The First Big 9 Guy Sighting at PDC05

Back in 2005, something big made its debut at PDC (Professional Developers Conference) — literally.

This was the first public sighting of the Big 9 Guy, a larger-than-life inflatable version of the logo for Channel 9, the website I was working on at the time.

What Was Channel 9?

Long before YouTube became a household name, Channel 9 was a pioneering site at Microsoft — built to bring a human side to the company through video content. The idea was novel at the time:

• A dedicated video platform featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and developer stories.
• A thriving community of Microsoft fans and engineers.
• Conversations that felt real — a stark contrast to traditional corporate messaging.

And it worked. Channel 9 became a huge success, fostering a passionate developer community and setting the stage for future online video platforms.

About the Photo

This snapshot captures a fun moment from PDC05 — me standing next to the Big 9 Guy, with my manager at the time, Jeff Sandquist, on the other side.

Also, a reminder that cameras weren’t quite as good back then.