News

Transition to Linklings, LLC

SIGGRAPH 2018 and SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 are transitioning from the SIGGRAPH Information System (SIS) to a submission and review system provided by Linklings, LLC. If you are interested in submitting content for either conference, we would like to offer the opportunity for you to create and set up your Linklings user account in advance of the program submission date.

To set up your account, please visit Linklings and select the “create an account” link.

FAQ: The Transition from SIS to Linklings 

What​ ​is​ ​SIS? 

SIS is the SIGGRAPH Information System, which has been used for submission and review of all materials for the SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia conferences for many years. It was custom-built for SIGGRAPH by the Opal Group over a period of years. 

What​ ​is​ ​Linklings? 

Linklings is a company that provides conference management tools, including a comprehensive submission/review system. Their system is well-suited for technical conferences; for example, Supercomputing has used it for many years. 

Why​ ​the​ ​change? 

The contract between ACM SIGGRAPH and the Opal Group ends after the 2017 conferences. A new RFP (request for proposals) was issued in 2016, resulting in the selection of Linklings as the new contractor. 

Why​ ​do​ ​I​ ​have​ ​to​ ​sign​ ​up​ ​with​ ​Linklings?​ ​Why​ ​not​ ​just​ ​transfer​ ​me from​ ​SIS? 

Over the years, SIS had accumulated information for thousands of users. Much of this information was no longer valid, and the transition to a new system provided an opportunity to clean things up. An email message was sent to recent users of SIS to inform them of the transition and to encourage them to register early with Linklings. 

Does​ ​Linklings​ ​do​ ​everything​ ​that​ ​SIS​ ​did? 

The RFP committee has worked with Linklings to make sure that their system provides everything that the SIGGRAPH community needs regarding submission and review. The Linklings team has agreed to augment their system with some new features that will make the transition much easier. However, due to time and financial constraints, some of these new features may need to be phased in over the course of the contract. The committee has prioritized the work to ensure that the first conference to use the new system will have the tools that it needs to run a successful submission and review process. 

I​ ​have​ ​a​ ​question​ ​regarding​ ​the​ ​Linklings​ ​software.​ ​What​ ​do​ ​I​ ​do? 

If you have already signed up, there is a “Contact Support” link at the bottom of every page on the Linklings site. If you are having difficulties prior to signing up, there is a “Contact Us” link at the top of the Linklings home page.

Los Angeles, CA – The San Pedro International Film Festival (SPIFFest) celebrates its 6th anniversary presenting from October 5-15, 2017 in San Pedro’s historic waterfront district. SPIFFest has also announced it's moderator and panelists for its Production and Design Panel from SIGGRAPH's very own, Alex Bryant, Chelsea Roehl and Rebecca Yanis. To mark it's 6-year milestone, SPIFFest has it's expanded multimedia programming over two weekends, including music performances and latest technology innovations spotlighting virtual reality.  

The Production and Design panel is scheduled on Saturday, October 14th at 12pm and will bring together top creatives and visionaries from diverse portfolios to explore an insightful discussion as how production and design applies to film and television.

Moderator: Alex Bryant. Originates from the United Kingdom, an ADDY and EMMY recipient for his contributions to television and marketing, Alex's credits spans over a variety of companies including: CBS, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Vanity Fair, Access Hollywood, NAACP Image Awards, NBC Universal, Esquire Network, and most recently with Dick Clark Productions. As a natural philanthropist and lifelong student, Alex continues to share his humbleness, living to the fullest, and inspiring his growing support system to Dream BIG!

Panelist: Chelsea Roehl, Graphic Designer at NBC Universal. Chelsea Roehl has origins from the great northern land of Alaska. Born and raised there her entire life, she attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. After receiving her Bachelors of Art with a Minor in Business this past May, Chelsea immediately packed up her bags and moved to Studio City, California as she had been hired by NBC Universal a Graphic Designer for their Creative Services Team. Now she creates online advertisements, print
ads, and other fun miscellaneous projects for the home entertainment family. Some of the movies that she had the honor of working on includes: Atomic Blonde, Get Out, The Secret Life of Pets, and the Fate of the Furious.

Panelists: Rebecca Yanis, Production Assistant at DreamWorks Animations. Rebecca Yanis is a Cum Laude graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where she majored in Animation and minored in Studio Arts. While at MTSU she was the Director of Public Relations for her SIGGRAPH chapter and was awarded the 2016 Jill Green Memorial Scholarship at the 23rd Annual Student Awards from the College of Media and Entertainment. After interning with DreamWorks’ VeggieTales she was hired on as a Production Assistant/VFX Artist. She is currently working on a new animated show at DreamWorks in Glendale, California, and recently celebrated her first year being employed by the boy on the moon. She is honored to work alongside many creative and talented individuals and is excited for the part that she will play in future animations.

Additional panelists also includes Graphic Designer Shane Crocker from Fandango and Production Manager AJ Mayers from Lionsgate.

The festival kicks off October 5th during San Pedro’s First Thursday Art Walk and continues Friday with it’s Opening Night Film Dreams I’ve Never Had directed by Iyad Hajjaj with Malcom McDowell and Robin Givens. On Sunday is Sweden’s official Oscar entry The Square (Cannes Palm d’Or winner) directed by Ruben Ostlund, and Human Flow directed by Ai Wei Wei (Venice Film Festival).

A screening of Some Kind Of Wonderful celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary, highlights local San Pedro locations will be the highlights of the weekend and horror classic Friday the 13th will screen Friday October 13th.

The second weekend continues with shorts and documentary programming, and Every Nights a Saturday Night directed by Jeff Stacy, and about Bobby Keys, saxophone player for the Rolling Stones.

October 15th SPIFFest hosts a look at Virtual Reality and its applications in cinema and entertainment, featuring a panel discussion and demo of the latestworks by some of today’s top VR innovators.

Top tier sponsors include: StayCool (Universal Toiletries, UK), the Relativity School of Los Angeles and Pappys Restaurant of San Pedro, host of the opening weekend celebratory party and VIGO, a social media content creation app.

Tickets and festival passes range from $10 to $65, there will also be some free screenings.  For more information and to register for the mailing list visit www.SPIFFest.org