Houston Chronicle
Q&A: Houston sportscaster Lindsay McCormick gets down to business
[as originally published on chron.com]
Houston sports broadcaster Lindsay McCormick is now co-hosting Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch — a weekly online show where entrepreneurs have one high-pressured minute in an elevator to convince a panel of seasoned investors to let them into the boardroom.McCormick spoke with the Chronicle about how her interests, unique career path and investing.
Q. How did you get involved in sports broadcasting?
A. From early on, I felt like I had an option: either love sports and work in sports, like a lot of my family, or essentially hate my life. And I chose to love sports. Then in college, I had to choose a major. I had always wanted to do broadcasting, so I went into Mass Communications and Public Relations. I didn't necessarily put two and two together and realize that I could do sports broadcasting.
While I was working for the campus news station at Auburn University, one weekend our sports director had to leave town. He said, "Lindsay, you know enough about sports, I'll throw you on the sidelines in place of me, and when I come back we'll edit the footage and then you can go back to anchoring." So, I took his place for the weekend and fell in love with the job and kept it. Sometime later, I was working the sidelines for an Auburn game, and the executive producer for ESPN, who was also at the game, offered me an internship.
Q. Sounds like part accident, part planned?
A. I believe you can do certain things to put yourself in a position to be successful. So not everything is by accident, even though in the entertainment industry there’s a lot of luck, or - in my opinion - God’s hand in my life.
Q. How did you get into investing and hosting the Elevator Pitch?
A. After 10 years in sports broadcasting and some entertainment hosting jobs, I wanted to branch out into different areas. I started seriously looking at my future, including investing, and began talking with financial advisors and investigating the tech space. At an event sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine, I was introduced to David Metzler, and he introduced me to Bill Shaw who felt my background in investing, sports and tech was perfect for the show. And then I got cast for Elevator Pitch.
Q. When will we be able to see you on the show?
A. I’m in the second season, which is coming out this month.
Q. What are your key principles in investing?
A. As a key principle, I think it’s important to always live well below your means. Then you’ll always be able to do what you love without worrying about the next paycheck. Spending lots of time in Los Angeles, I see many people living lifestyles they can't afford. To me, the peace of mind of not having to worry, because I’ve been saving my money, is more valuable than, say, driving a Ferrari down Rodeo Drive.
In investing, you really have to know the market you’re investing in. I think technology is the most interesting, so I’ve been paying close attention to it. If you find an industry that you want to invest in, such as tech, it’s important to do your research, whether that is going to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas or reading constantly about what’s happening in the industry. Talking to advisors in other areas has also been helpful.
Q. Why do find tech particularly interesting?
A. I went to a tech-based high school in Houston and all of our coursework incorporated the newest computer trends. Over the last few years, I started paying more attention to e-sports and saw how that created a massive fan base in a short time. Because I wanted to keep one foot in sports while learning something more, tech made sense. Ray Brown, executive producer of a movie I was in, “The Bounce Back,” introduced me to Trevor Doerksen, CEO of ePlay, who was launching Big Shot (essentially the sports version of Pokemon Go). I was fortunate enough that Trevor wanted Robert Horry and me to tag along on the ride, and that is how I got involved with augmented reality.
Q. What kind of technologies and/or companies are you interested in?
A. I think that augmented reality is the future. One company I’ve been following in this space is called Vuzix, which makes augmented reality glasses. Net Power, located just outside of Houston, is another interesting company. They are currently testing a technology that would make clean energy from natural gas. I’m also watching Amazon, which seems well positioned for more success with their two-hour delivery from Whole Foods Markets and news of their joint venture with JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway to improve health care for their employees.
Q. Why do you feel augmented reality will be bigger than virtual reality?
A. Virtual reality takes you out of your environment. But people I know and witness every day don’t really want to be taken out of their reality. They’re constantly on their phones doing something, multitasking. Augmented reality adds another layer to our everyday lives rather than taking us out of our everyday lives.
Q. Do you have some tips for contestants on Elevator Pitch?
A. For starters, we want to see that the person pitching the company has confidence in themselves and their product. They don't have to be the most camera-ready, camera-polished investors, because that isn’t necessarily what makes a good business partner. Many people on the show don't have the camera experience that the judges have. But we expect contestants to have rehearsed their pitch and to know exactly what their product provides and its competitive advantages. We also look for people who have already put a lot of energy into their product, showing that they will work hard and sacrifice.
Q. In the sports and entertainment fields, do you see improvements for women since the Me-Too movement?
A. I think the Me-Too movement has made a lot of my male coworkers walk on eggshells, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Men seem to be treating women with more respect. But I think we don’t want men in hiring positions to avoid working with women because they are afraid that she might think they are doing something wrong. That could be a negative. One of my coworkers said to me, “I feel like I have to censor myself a lot more now because I don’t know who’s listening.” Of course, he should always have been censoring himself in a professional setting. So, there’s definitely a difference since this movement began - both positives and negatives. I hope it doesn’t result in lost opportunities, because women are doing really amazing things in sports and tech and in every industry.