Southold Resident Receives First Emmy Award

When Southold resident Randee Daddona began filming for her video and feature photo essay about Scott Bollman’s North Fork Sea Salt for Newsday, she never expected it would lead her to win her first Emmy award.

“I was so shocked that they even nominated me,” she said. “I thought it was a joke.”

However, it was certainly not a joke this past Saturday, as Daddona attended the awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in New York alongside her husband.

“I was a nervous wreck the whole time,” she said. “it was very surreal, it didn’t feel like I was really there.”

Daddona felt a little out of place at this ”very big, very fancy big party”, claiming she felt as if she “crashed it” and didn’t belong there.

“But it was just a great place to be,” she said.

The party turned into a real celebration when Daddona’s essay was announced to be the winner and everyone began screaming, she said.

“I got caught in the bundles of nerves,” she said. “I wasn’t used to being on the other side of getting attention.”

The excitement continued when Daddona returned home with the award to her excited children, which was like “bringing home a new baby” according to her.

“It’s been a great ride,” she said.

The ‘ride’ that led to Daddona’s first Emmy began last year, when she went to have lunch at Bruce’s Cheese Emporium over in Greenport where Bollman works as a chef, when she noticed jars with the “North Fork Sea Salt” label.

She asked what the jars were when Bollman told her about how he harvested sea salt.

“I was curious about how it’s done, I had no clue,“ Daddona said. “I was in awe,”

She then pitched the story to Newsday and on a 22 degree day in February, went out and filmed the entire process of harvesting sea salt alongside Bollman.

“It’s so pretty being on the North Fork, it’s pretty to watch,” she said. “The video took care of itself.”

After filming and spending time editing alongside her editor at Newsday, Jeffery Basinger, who took the video and ‘created the magic’ to go with it.

For Daddona, however, it didn’t feel like work spending the whole day watching and filming someone harvest sea salt. She loves sharing other people’s stories, especially on the North Fork.

“I’m proud of that piece, it made me happy to tell his story,” she said. “I want to get to tell their stories and show people how great the North Fork is.”

Daddona, who has been a Southold resident for over 10 years, says that there is a “great community” on the North Fork.

“Everyone sticks together and everyone knows everyone it’s so nice,” she said.

Now, Daddona is seeking out a new project and looking for someone’s story to tell. She asks anyone who might be interested to contact her at: randee5@optonline.net.

Photo courtesy of Randee Daddona

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