MATT HAMPTON | Reporter

A sophomore at Washington University has started a company he hopes will make up for the lack of nightlife options for college students under the drinking age.

Zach Moskow founded Premier STL in January and runs it with students from Wash U and Saint Louis University.

Moskow grew up in Philadelphia and said he’s been involved in business since he was very young.  His other ventures include running a web design company and selling students’ old computers as well as phone cases and chargers online. But nothing took off like Premier STL, he said.

In addition to running his companies, Moskow is taking a full class load as an entrepreneurship major and entertainment minor at Wash U.

“It’s definitely difficult balancing it with school because I’m constantly updating stuff on the website and checking ticket sales and doing customer service,” he said, “There’s a lot of work to do, but I love it; it’s what I do.”

According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, Premier’s event at Ballpark Village at the end of August attracted about 1,100 students.

“That was really when we really started getting a big following and people started knowing who we are as a brand,” Moskow said.

Premier STL’s goal is to connect students across campuses “to have a unified nightlife experience in order to enrich the traditional going out experience and to include a diverse group of people in our social spheres,” according the the company’s website.

Moskow also witnessed rapid ticket sales for his fourth event, a Halloween party at Siam nightclub in the Central West End on Oct. 26. He limited the party to under 1,000 guests to create a more “private, intimate nightclub” feel.

Though initially people heard about Premier events through word of mouth, the company later adopted a more elaborate advertising system, including “a team of campus ambassadors that help us market and share the events we host,” according to the company website.

Currently, Moskow said 95 percent of attendees at Premier events come from SLU or Wash U, but he’s looking to market to Fontbonne, Webster and other local colleges, and said it would be “good to have a team member at Lindenwood.”  He said it would be difficult to host parties across too broad of a geographic area, but Premier is willing to partner with other event-planning groups.

Moskow said the next event will be on Nov. 30. The venue and theme are yet to be determined.