Influence of Buy-side

So I know someone whom I’ll be talking to tomorrow who works on the buy-side asset management and also has had significant HF experience (>15 years) after working in IB for 8 years. I myself am trying to land a IB internship for Summer 2021. this connection is very close (think family friend). How helpful can he realistically be in me getting an interview (either through connecting me with people in IB or talking to people himself) at a BB/EB in NYC? I myself am at a non-target but have a solid resume. The only issue is visibility.