Between cover fees, drink prices and keeping up with multiple bar social media accounts, going out can be stressful. A group of students are trying to change that with their app, “What’s The Move.”
Originally launched in March 2025 as an Instagram page, WTM has quickly grown into a platform for students looking to find the best deals and busiest spots around Tuscaloosa. Now, just over a year later, it has evolved into a full app, changing how students navigate nightlife.
“I just wanted to help people find the best deals and spend less money,” said founder Ethan Dobrindt, a senior majoring in finance and economics. “I’ve always been very value oriented, and I wanted to share that with other people.”
Dobrindt first had the idea as a freshman, but didn’t test it until March 2025, starting with his first deals post on Instagram.
He created daily posts compiling drink deals from bars across Tuscaloosa. Within a month, the account grew to more than 500 followers.
“That’s when I realized people actually wanted this,” he said.
From there, WTM expanded quickly. What started as daily deal posts turned into a full platform, complete with videos, promotions and eventually large-scale bar crawls. The app’s most recent crawl brought in over 900 participants across 22 bars.
“The idea was always to have a platform like it is today,” Dobrindt said. “I just wasn’t technically capable of building it at first.”
Part of that growth has come from the content side of the brand, led by Anna Spencer, WTM’s head of marketing, who helps create the videos featured on the platform’s Instagram.
“I started these videos through a friend, because they wanted someone talkative, over 21, and familiar with nightlife here at Bama,” said Spencer, a senior majoring in public relations with a minor in communication.
Spencer said the response from students has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
“It’s been super fun, people come up to me when I’m out and yell, ‘What’s the move!’ and I’ll always tell them to download our app,” she said. “I always talk about it, and people tell me how much they’ve enjoyed the app and how useful it’s been.”
After teaming up with a co-developer and teaching himself along the way, Dobrindt launched the first version of the WTM app earlier this year. Within a month, it reached over 2,000 downloads and around 1,000 active users. The app is free to use, and some users say that convenience is why they use it.
“It’s nice having a page where I can see all the deals at once and not check every single bar’s page,” said Memory Hughes, a sophomore majoring in accounting. “I think it’s super fun.”
Others say it’s become part of the social culture on campus, as it has reduced the amount of accounts students need to follow on Instagram or Snapchat to find deals.
“I love WTM. They tell me all the drink deals,” said Daniel Barriga, a junior majoring in sports management. “They’re needed on campus, because it’s good for our culture at Bama.”
While the platform has grown, Dobrindt said building relationships with local bars was a gradual process. Early on, WTM relied on publicly available information, but over time, those connections became more direct.
“Now it’s really easy to coordinate things,” he said. “I can just text or call, and they’re happy to work with us.”
As WTM continues to grow, the team is also preparing for a transition. With Spencer graduating this year, they are looking for new students interested in marketing and social media to join the team and help continue building the brand’s presence online.
“We’ll be posting more about job listings soon, but please send us an email or DM if you’re interested in joining the team and making these videos,” Dobrindt said. “We’re excited about what’s to come.”
Looking ahead, WTM is planning to expand beyond Tuscaloosa, with a focus on other SEC schools. The goal is to recreate the same success in new college markets while continuing to improve the app’s features. But at its core, the mission hasn’t changed.
“People always say to us they wish they had something like this when they were in school,” Dobrindt added. “It makes me happy we can do that now.”
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