TV animation is an industry, not a club. And yet, story after story or people's success here begins with someone else being "kind" enough to hold the door open for them.
That is a bug, not a feature. That is a symptom of a greater problem with this industry

People should be hired based on their ability, not their connections. There is no shortage of new and raw talent, only a shortage of big companies willing to hire people they don't already know.

So many people come to LA and starve, not because they lack skill, but because they are unlucky.

That isn't to say "don't try and help people you know if you end up with the means to do so," we all should be helping each other out in every way we can while living under the mister that is capitalism.
But please be aware of this industry's problems.

Nothing sucks quite like people who "make it" and then dismiss the concerns and experiences of people who can't. Don't do that.