Todd Longwell A few years ago, grip-turned-producer Brian Gork and cinematographer Richard Swindell got the idea they could open their own soundstage complex. “We wanted to design a stage that would essentially be something that would be recommended from every department — art, electric or whoever,” says Gork. Back in the 2000s, it might’ve remained just a crazy, unrealized dream. But thanks to the spike in demand for content created by the streaming explosion, Gork and Swindell made their dream a reality with AKS Stages, which the duo co-owns with Sean Pascale.