I've done something similar to this in the past. If it's a large organisation and there were other people, aside from the guy you mentioned, you worked well with then contact them first and try to get them to support you in getting hired.
As an aside: If you believe you will be dependent on regular type work in the future never blow your top when leaving an employer. No matter how much you may want to. Even if the city you work in has a few million people in it the world really is a lot smaller than it seems. Everything you do WILL come back to you.
As an aside: If you believe you will be dependent on regular type work in the future never blow your top when leaving an employer. No matter how much you may want to. Even if the city you work in has a few million people in it the world really is a lot smaller than it seems. Everything you do WILL come back to you.