diff --git a/docs/sigs/MediaAndEntertainmentSIG.md b/docs/sigs/MediaAndEntertainmentSIG.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..b0fef9450 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/sigs/MediaAndEntertainmentSIG.md @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +--- +title: "Media & Entertainment SIG" +--- + +# Media & Entertainment SIG + +## Special Interest Group for Visual Effects, Animation, Post-Production and other Media & Entertainment fields. + +The AlmaLinux Media & Entertainment SIG is a Special Interest Group dedicated to supporting and enhancing the use of AlmaLinux within the professional visual effects, animation, and post-production industries. + +Our mission is to ensure AlmaLinux becomes the trusted, production-ready Linux platform for studios of all sizes by serving as the central hub for collaboration between artists, engineers, and open-source developers. We will work to ensure AlmaLinux is the trusted, production-ready Linux platform for studios large and small, while contributing patches, documentation, and reference architectures back to the AlmaLinux ecosystem. + +## How to Join + +Joining is easy! You can: + +- Show up to a SIG meeting +- Pick up an issue from our tracker by assigning it to yourself +- Ask questions and get involved in our chat + +Not every contributor wants to be a member of the SIG, but if you do, participation is straightforward and always welcome. + +## Where we chat + +We use Mattermost (the [~sig-media-entertainment](https://chat.almalinux.org/almalinux/channels/sig-media-entertainment) room)for communication. Discussions also occurs on the AlmaLinux mailing list: [media-entertainment-sig@lists.almalinux.org](https://lists.almalinux.org/mailman3/lists/media-entertainment-sig.lists.almalinux.org/). + +## Where and when we meet + +The Media & Entertainment SIG will hold monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 16:00 UTC. +This time was chosen to accommodate members across Europe and Canada — aligning with late afternoon in Europe and mid-morning to midday across Canadian time zones. +Meetings are open to all and will be held virtually through the AlmaLinux community platform. + +## Activities, projects, and deliverables + +The Media & Entertainment SIG will focus on: +Certification & compatibility: Ensuring Media & Entertainment industry-standard tools (Nuke, Houdini, Maya, Blender, etc.) run smoothly on AlmaLinux. + +Reference builds: Providing guides for configuring workstations, render nodes, and storage systems. + +Studio workflows: Documentation for hybrid and on-prem Media & Entertainment pipelines (storage, networking, render farms). + +Best practices: Security hardening, performance tuning, and reliability guidelines for production environments. + +Community contributions: Packaging, testing, and bug reporting related to Media & Entertainment software. + +## Help wanted + +We welcome contributions of all shapes and sizes! Areas where help is needed: +Packaging: Assist in building and packaging ASWF projects into RPMs and Creating automation playbooks for render farms, storage, and pipeline tools for AlmaLinux +Testing: Run validation tests, Benchmarking and publishing performance data for hardware and workloads projects to ensure stability and compatibility with other Media & Entertainment / Animation software on AlmaLinux and reporting issues. +Documentation: Write guides on how to install, configure, and integrate these projects into studio pipelines and transitions to AlmaLinux. +Bug Reporting: Identify and report bugs specifically related to running ASWF software on AlmaLinux. +Upstream Collaboration: Work with the upstream ASWF project teams to contribute patches and provide feedback from the AlmaLinux community. + +Project/task tracker: [GitHub Issues link TBD] + +## SIG members + +- Tristan Theroux – SIG Lead (IT Infrastructure & Security Director, SHED Inc.) +- Cristian Slavik – Founding Member (NOX, VFX Supervisor) +- Mike Owen – Founding Member (AWS M&E) +- Eric Marundee - Founding Member (Independent) +- Aubert Vachon - Founding Member ( IT Operations Manager, Cinesite) +- John Kirkman - Founding Member ( Director of Platform & Infrastructure, Disney Animation Studios) +- Alex Fuller - Founding Member ( Lead R&D Software Developer, Flying Bark Productions) +- Laurence Cymet - Founding Member ( Head of Technology, WeFX) +- Timothy Toulis - Founding Member ( Systems Engineer, WeFX) +- Neal Gompa – Founding Member (Engineer, Velocity Limitless) +- Samuel Bissonnette - Contributor, Member (Pipeline TD, SHED Inc.) + +## Additional information for SIG application approval + +Timeline +Q1 2026 Official kickoff, initial focus on documenting AlmaLinux workstation and render farm configurations. + +Mid to late - 2026: Publication of reference architectures and compatibility guidelines for Media & Entertainment studios. + +## Resources + +Infrastructure: A Mattermost channel, mailing list, and GitHub space under AlmaLinux. + +## Funding + +None required at this stage, though future sponsorship may be requested for industry outreach (e.g., SIGGRAPH presence or licensing to test softwares). + +## Why now + +The Media & Entertainment industry is experiencing significant disruption due to recent licensing and support changes from established platform providers. This has created a clear and urgent demand for a stable, open-source, and enterprise-grade Linux distribution that studios can rely on. AlmaLinux is perfectly positioned to fill this gap. +This SIG will act as the crucial bridge between the AlmaLinux community and the M&E industry. We will ensure the needs of studios, artists, and engineers are not just heard, but are actively documented, addressed, and integrated into the AlmaLinux ecosystem, guaranteeing it is the trusted, long-term platform for production pipelines.