Film director Ron Howard has brought a slew of iconic titles to life over the last 50 years.

During a recent chat with iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman, the industry legend discussed the challenges associated with transitioning from acting to directing, how he feels about collaboration, and shared his advice for advertisers and young people who are just getting started in entertainment.

The prolific director emphasized the value of understanding what your audience wants to hear in advertising. As for young people entering the entertainment industry, Howard recommended trying to connect "what you love and what audiences love."

"I think if you want to be a filmmaker or a storyteller, you need to think about narrative, not just personality, and go beyond that and try to look around and find your group and rally together and make stuff. And if the studios and the platforms find you and want you, then you have leverage. But I think you can find a way to make a living. You may have to hustle. You may have to scramble, but I think small groups can figure out how to make a living together or will be able to in the near future. So that's my advice. But also with understanding what you love, what audiences love, and how you can connect these things. These truths."

Howard also told Pittman that if he could go back and give advice to his 21-year-old self, he would be more fearless in the face of collaboration.

"I wish I was a little more fearless about collaboration. I did spend a few years being afraid I'd look bad. People would think I was stupid or green. And I slowly but surely kind of earned this credibility. And that's fine; I love where landed, but I feel like I spent some years fearing criticism instead of trusting my creative instincts and who I was to actually seek out collaborators who I knew were more experienced than I was or smarter and more dynamic and more effective. I think I steered away from some opportunities to work with some pretty interesting actors early on because I was afraid I couldn't control them, so I wouldn't call it a regret, but that would be the advice I would give young Ron."

Listen to the latest episode of iHeartRadio's Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman for more!

Bill George