That question has been asked many times. This about the closest to an answer i have seen from Mark.
There really is no secret. They all start out as frags. I don't buy colonies, too much potential for pests and more importantly it's not as much fun for me to start with a colony. I started out in the hobby caring only about color and not about names. I did finally get caught up with names for a while. Primarily because I wanted a frag that would grow into exactly like the colony I saw a picture of and although I don't want to admit to it probably some snobbery as well. I've learned a lot over the years about tank to tank differences, morphing corals, corals that grow so slow that I'll never be around to see them into colonies and pretty frags that grow into ugly colonies.
Anyway, if I locate something with potential or atleast I believe or someone suggests it has all kinds of potential and six patient months to a year later, I may end up with a couple of pretty mini colonies and the rest are simply expensive junk that I ultimately cut off of my rock scape. Southern California has so many hobbyists, retailers, wholesalers that it proves pretty fertile ground. But I have had the joy of visiting Florida and Toronto also where there are incredible beauties. I don't have any special connections except for a handful of serious reefer buddies and after buying so many frags over the years, I have made friends with some LFS owners, vendors and even a couple wholesalers. I am crazy about acros. So finally after all these years of being in the hobby, if I find something unusual, and it thrives in my tank, I now may give it a name. Names get maligned and abused by everyone it seems. There are lots of vendors that copy the "name" of a coral from another vendor for a different coral altogether. I originally was going to use numbers instead of names. The naming started as a tongue in cheek sort of thing. What I have learned is sometimes names stick even when you start out calling it Z something.
I find this an extraordinary hobby. We all spend a lot of time with our tank minus our spouses or friends because to them it's often just a fish tank. My wife is extremely supportive but it is not her interest. I think it is pretty cool that through this forum we get a window into so many reefers homes and tanks and make a friend or two along the way.