John Edwards returns to Mark Burnett Prods.

John Edwards is getting back with Mark Burnett's production venture following his short stint as chief operating officer of Relativity Media. Edwards is coming back towards the COO publish at Mark Burnett Prods., the task he'd until left in May for Relativity. Word of Edwards' departure from Relativity appeared late Thursday. He's the 5th high-level professional to ankle Relativity previously year. "I needed to follow my heart, that was in operating with Mark," stated Edwards. "This is when I thought about being for future years.Inch Edwards was one of the key designers from the partnership that Burnett's company inked in April with Hearst Entertainment for multiplatform production and live occasions (Daily Variety, April 12). As COO, Edwards will oversee the entire selection of Burnett's companies, including maintaining numerous unscripted series on air as well as in development, in addition to a planned foray into scripted TV. Additionally, Burnett is active in many digital initiatives. However the firm's link with Hearst will clearly be considered a priority, based on Edwards, who indicated both organizations are curious about expansion possibilities both stateside and abroad. Edwards rejected to go over specific endeavors. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com