Michael Quintanilla

Michael Quintanilla has sat front row at runways in New York, Milan and Paris, writing about international fashion weeks for the Los Angeles Times and his hometown’s San Antonio Express-News. His work has won awards, including his impromptu coverage for the Los Angeles Times of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York. He contributed reporting about the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake, work that earned the Times two staff Pulitzer Prizes.
Michael was among the nation’s first reporters to write about the AIDS crisis and was named feature writer of the year by both the Los Angeles Times and the California Newspaper Publishers Association for a narrative feature written in diary form about a man living with AIDS. He befriended and later cared for the patient, who eventually died from complications of the disease.
Michael is the District 4 appointee to the city’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and is a board member of the Therapeutic Justice Foundation that supports Bexar County’s 14 Specialty Courts. He volunteers for Eva's Heroes, the GED Leadership Committee, Palo Alto Community College, San Antonio AIDS Foundation, San Antonio Fiesta Commission, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas and other groups.
He has received the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists’ lifetime achievement award and was the first San Antonio Fashion Week Icon Award of Excellence recipient.
Michael is a Burbank High School graduate and earned his journalism degree from Trinity University, which honored him with its distinguished alumni award.
He’s the author and performer of an acclaimed one-man “Confessions” show about writing that has taken him from Hollywood to Harvard, performing before college audiences and fellow journalists.
Many of his newspaper stories (L.A. Times, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Times-Herald, El Paso Herald-Post, Express-News), including investigative reporting and feature writing, have been published in journals and books. One was turned into a feature film and other have been optioned.
He’s “Mr. Fiesta,” known for wearing his handcrafted hats and costumes. He served as Grand Marshal of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade in 2024. And he’s recognized as a San Antonio ambassador, having traveled to various U.S. cities with Visit San Antonio, promoting San Antonio’s diversity, culture and charm.