Walter`s Legacy

Walter Ulloa

1948-2022

Walter Ulloa died on 31 December 2022, leaving a lasting impact, as a leader and as an activist for Latino rights. He was private and humble, never seeking recognition.

Born in Brawley, California—home to a mere 22,000 residents and situated just 45 minutes north of the US-Mexico border at Mexicali—his parents' work-ethic and dedication helped shape his his character, instilling a sense of responsibility and pride centering on his Mexican-American roots. Throughout his life, Walter worked to support marginalized Latinos. 

In 1970, Walter received an BS from the University of Southern California, followed by a law degree from Loyola Law School. Walter’s career focused on Latino Media, and in the early 90s, he created several radio and television stations in Southern California. This challenge came with significant personal and financial risk, but ultimately laid the foundation for his subsequent media and marketing endeavors worldwide.

Walter's journey to the top wasn't easy. At 28 he began at KMEX, a Spanish-language Univision TV station in Los Angeles, writing commentary for Danny Villanueva. Hard work and dedication led to several promotions, when ultimately decided to build his own network.

In 1996, Walter co-founded Entravision with Paul Zevnik and Philip Wilkinson. Their goal was to create a Latino media group in small Latino markets. By 2000, the company had gone public on the New York Stock Exchange; by 2012, it had notably grown to own or operate 58 television stations and 49 Spanish-language radio stations in nineteen of the top fifty US Latino markets. 

When digital growth began to disrupt traditional media, Walter understood that serving only the U.S., Latino market in the would cap the exponential growth he sought. He immediately saw a shift in marketing investments that skewed to performance-driven marketing solutions, programmatic advertising and mobile app marketing, and eCommerce marketing, concluding that new critical partnerships were essential if Entravision hoped to stay competitive. His foresight and understanding of the industry's evolving landscape were crucial to managing the company's strategy and success.

In the 2010s, Walter successfully acquired or invested in ad-tech and service-marketing organizations, helping to transform the company from traditional U.S. Spanish-language media to a worldwide digital-media powerhouse. Covid-19’s challenging macro-economic conditions and adverse media environment did not deter him from pursuing his vision for Entravision's growth and success.

On 31 December 2022, Walter died unexpectedly at the same time Entravision celebrated an extraordinary year. His untimely death is a loss not only to loved ones but also to the entire media industry. Walter left behind a thriving business in expansion; a strong, diverse organization as well as a long list of team members who will miss him profoundly. Whether it was Santa Monica or Barcelona, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Karachi, Dallas, Quito, Cape Town or a host of other international locations, his impact traveled far and wide. He built a legacy of excellence and dedication that will be remembered and honored by all who enjoyed the privilege of working with him.

Working with Walter was not always easy. At times he was unyielding and relentlessly interrogative, however, his expertise with numbers, legal matters, attention to detail, partner development and negotiation capabilities were unparalleled. His ability to identify, nurture and take care of talent speaks to how long his team remained by his side. As a boss, he struck a balance between toughness and fairness. Walter recognized that meeting deadlines and consistently providing high-quality information was crucial to building trust and value inside the organization. He took these values around the world, as is reflected in his successful management of investment transactions as well as partnerships.

Throughout his career, Walter was committed to giving back to his Latino community. He contributed to dozens of organizations and social causes promoting the arts, education and positive activism. He sat on the Los Angeles Music Center, LA84 Foundation, U.S./Mexico Foundation and La Plaza de la Cultura y Artes boards-of-directors, and won a Life Achievement and served as Trustee at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Board, a position offered by President Barack Obama in recognition of his commitment to cultural enrichment and education.

Above all, he valued and cherished his family. His wife, Alexandra Seros, was his partner and collaborator for more than forty-five years. Their son Bruno is the center of their lives and their proudest accomplishment. Walter's commitment to Alexandra and Bruno was vital; he deeply loved and cared for them.

Walter´s legacy is remarkable and well remembered. His capacity to build a family, manage a business and give back with honesty and principled values serves as ethical reference and indelible role model. We will miss him dearly.