Newsom, a top Biden surrogate with his own national ambitions, has stood closely by the president and made several appearances after last week’s debate in Atlanta to defend his competency and urge calm. Newsom raised more than $1 million for Biden and Democrats since the debate and is traveling to Washington for an evening meeting Wednesday with the president and other Democratic governors, including some who have said they want to see Biden prove to Americans he’s the right person for the job.

The podcast — which promises listeners the chance to hear Newsom “like you’ve never heard him” — will provide the governor with his own media platform just ahead of the November election and as his name continues to surface on shortlists to replace Biden, should Democrats need 11th-hour relief. Other party leaders with previously planned summer projects include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is traveling the country to promote her book.

While it’s difficult to imagine the presidential race not being a part of the podcast, Newsom described it in a promotional clip as “‘Politickin’ with no politics.” Instead the hosts will deliver a “deeper understanding of what it takes to excel in their respective fields,” according to press materials.

Newsom has just 18 months left as governor and even if Biden remains the Democratic nominee, the outcome of the fall election will dominate the remainder of his term in office.

He is a political pugilist and avid sports fan — often using his national profile to skewer the right. He’s fond of unorthodox plays for attention and has spoken at length about the challenges of breaking through to people in an increasingly siloed news and entertainment environment. Over the last year, he sparred with Fox News’ Sean Hannity and participated in a debate with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moderated by Hannity. Newsom has run ads in red states calling attention to their anti-abortion laws and pitched an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would crack down on firearms.

Newsom also is a prolific consumer of news who studies the conservative echo chamber and has said it gives him insight into how the Republican Party of former President Donald Trump operates and appeals to Americans.

And he’s no stranger to helming his own platforms, including while serving in elected office. As lieutenant governor of California, he hosted the weekly “Gavin Newsom Show,” which briefly ran on San Francisco-based Current TV and featured interviews with guests from Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Other Current TV hosts at the time included former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and former Michigan governor and current Biden Cabinet member Jennifer Granholm.

iHeartPodcasts in the promotional materials for the podcast described the collaboration between Newsom, Lynch, and Hendrickson as “unexpected.”

Newsom, a fourth-generation San Franciscan who served as the city’s mayor before becoming one of his party’s most familiar faces, forms something of an odd couple with Lynch, who earned the nickname “Beast Mode” for his bruising and intimidating running style. He grew up in Oakland, starred on the field at UC Berkeley and for the Seattle Seahawks and as a pitchman and performer has shown a playful side. In an infamous press conference for the Super Bowl in 2015, Lynch repeated “I’m just here so I don’t get fined” after every question he was asked.

Newsom served as a character witness for Lynch in 2013 following a DUI arrest, including reportedly placing a call to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Newsom also has invoked Lynch when state issues spill over into popular culture. When California was moving toward outlawing some food additives found in sweets — incorrectly described in news reports as a “Skittles ban” — Newsom said he heard from Lynch, a spokesperson for the candy. “He was like, c’mon, man,” Newsom previously told POLITICO, adding that he informed the Super Bowl champion he wasn’t banning Skittles. Newsom later affixed a photo of a bag of candy when he signed the bill.

Hendrickson is Lynch’s longtime agent and has been close with Newsom for several decades.