Lindsay McCormick Talks Elevator Pitch Season Three & Other Career Aspirations Moving Forward

Photo credit: Bjoern Kommerell

Actress, sports broadcaster, and entrepreneur Lindsay McCormick is a judge on Entrepreneur’s Elevator Pitch – a weekly web series where entrepreneurs have 60 seconds to pitch the panel to allow them to enter the boardroom.

I recently caught up with McCormick to discuss her business aspirations and what’s new for her in the world of sports moving forward, as well as Season 3 of Elevator Pitch, now in production.

You were recently part of an event called the Lampkin Experience. Can you tell us about that event?

The Lampkin Experience is one of my favorite organizations. It helps provide tutoring and academic support for student-athletes. So often schools and universities focus on the athlete portion, and the student side gets left behind. You cannot play forever, and once an athlete’s career ends, what is next for them to do? This organization helps student-athletes really figure out who they are and what they want to do after their playing careers are over. The Lampkin Experience also makes sure that they are not falling behind academically.

The last time we spoke you just finished filming season two of Elevator Pitch. At this time can you confirm that you will be a part of season 3?

I can confirm, and we just started filming this August.

When it comes to people, what do you look for when you are investing in their concept or product?

For me, the two biggest things are: Are they passionate about their product? And do they have sales already? If someone is not passionate about their company or product, then why should I be excited about it? So, we look to see if someone has put in the time, effort, and thought into their company.

Nowadays more people are exploring entrepreneurship due to the shrinkage in the job market. What is your advice for individuals looking to head in that direction?

Make sure you’re passionate about it. The same can be said about investing in a company or a product. Is this something that I would use? Because if I’m not passionate about it, why would I want my money in it, unless it is a tremendous business deal? I think you really must connect with the product.

Can you discuss the status of the deal with former Kansas City Shortstop Buddy Biancalana?

Right now, we are still doing our due diligence, gathering information about the company. The information that everyone else sees on Shark Tank, Elevator Pitch, or any other show of this nature just shows half of it. What you do not see is after the show ends, there is a period where we must do our due diligence to make sure the companies check out. We verify that everything they mentioned on camera is true. If the information that they provided is accurate, we move forward. And if it is not, sometimes the deal falls through.

You have been on the record that you are intrigued by augmented reality. Can tell us why this space is so appealing to you?

I think because everyone can relate to it and if they don’t realize it yet, they will soon. There is virtual reality, and then there is augmented reality. The two are very different. Virtual reality takes you out of your everyday space while augmented reality adds another layer to enhance your everyday life whether it uses current apps, GPS – there are so many different companies using augmented reality. From the Google glasses, Microsoft, Epson – so many companies jumping on board. And I’m sure Apple has something new up their sleeve as well in this space.

You were a part of the “Bounce Back” cast. Do have any desire to jump back into film, or the documentary space in the future?

If there is a project that makes sense, 100 percent I would love to. I think in any job, the people around you make it a positive or negative experience – from the cast to the producers, and the rest of the production crew. We had a very talented crew of people, so if the cast is right and the script as well, I would 100 percent want to do another film.

Dancing has been a part of your background since you were two years old. Do have any desire to open your own studio in Houston or elsewhere?

Right now, that is not something that has crossed my mind, but I have some friends that have launched dances studios all around Texas and throughout the United States called Dance with Me studios. I don’t think I want to launch a studio in Houston to compete with them. I don’t think anyone can compete with them. They are simply the best.

Would you ever do Dancing with the Stars?

100 percent!

What is next for you in the sports space?

I don’t know how much I can say at this time, except for that it’s back to boxing coverage for me.

What are your thoughts on the pay discrepancy in the WNBA since you are also in an industry where there are similar issues?

I recently saw a piece that Sam Ponder did talking about how she was terrified to ask for a fair amount of money to do ESPN’s NFL Countdown show. She was replacing Chris Berman, and I guess she knew how much he was making. She said for the first time in her life she was conflicted about how much to ask for because she knew how much the job paid in the past. She was also used to not taking a lot of money, as she was working her way up the ladder, because she knew if she asked for too much she would get replaced. That is our challenge as women in this industry: asking for what we feel is fair, but also not feeling threatened by women with less on their resume who would do the job for essentially nothing. And I think that is what hurt us. I think the more women ask for a fair amount of money and take that risk, the better off we will be in this industry in the long run.

Do you think NBA players should help compensate their female counterparts?

We don’t want anyone’s charity. Essentially, it’s more about wanting a fair amount. If they are doing the same job, then I feel they should be paid the same. However, I will say there are jobs that are more challenging than others in the same field. I’m never going to ask for more money as a sideline reporter compared to a play-by-play announcer. They are going to get compensated the most because of the preparation that goes into that position and the amount of airtime they have to fill, whether they are male or female. They should get paid the most, especially in comparison to a sideline reporter that has three or four features or hits throughout the broadcast.

What are your thoughts on the NBA free agent period thus far?

For me, being a native of Houston Texas, I was devastated to see how the Rockets ended their season last year with CP3’s injury. And it is interesting to see the moves that they have made this off-season making room for Melo. You see what the Warriors have done by bringing in another superstar in DeMarcus Cousins. How can other teams possibly compete? The NBA is very interesting in comparison to other professional leagues because of the teams with a bunch of superstars. You have your elite teams in comparison to the teams who are not as fortunate. It’s easy to predict who will be in the playoffs and in the finals. Now, I’m not sure the Rockets can compete with that unless they bring in Melo, which it looks like may be the case.

For more information on Lindsay McCormick, please visit lindsaymccormick.com.

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Tags: boxing, Dancing with the Stars, Entrepreneur’s Elevator Pitch, Landon Buford, Lindsay McCormick, NBA, NFL, The Hype Magazine, WNBA

About the Author

Landon Buford Washington State Graduate Past Interviews include Grammy Award Winner Kenny G, David Banner, WNBA President Lisa Borders, What's Trending's CEO Shira Lazar, Ice Cube, NBC's Chicago PD LaRoyce Hawkins, Family Matters Darius McCrary, En Vogues Maxine Jones, Team USA Track & Field Member Norris Frederick, James Kyson, WNBA Great Lauren Jackson, and more.