By Mike Smith, Senior Brand Strategist at Palio, michael.smith@palio.com

One of the most surprising things about the iPad is that it turns out to be a great tool for writing.

I say “surprising” because, at first glance, the incredibly popular device (80 million sales and counting, according to Apple) doesn’t seem like a natural for scribes – where’s the keyboard? What about the form factor? And, for the PC fans: What about your beloved Microsoft Word?

It turns out that many serious writers – from tech columnists to newspaper journalists and even novelists – think the iPad is not just acceptable, but actually preferred for consistently knocking out thousands of words a day. Some cheer the tablet’s “one app at a time” approach, which fills the entire screen and reduces distractions. Others who must dodge kids, dogs and other distractions to get the day’s writing done like the lightweight form factor that’s ready to get up and go at a moment’s notice.

Whatever the motivation, the key to turning your iPad into a professional writing tool lies in having the right accessories and software:

Find a keyboard that works for you: This is a very personal decision, but some writers give nods to the Logitech Keyboard Case and the ZAGGfolio keyboard case. Whatever your choice, don’t be afraid to step away from the Amazon store and go actually try one out at a brick-and-mortar shop before buying.

Process lots of information in a flip: Writing an article takes research and the occasional search for inspiration; and the Reeder app lets you quickly move through Google Reader feeds to separate the wheat from the chaff. Flipboard and Zite also get the job done.

Break it down into an outline: I don’t know a single writer who likes the outlining process, but there’s no better way to organize big projects. iThoughtsHD on the iPad is useful for quick mind maps, and Evernote – which syncs across all your mobile and desktop devices – is a great way to noodle through an outline while you’re on the run. Need to organize more than just an outline? Look at Chapters – Notebooks For Writing. It’s a solid tool for creating virtual notebooks full of notes, photos, PDFs – whatever your pre-writing research turns up.

When it comes time to put words on a page, you’ve got options: From Pages (the first iPad app sold in the app store), to Clean Writer’s super-clean interface and under-a-buck price point, there are a lot of choices for generalist writing apps. Looking for something a bit more project specific? My Writing Nook is optimized for ebook writing, with tools to help break content down into chapters easily. And iA Writer is a minimalists dream, designed to get all the options and distractions out of the way so you can start hitting the keys.

Polish that prose: Unless you paid far, far more attention in English class than most of us, you should pick up Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus – an app that covers the two most-used books on any scribe’s desk. Like Grammar App HD, another excellent app, it works offline.

It may not look like a battered old Smith-Corona typewriter, but the right apps and accessories turn the iPad into a formidable writing powerhouse. What are your favorite writing tools?

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

In this episode of #ChalkChat, Jeremy Lichtenberger, VP, Brand Strategy Director at Palio, shares 3 key insights to a successful brainstorming meeting.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Jeremy at jlichtenberger@palio.com.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

In this episode of #ChalkChat, Gina Figler, junior copywriter at Palio, shares 4 ideas for finding creative inspiration.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Gina at gina.figler@palio.com.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

By Christina Schiavo, Corporate Relations Intern, Palio

One of the countless beauties of living in Saratoga Springs is the luxury of everything being in close proximity. The city is conducive to walking or cycling just about anywhere. Meeting some friends for dinner and drinks? – You can walk! Don’t feel like getting stuck in traffic on your morning commute? – Then bike on over to work! That’s what a handful of Palio employees do, seeing that we’re centrally located in the heart of Broadway.

We actually have a number of employees who are extremely passionate about cycling, whether it is for exercise, fun, competition, transportation, exploring, or even an outlet for stress relief and creative thinking. Just ask Guy Mastrion, Chief Creative Officer. What started as a competitive thing, has now taken a different route. “Now I ride as an antidote to middle age and the liberating feeling of not sitting in endless meetings all day,” said Mastrion. “In fact, time on a bike is some of my most productive thinking and ideation time and challenges the wisdom of keeping people locked up in rooms all day as a means to solve problems.”

For Mastrion, cycling is not only a form of exercise and a way to get creative juices flowing, but also a way to enjoy the great outdoors here at the foot of the Adirondacks. He typically rides three to four times per week and covers about 100 miles/week, taking in the view. “There is a killer network of trails that you can go off-roading completely,” said Mastrion. Even more so, the beauty of riding in Saratoga would be the weather. You can generally start riding in March and continue all the way through to November. Mastrion added, “When we have mild winters with little snow, you might see me take the occasional ride!”

Philip Reynolds, Vice President Creative Director, also enjoys cycling, but for his own reasons: “Cycling is excellent exercise and Saratoga is a great environment for it.” Although Reynolds typically likes to switch up his exercise routine, cycling is his one constant. It allows him to enjoy health benefits and also enables him to explore the glorious city of Saratoga. “I love learning about the area that I live in through cycling and exploring new roads,” said Reynolds. “I find myself cycling down roads that I would never need to travel on in the car.”

One benefit of cycling in Saratoga is the variety that it offers. As Reynolds describes, “Saratoga has a great terrain, offering both flat and hilly country.” You have the freedom to go any direction, and you will find great roads with sufficient shoulders.

For Joseph Acee, Associate Creative Director, cycling is a major part of his life and is something he would find difficult living without. Other than the exercise benefits , Acee and his family rely on his cycling for transportation purposes. “I don’t like to drive and personally feel that cars are overused,” said Acee. “Upon moving here, my family has been able to live normally with only one car for five years.”

If the weather is permitting, he will take advantage of being able to cycle, but if not, Acee will use public transportation. “I still get interesting reactions from some of my coworkers when I tell them I commute to work with my bike and the help of local transit authority,” said Acee. Through his use of his bike and public transportation, Acee is not only living healthier, but is also reducing his carbon footprint.

Acee has about a 6-mile ride from his home in Saratoga to Palio. He said that this would be considered a relatively easy ride, but not when you do it at the pace he likes. Acee finds that in doing his commute at a faster pace, it provides him with a solid workout prior to his workday, getting him energized and ready. “I always feel better when I ride into work,” said Acee.

For Uwe Tigör, MD, EVP Chief Medical Officer, rather than cycling being a passion, it’s been a way of life since his youth. When asked why he likes to cycle, Tigör’s response represented how significant cycling has truly been to him. “I grew up in a suburb of Berlin where cycling was part of life like a bagel and schemer is part of a New York morning,” said Tigör. “That’s how you covered the distances between the subway stations, school, and later the hospital – passion did not have a place, it was reality.”

Upon moving to New York City, things changed for Tigör. Cycling was no longer a simple way of life and transportation, but rather dangerous and even a gamble at times. “Thinking about biking was a survival necessity, seeing that the city wasn’t very accommodating and every biker had horror stories of flying over a suddenly opened car door or landing on the hood on a taxicab,” said Tigör. “You knew how important those wheels were, especially when all that was left of them was the bike lock around the traffic sign where you left your bike that morning.”

Moving to Saratoga was a breath of fresh air (for more reasons than one) for Tigör, especially with regards to his cycling. The environment was conducive to biking again, enabling him to ride to work or into town. “Saratoga let me get back to what comes naturally – biking everywhere I need to go.”

Account Director in Managed Markets, Steve Toman, is another one of our avid cyclers. “One of the best things about living in Saratoga is that it is a road cycling playground,” says Toman. “We have access to high quality asphalt roads through flats, rolling farmland, wooded hillsides, and lung-searing hills – all within a few minutes of downtown.”

Over the past few years, Toman has met a few great individuals from the community and at Palio who share his love for cycling. As Toman mentioned, “A group of us ride every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 6 AM to 8 AM, which is good for the soul as well as the legs!” Looking to start cycling or interested in a new route? – Toman offers his input: “The only thing that beats riding into the sunrise through the beautiful farm country out beyond Saratoga Lake is to tack on a loop through the Saratoga battlefield.”

A few years back, Toman started volunteering for Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network (SHTN), a local nonprofit organization that lacked strong visibility in the community. With the help of Palio, SHTN became Bikeatoga. In addition, Palio supported the nonprofit through logo and website creation, as well as through public relations work.

Bikeatoga is dedicated to creating a community that is more pedestrian and cycling friendly. Additionally, this nonprofit organization has a bike workshop where donated bikes are fixed up. The refurbished bikes are then put back on the streets through programs such as Earn-a-Bike and Kids Bike Giveaway. 

Here are some tips every rider should keep in mind when setting out on the open road: Always be prepared for flat tires or getting hit by a car. On long rides, drink a bottle of water every hour. Ride the lightest bike you can find. Pay attention to gear ratios, which are the optimal ratios for the way you ride. Training to ride at a high cadence (between 90 and 100 RPM) provides the best transfer of energy in a less strenuous way on your muscles.

Thinking about cycling? Stop thinking – just get up and do it!

Here at Palio, health and wellness runs through everything we do – in the office and out. And our employees are involved from every angle! From running to yoga, and tennis to ironman – you name it, we’ve got folks who do it. Because health is such a big part of our lives and work, our Because We Can health initiatives series is designed to highlight the passions, commitments, accomplishments and goals of a few of the members of our team.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

This episode of #ChalkChat, Philip Reynolds, VP, Associate Creative Director, shares 6 rules for finding creative inspiration that work for him.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Philip at preynolds@palio.com.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

This episode of #ChalkChat features “Acronym Soup” with Paul Harrington, Palio’s SVP Creative Director, who shares 5 key guidelines to keep in mind when creating your next advertising campaign.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Paul pharrington@palio.com.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

In this episode of #ChalkChat, Neall Currie, VP, Creative Director at Palio, shares insights into how using shared context can make communications more effective.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Neall @neallcurrie.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

In this weeks #ChalkChat, Elissa Nadworny, Palio’s Video Production Specialist, shares tips for filming video with a smart phone or flip camera.

#ChalkChat is a weekly video series that brings you insights on branding, marketing and multichannel integration within the pharmaceutical industry. Follow us at #ChalkChat. Follow up with Elissa Nadworny @elissanadworny.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Mirek Janczur, Senior Brand Designer, Palio

It’s been almost two months since I came back from the Midwest UX Conference in Columbus, Ohio, and it’s finally time to share with you a small dose of what I learned out there.

The first day of the conference was dedicated to various workshops. I picked “Sketchnotes” which, because I’m a designer, attracted me the most, especially because we got to use a Sharpie. But please don’t feel you’ve got to be a designer to participate in sketchnoting –– sketchnoting is something everyone can do. It’s fun, easy, and no extra-special drawing skills are required.

So what exactly is sketchnoting? Basically, it involves changing the way you usually take notes to make them more meaningful and interesting. It’s a way to visually communicate the ideas expressed by a story teller through the capturing of a presentation with quotes, pop-ups, illustrations, doodles and caricatures. It frees you up from the rigid structure of regular note taking.

If you are based at Palio and would like to know more, feel free to stop by the Design Lab for a quick demonstration. I have a nice collection of sketchnotes from the conference and from Palio presentations. We could set up some time for individual or group workshops, as well. If you are outside our Palio office, here are two links that will get you started:

Sketchnote Army

Sketchnotes 101: The Bascis of Visual Note-taking

Remember, sketchnoting is for anyone who is bored of regular note taking and wants to do something more fun, interesting and meaningful.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

By Lynn Hausman, Junior Copywriter, Palio

Saratoga Shakespeare Company (SSC) is driven by passions – a passion for The Bard, and an even greater passion for sharing the charm of his masterpieces with others. For more than a decade, a core group of extraordinary individuals has made an incredible impact on the cultural scene of Saratoga. Saratoga has always offered an attractive array of summer activities, but nothing quite like this. Each SSC performance is inherently impressive, but when we turn our attention to the effort, time, and dedication SSC puts forth to produce them, impressive doesn’t even begin to describe it.

SSC believes Shakespeare is for everyone. And for the past 12 years this group has worked to fulfill this belief by bringing Shakespeare to life, and has, in the process, established an irreplaceable tradition. Saratoga summers wouldn’t be the same without Shakespeare in Congress Park.

The Company was created to serve the need for free, professional outdoor Shakespeare. Shining light on this need was just step one; fulfilling it soon became an ongoing journey. Each year, SSC takes on the challenges of fundraising with fearless commitment and an unbreakable focus on its original vision – a professional production that brings together people of all ages and levels of exposure to theater, with no limitations to the economically disadvantaged or physically challenged. It’s a vision of producing the best plays ever written for audiences who love to see them. And, for the audience, at no cost.

“At no cost”… the detail that presents the company with its greatest challenge. Artistic Director Bill Finlay recognizes the challenge, “Like most non-profit organizations, our biggest challenge is funding. We maintain our commitment to not charging audience members for our shows, and mounting a professional production is becoming more and more expensive.” Fundraising has not gotten easier over the years. The recession has been a difficult time for the arts, and SSC recognizes it has been a hard time for its audiences as well. Yet, SSC never hesitates to pursue the necessary initiatives to preserve the tradition.

SSC is a professional equity company. They provide the only free, professional, live productions of Shakespeare in the Capital Region. Since the Company receives no ticket revenue to offset expenses, SSC works to inspire and motivate others to help them move their vision forward, depending on businesses and individual sponsors in the community. SSC Board President Jay Rogoff says, “Except for 2009, when we took a year’s sabbatical because of the recession, we have succeeded in mounting a production every year since 2000. And with the community’s help, we hope to continue to do so.”

Among the help are Saratoga Arts, the city of Saratoga, The Saratogian, Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, community members, and more.  As more organizations, companies, and individuals lend their aid, more eyes are opened to the importance of this cultural tradition. Literature and communication has come a long way, but its roots remain strong. SSC breathes life into these roots, and reminds us how the power of a true classic can, as expressed by Rogoff, “unite an audience in pleasure and wonder.”

Saratoga Shakespeare is also resolute in introducing the younger generations to Shakespeare. The organization is thrilled to watch its youth audience continue to grow; a significant percentage of its audience consists of children (25% the past two years), and members look forward to watching that percentage increase. Also, SSC has an intensive intern program. About 15 interns get the opportunity to learn all the onstage and backstage aspects of producing theater, working alongside professional actors and designers. Some interns have even gone on to professional theater careers. Exposing young talent to Shakespearian acting techniques enhances the SSC mission.

Nostalgia will fill the air this summer as Twelfth Night takes the Alfred Z. Solomon stage. Twelfth Night was the Company’s debut production in 2000. Rogoff says, “We thought revisiting Twelfth Night would be an exciting way to celebrate our twelfth anniversary…12 performances of Twelfth Night for our twelfth production in 2012.”

For the 2000 production, Director Finlay took a very traditional and a bit conservative approach, not knowing how the community would receive a professional production of Shakespeare. Today, Finlay’s knowledge that a bit of creative license will be not only accepted, but also enjoyed and appreciated, has led him to a new approach. With a multi-cultural cast including actors coming in from Chicago, New York City, and Miami, he decided to stray from the traditional setting of the ancient kingdom of Illyria, setting it instead in the South Beach section of Miami. This year’s performance of Twelfth Night will have distinctly Latino overtones in both look and sound. “It hopefully will be very different in all aspects except the text itself,” says Finlay.

Twelfth Night is a classic Shakespeare comedy revolving around an amusing love triangle, involving a woman disguised as a man. This scenario leads to a plot filled with comical misunderstandings and mistaken identities, which Rogoff describes as “delightful confusion.” However, along with its humor, Shakespeare didn’t fail to lace some serious observations about love and gender throughout the story. “In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare takes the idea of love at first sight and runs with it. What happens when you suddenly fall in love with someone you don’t know…?” explains Rogoff. A perfect balance of light humor and enlightening views on life and love is achieved in this classic.

At Palio, we continue to be amazed by the dedication and passion and resiliency of this core group of individuals who in 2000 came together to build something good for all. And, we’ve been lucky to be a part of their inspiring ride from the beginning.

Twelfth Night begins tomorrow and runs from Tuesday through Saturday, July 17-21 and 24-28 at 6pm, and Sunday’s July 22 and29 at 3pm. For exceptional, timeless, and professional entertainment on a warm July night, it doesn’t get any better than free Shakespeare in the Park.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.