Walter Ulloa

Walter Ulloa, Spanish-Language Media Pioneer and Visionary Dies at 74

Walter Francis Ulloa, son of Walter Ulloa Sr. and Margaret (Vasquez) Ulloa, was born in Brawley, California—a farmland sprawl of alfalfa, sugar beets, lettuce, and sweet corn. The freedom of this rural life gave Walter a wholesome beginning. He rode horses, and in time became a tennis star throughout the Imperial Valley, winning tournaments from Indio to Palm Springs.

Attending USC, Walter continued playing tennis, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, and eventually created a Latino Endowment for the school with brothers Ronald and Roland. Walter became entranced with Los Angeles, a city he believed was undervalued. Throughout his life he worked to ensure that L.A. itself, with its growing Latino population was appreciated. He fought for Latino rights and for the power of media to reflect Latino culture. Besides working with the Music Center Board, LATC, and The Kennedy Center Honors—to which he was appointed by President Obama—he was a passionate collector of Chicano and Mexican art, supporting individual artists, proud to help expand their cultural influence.

Mr. Ulloa received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, subsequently working briefly for the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, then as a monitor for the Los Angeles City youth employment summer program. This was a progressive, experimental program created in the early 70s, giving high school students a chance to work in Latino organizations as summer interns.

Fascinated by broadcast media, Walter’s brother Roland helped Walter land a job with another trailblazer in Spanish Media, Danny Villanueva at KMEX-TV, writing daily commentaries for “Mr. V” as he was called. Here Walter learned the business from the ground up, moving into operations, then becoming account executive, and finally his favorite job, news director, which kept him up almost 24/7. Mr. Ulloa challenged the local news, often saying, “I don’t want to write about the wind, I want to write about what’s really going on in L.A.”—and he did.

Years later, Mr. Ulloa left KMEX, to acquire outlying stations, and with early partners Paul Zevnik and Philip Wilkinson, various entities were accumulated. Almost out of nothing but with a strong vision, Walter worked relentlessly amassing groups of broadcast stations, his company eventually becoming so profitable that investment bankers convinced him to go public. In 2000, Entravision was born on the New York Stock Exchange with eight-year-old son Bruno ringing the NYSE bell.

Today, Entravision has uniquely transitioned from its structural roots in traditional broadcasting to a leading global advertising, media, and world-wide digital powerhouse. Mr. Ulloa began the company 26 years ago, many of his employees having worked there almost that long. Like all great leaders, Walter got to know everyone at his company, beginning with the service workers. Often, he believed in people more than they did in themselves, ultimately changing many lives. He gave, through his philanthropy, sometimes anonymously, always without fanfare. He didn’t like talking about himself, interested instead in those around him—their lives and their challenges. Walter was a quiet, humble, leader; caring and authentic. He was like a father to some, a brother to many, and a mentor to all who worked alongside him. Always positive, he loved what he did—his mantra: “We as Latinos, need to see ourselves reflected in the media, and we have the numbers to do it.” As television journalist Tim Russert once said, “There is no one today who could be Walter Ulloa.”

In addition to Walter Ulloa’s wife of 40 years, Alexandra Seros, he is survived by son Bruno Seros-Ulloa, brothers Roland Ulloa, his son Luis, Ronald Ulloa, Ronald’s wife Soo-Bin, and Ronald’s children Anthony and Madeline Ulloa.

In lieu of flowers, Alexandra and Bruno have ask that you donate to a fund the've created to provide support and group conversations surrounding men's health issues.

Please send donations via Venmo to: Walter Ulloa Memorial Fund (@waltermemorial)