Ackerman saw his first "imagi-movie" in 1922 ("One Glorious Day"), purchased his first science fiction magazine, "Amazing Stories", in 1926, created the Boys' Scientifiction Club in 1930 ("girl-fans were as rare as unicorn's horns in those days"). He contributed to both of the first science fiction fanzines, "The Time Traveller", and the "Science Fiction Magazine", published and edited by Shuster and Siegel of Superman fame, in 1932, and by 1933 had 127 correspondents around the world. His name was used for the character of the reporter in the original Superman story "The Reign of the Superman" in issue 3 of "Science Fiction" magazine. He was one of the early members of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society and remained active in it for many decades.