I met Mark as an undergrad when I was trying to get a career in music started. I asked him if he had any advice about getting my foot in the door of tv or film scoring, and his advice was... Scientology.
Joke's on me. I never tried Scientology and consequently never made it as a film composer.
I mean, in a way, scientology is like any other affinity group [1]. If many members of a particular affinity group are prominent in an industry, joining it is a way to get connected with those members and that industry. Scientology is also a lot more hands on, and tries to manage staffing for their most prominent members, which means positions may be open only for members (which may be illegal), so it probably is pretty effective at getting your foot in the door in the industry.
The questions are really can you get out of Scientology and stay in the industry, and is getting into the industry worth the strife of getting into and out of Scientology and of association with Scientology in general.
[1] Most affinity groups aren't abusive or dehumanizing, or at least aren't to anywhere near the same degree.
> The questions are really can you get out of Scientology and stay in the industry.
Yes, you can, at least in the last decade. Lots of celebrities who were once vocal Scientologists have now left the church, though they might not make a big fuss about it. Blogs like Tony Ortega's have written on how Scientology's membership is imploding, though it still has some committed donors that it squeezes for money to keep up appearances.
Joke's on me. I never tried Scientology and consequently never made it as a film composer.