Phil Thornton

Born and raised in the Norfolk, Virginia, Thornton knew that he wanted to be part of the entertainment business at age 10, and by the time he was 12, his fascination with radio landed him an internship at WOWI-FM, a local radio station. Three years later, at only 15, Thornton became an intern and rising star at Arista Records, working with Notorious BIG, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin to name a few. Thornton didn't stop there. As a marketing major at Norfolk State University a few years later, he and a fellow student wrote a 40-page proposal to the school's president to have the college radio station, WNSB, Hot 91.1-which could be heard all over Virginia-switched from all jazz rotation, to a hip-hop and R&B format. The president loved the idea and Thornton went on to become 91.1's student music director, turning the station into an overnight sensation that rivaled other Virginia FM stations, and attracted celebrity guest hosts like Diddy, and at the time, up-and-coming artists li