madison was. My neice texted me after I shared Nichole's autism awareness video and basically told me who Nichole was and who Holly Madison was.

      Nichole had nothing but really nice things to say about Holly. It is great to see somebody in Holly's position being so generous and friendly.

      Thanks for the compliments!

      Delete
  2. Beautifully done, your love for your daughter and passion for the cause is inspiring. A friend of mine, as I showed the portion of nicole singing stated "no she is not autistic". I immediatly went to the beginning for them to hear the introduction, through acceptance and knowledge we can all grow into a better tomorrow . Bless you and your family

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Lindsay. It is the "spectrum" part of the disorder that throws people off most often. No two people on the spectrum are the same.

      Getting to know and be friends with Nichole has been a great learning experience for me as well. She has so much to teach people just by being a friend. Her dedication to educating others about autism and her stance on anti-bullying is incredible.

      Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to share yout thoughts. Best to you and yours!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thank you Marc! Thank you more for all of the support and encouragement the folks at Autism Speaks give me... and even more for the support they give Bianca.

      Delete
  4. Hello I have enjoyed your youtube video. This new video with Nichole337 is wonderful. I would love to read the lyrics, have you considered posting them?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment! I am glad you like the videos. The song that Nichole sings in this video is Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. She chose the song and it couldn't have been more perfect. I know she had been asked by a lot of people to cover the song, but I think the message of the song is just wonderful. I felt like Nichole was standing up to the people that say such mean spirited things about her and her videos without actually addressing them personally. Nichole is wise beyond her years.

      "Skyscraper"


      [Verse 1:]
      Skies are crying, I am watching
      Catching tear drops in my hands
      Only silence as it's ending
      Like we never had a chance
      Do you have to make me feel like
      There's nothing left of me?

      [Chorus:]
      You can take everything I have
      You can break everything I am
      Like I'm made of glass
      Like I'm made of paper
      Go on and try to tear me down
      I will be rising from the ground
      Like a skyscraper
      Like a skyscraper

      [Verse 2:]
      As the smoke clears, I awaken
      And untangle you from me
      Would it make you feel better
      To watch me while I bleed?
      All my windows still are broken
      But I'm standing on my feet

      [Chorus:]
      You can take everything I have
      You can break everything I am
      Like I'm made of glass
      Like I'm made of paper
      Go on and try to tear me down
      I will be rising from the ground
      Like a skyscraper
      Like a skyscraper

      [Bridge:]
      Go run, run, run
      I'm gonna stay right here,
      Watch you disappear
      Yeah, oh
      Go run, run, run
      Yeah, it's a long way down
      But I am closer to the clouds up here

      [Chorus:]
      You can take everything I have
      You can break everything I am
      Like I'm made of glass
      Like I'm made of paper
      Oh Oh
      Go on and try to tear me down
      I will be rising from the ground
      Like a skyscraper
      Like a skyscraper

      (Like a skyscraper)

      Like a skyscraper
      Like a skyscraper

      Delete
  5. Amazing. and beautiful. Thank you for spreading awareness about autism. It's nice to hear about things form a Dad's perspective! :)

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  6. Lou,
    I'm new to yur blog, having just seen your 'Coldplay' video on Autism Awareness. Consider me now following you. I will spend some time going through your blog, to see what more I can learn.

    Thank you so much for all you do and for sharing your experiences. I'm trying to do my bit this year to help raise autism awareness, but I have much to learn.

    Best regards,

    Chris

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  7. Oh, Lou! I have followed Nicole337 off and on for a couple of years but had no idea that she's autistic too! Wow!

    And her performance in the studio is . . . OH WOW! So beautiful! Just like her! Just like you! Thank you for doing that for her and thank you for sharing it with us.

    Sparrow

    ReplyDelete