I guess I cheated, because I have the "home court" advantage. I grew up in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. I went to grade school with a kid named Andy, who was the son of Sol C. Seigel. He took me down to the set of the movie, There's No Business Like Show Business, and I left with photos autographed "To Harvey" from the stars, Marilyn Monroe, Ethel Merman, Mitzy Gaynor, Dan Dailey, Donald O'Conner, and Johhny Raye.
It was a reasonable start. I played some keyboard and guitar in highschool, and did Rock 'N' Roll shows with Jan and Dean (if you're old enough to remember surf music) and one of the later members of Beach Boys. One of my good friends was also a child actor on Stan Freeberg's CBS radio show.
As a musician who could also repair guitars and amps, I worked part time in a local musician's repair shop. I've designed professional recording electronics for about twenty years, and again, it wasn't what I was doing, but the fact that I was doing it in L.A that puts me in that environment. I've done custom modifications and projects for Stevie Wonder, Richie Blackmore, Fleetwood Mac, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Eddie Van Halen, Metallica, and others.