Donnie Does (news correspondent)
Donnie Does (news correspondent)
Zach “Stu” Etkind (also known as, Donnie, Donnie Does, and The Wonton Don) is a foreign news correspondent to Barstool Sports. He identifies different aspects of Chinese culture that are foreign to the West.
Donnie is also a hip-hop musician, who was professional football player for the Shanghai Sharks, and the inventor of the Suisey clothing line. He considers himself a B-list Chinese celebrity, cultural cosmonaut, and Crab Rangoon chef.
Background
In high school, Stu (Donnie) came up with the “Donnie the Townie” character.
He and his college roommate, Rob Wallace, filmed a few short Donnie clips while studying at Tufts University.
According to Donnie, at some point in 2012, he woke up in Shanghai, China after blacking out at Legal Sea Foods in Terminal B of the Logan International Airport in Boston. He worked as Dining Editor for EnjoyShanghai Magazine. In September 2012, he began filming and editing videos with his friend from college, Rob Wallace.
His show Donnie Does China features Donnie immersing himself in Chinese culture in a variety of entertaining ways. He says this about the Chinese people:
One thing that shines through when you watch the videos is that Chinese people are pretty friendly and have a sense of humor. There are a lot of people in the US and in other parts of the world that are scared of China, but I think after watching the videos people will say that China looks like a lot of fun and the people look really cool.
Playing Career
Shanghai Warriors
In September 2017, Donnie joined the Shanghai Warriors football team of the American Football League of China, the oldest, largest, and most-watched American-rules football organization in China.
After a regular season record of 5-1, the Warriors defeated the Shanghai Titans in the AFCL championship game.
At the conclusion of the season, Donnie released an 8 episode documentary series entitled, "DragonSkin: An American Football Team in China"
Shanghai Sharks Ban
Donnie's relationship with the Sharks began in 2011 when he attended games as a fan.
During one of the games, he joined the cheerleaders on the court and was subsequently kicked out and received a ban from the team.
The team later rescinded the ban.
He is currently a Foreign Brand Ambassador for the team.
Writing Career
Barstool Sports
Donnie started at Barstool Sports in February 2017.
He was brought on as a foreign correspondent.