Not particularly. For example, I got Princess Mononoke to script because Quentin Tarantino when asked told the exec that he should hire me instead. We'd never met. He just liked my work.
I got to interview you at the press junket for Princess Mononoke. I still tell people about your dedication to the lip flaps with your story about the wolf monologue...
I'm a Japanese. I watched English version of もののけ姫 long time ago as an English learning material and I can't tell how much I was really impressed by the translation! How did you learn Japanese culture that level of deepness? I always think that cultural difference is harder than language barrier.
Most any creative job requires a lucky break or two along the way. The best thing you can do when you get one is be someone people want to work with again.