ACME was founded in 1985 as ACME Props and Sets, providing props and scenery for photography and television commercials. Operating out of the home of its founder, ACME grew in the first year to providing special effects for corporate productions.

In 1988, ACME Props and Sets was renamed ACME Production Services to better reflect the type of services they provided, and they moved into their first real location in an industrial park in West Allis, Wisconsin.

By mid-summer of the following year, ACME was already bulging at the seams in West Allis. So, they packed their trucks again and moved to a location on National Avenue in Walker's Point.

In 1991, ACME incorporated as ACME Corp. By 1993, ACME's growth had continued enough to increase the space even more. As a part of that growth, in 1994, ACME Corp. began providing lighting as well as scenic elements.

In 1998, ACME moved to their current home in an historic, former Milwaukee television studio building.