Meet Terri Thornton
Terri Thornton founded Thornton Communication in 1998 to serve the media relations needs of Atlanta-based businesses, organizations and institutions.
She is one of the few public relations professionals with a background in both broadcast news and the print media. In addition to spending more than two decades as an award-winning TV and radio reporter and producer, she’s written several magazine articles and cover stories. She is also a contributor to PBS MediaShift and serves as a freelance editor for a prominent trade publication.
As the owner of Thornton Communications, she has identified and placed clients’ stories with leading national and local newspapers, magazines, TV stations and Web sites. Her experience in crisis communications helps clients navigate controversy and intense media scrutiny.
Her media relations efforts earned her a Bulldog Media Gold Award, beating much larger agencies representing multinational corporations. For social media PR, she and client Morris, Manning & Martin received the "Your Honor" award from the Legal Marketing Association, Golden Flame award from the International Association of Business Communicators and Phoenix award from the Public Relations Society of America.
She has spoken to groups including the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, Legal Marketing Association, Association for Accounting Marketers and the National Arthritis Foundation. She served on the steering committee and PR chair for Social Media Atlanta 2010. Past pro bono efforts include serving a volunteer and sponsor for the Possible Woman Foundation International, serving on the board of the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council (REIAC), co-chairing the public relations committee for the Atlanta Arthritis Walk, and serving on the steering committee of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta’s Tech Initiative, as well as the Georgia Technology Celebration. She is also Red Cross volunteer.
As a journalist, she won national and regional awards for investigative reporting, as well as documentary, series and newscast production. While at WAGA-TV in Atlanta, she launched Good Day Atlanta, the nation’s highest-rated local morning show.