Normally, the term “elevator pitch” brings about the image of someone giving a brief, usually persuasive, rundown of their company or job skills to convince an employer or executive that they’re a good fit for the job. A baseball player hurling an actual elevator toward home plate doesn’t enter our thoughts. Well, not for most of us, anyway.
But Teddy Wayne has a lot of ideas when it comes to the term “elevator pitch,” and yes, the previously mentioned baseball example is one of them. In his article Bad Elevator Pitches, which recently appeared in The New Yorker, Wayne presents 10 concepts that (loosely) qualify as elevator pitches. Some start out as wacky as they end (really, only an airshaft?), while others sound like they actually have potential — until one detail is mentioned that makes you roll your eyes and think “never mind” (I’m looking at you, elevator soda fountain…you sounded so promising). The most realistic of the bunch is the potential elevator movie. Two hours of dry footage filmed in real time, you say? The innovation! And the Oscar goes to…
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