About Acme Fish

ABOUT US Who we are

Lou Congelio

Lou is the founder and head creative guy at ACME Fish. He’s been in the ad business for quite a while now and has worked at a few great agencies like McCann Erickson, W.B. Doner and STANANDLOU to name a few.

His work has won a lot of praise and awards along the way. Despite working at different agencies and with many different clients through the years, two simple words have always guided and pervaded Lou’s work: Creative. Results.

These two simple words define what Lou and ACME Fish are all about. They are not mutually exclusive nor can you have one without the other; one leads directly to the other.

His creative outlook on life permeates everything he does. He abhors sameness and conformity. He embraces change and new ways of thinking but not at the expense of the brand or results.

Lou handles every project as though he is the client. Nobody is as hard on Lou’s work as Lou. He has been known to sacrifice profit for polish. However, he’s not completely insane and does require a fair wage for his services.

To put it simply, if you want advertising that stands out and gets noticed; advertising that you can truly be proud of. and, most importantly, gets results, Lou is your guy.

For a more formal BIO on Lou, read on.

Lou Congelio, president and chief creative officer at ACME Fish, is one of the most prolific and highly decorated creative talents in the Houston ad community. For over 30 years, Lou has written and produced award-winning radio, TV, print, outdoor and web-based advertising for clients ranging from the largest Fortune 500 companies to the smallest, neighborhood shops and restaurants. More importantly, the work he has created has helped his clients succeed, prosper and grow.

From 1978 to 1983, Lou worked as a writer/producer for Houston agency McCann-Erickson where he worked on national and local retail accounts including Exxon, Six Flags AstroWorld, Whataburger, Texas State Optical, Houston Coca-Cola Bottlers, Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottlers, Wilson Foods, Gordon Jewelers, Big A Auto Parts and Certi-Car Auto Repair.

In 1984 Lou joined forces with W.B. Doner in Houston to work on the Lone Star beer and Pizza Hut accounts. In 1985, W.B. Doner/Houston decided to move their Houston creative team to corporate offices in Baltimore. Lou decided to stay in Houston and was quickly scooped up by Taylor Brown & Barnhill.

As head writer/executive producer for the agency, Lou worked on Foley’s Department Stores, Conoco, Safeway, Hi/Lo Auto Supply, Allied Bancshares, KRBE Radio, Rotan Mosle, Clean Houston, Westin Hotels of Houston, Continental Airlines, Houston Proud and Splashtown.

Having worked at all the top Houston advertising agencies, Lou decided that maybe it was time to test the waters for himself. So with long-time friend and fellow writer Stan Mays, Stan and Lou opened up their own creative services firm. And the name they most modestly chose for their company was STANANDLOU Advertising.

in 1996, Lou bought out his partner when Stan was asked to take over as Advertising Manager for STANANDLOU client, the Coastal Corporation. Lou suddenly had to be nice to Stan and occasionally take him to lunch.

In 2007, Michelle Reed joined STANANDLOU as an equal partner.

In the early 2000s, Lou served as Chairman on the board of directors of AAF-Houston (formerly the Houston Advertising Federation) and was the founder of the Only in Houston movement, a committee of AAF – Houston that promotes the creative and marketing talents of individuals and companies based in the Houston area.

Lou served on the Marketing Committee for the Greater Houston Partnership and is currently president of the Just Ask Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of neurofibromatosis, an organization close to Congelio’s heart.

In 2010, Lou decided he had had enough of the fast-paced agency life and decided to go back to his roots and formed ACME Fish, a Houston-area creative boutique. His goal: to slow down, enjoy life and spend time with his daughter while continuing to create work that engages, amazes and inspires.

Why us? We’re slow but expensive

Well, with a name like ACME Fish we’re either damn good or we’re a little mixed up on what we’re selling. We prefer to think the former.

Why the name ACME Fish?

Well, Lou has always had a fascination for the word, ACME, since watching all those Roadrunner cartoons in his troubled youth. That, coupled with the fact that his favorite restaurant in New Orleans is ACME Oyster House, and you start getting the feeling that there’s something important about this ACME word.

Perhaps, it’s the fact that ACME means “the pinnacle of achievement”, the apogee, capstone, climax, culmination, height, high point, highest point, meridian, optimum, peak, summit, top, ultimate, vertex, zenith.

Or, in Lou-speak, simply the best.

The “Fish” part of the name came from the fact that the url, acmemeat.com, was already taken. In fact, all great ACME url names including Acme Advertising was taken so Lou opted for acmefish.com.

The name, ACME Fish, is notable for two very distinct reasons:

First, it gives you an idea of how Lou thinks. It’s unexpected. Creative. Yet relevant. Relevant in that it says, “I’m different.”

Secondly, it’s strange. Scary. Exciting. What is it? It makes you want to learn more about the brand. Makes you curious. Curious enough to read this copy. To find out more. To act upon your feelings.

And that is exactly the way Lou approaches advertising.

We will not bore your target to death into buying your product nor will we create the same pile of crap that your competitor produces. What we will do is position your brand in a way that gives it the best chance of success.

No matter what it takes including more than a little trust from you, the client.

At Acme Fish we have one goal. To differentiate you from your competitors in meaningful, unexpected but relevant ways. That’s not easy. Not at all. If it was, everybody would be doing it.

We’re very good at figuring out what makes you unique. And we know how to create work with the stopping power to make people notice you.

We’re passionate. Different. And definitely not for everyone. But then, you knew that as soon as you read our name.

Services What we do

ACME Fish is a full service creative boutique. What does that mean? Not really sure but it’s safe to say we have the resources, skills and experience to pretty much take care of any of your creative marketing needs.

From helping Fortune 500 companies fine-tune their corporate messaging to developing and implementing a full-scale marketing plan, the principals at ACME Fish are uniquely qualified to provide the creativity you want and the results you need.

• Strategy • Concepts • Creative
• Copywriting • Interactive • Social Media

Philosophy Words we live by

• Be impeccable with your word. (LINK TO BELOW COPY)

Copy:
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

• Don’t take anything personally. (LINK TO BELOW COPY)

Copy
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

• Don’t make assumptions. (LINK TO BELOW COPY)

Copy
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

• Always do your best. (LINK TO BELOW COPY)

Copy
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

News What’s happening

(DEFAULT TO BLOG)

Links People we admire

Reggiebibbs.com

Copy:
Lou first met Reggie Bibbs back in 1989 when STANANDLOU was asked to write and produce a series of public service TV commercials for the Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation.

Reggie, who has a rather severe case of NF, wanted to tell his story of what it was like living with NF and the many challenges that go with being severely disfigured.

A meeting was arranged and after a few hours and many tears (Lou’s), a friendship was born that continues to this day.

Through the years, Reggie and Lou remained in touch by working on various projects to promote awareness of Reggie’s disorder,

Then in February of 2007, Reggie called Lou to ask a special favor.

Would Lou design him a t-shirt that read “Just Ask!” When asked why, Reggie replied that he knows when he walks through airports or at shopping malls, he sees people looking at him curiously as though they want to talk with him but they never do. He figured if he had a t-shirt that gave people permission to “Just Ask” him about his disorder, it would be a good thing.

And that is how the “Just Ask!” movement was born.

Shortly thereafter, Reggie realized that he could reach a lot more people if he had a website. So Lou designed a website which led to a YouTube account. Then MySpace. Then Twitter. Then Facebook. Vimeo. Veoh. etc.

Slowly, Reggie and “Just Ask!” became international phenomena with millions of visitors logging in to find out more about Reggie, his disorder and the friends he has made.

Today, Reggie is the de facto face of NF and its most recognizable ambassador. He is a much sought after speaker at NF events around the world and is committed to help raise money for research to help fund a cure.

Not surprisingly, his work has inspired others with NF to join his cause. Through the sale of “Just Ask!” t-shirts, Reggie is now able to give others with NF not only the courage but also the ammunition to go out and have people “Just Ask!” them about their disease.

The mission continues to this day.

Contact We’re here

ACME Fish
504 W 9th St.
Houston, TX 77007
832.723.9824